And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments. Whoever says “I know him” but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him: whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked. (1 John 2:3-6, ESV)
This part of letter of John to the church in Ephesians is following what he has suggested in previous chapter, that is to have fellowship with God The Father, and with His Son - Jesus Christ (1 John 1:3). John was old at the time when he wrote this letter to the Ephesians, and he often used the word “my little children” when addressing the church (although, the word children doesn’t always means physical children or children in terms of age; it could also means children in a spiritual manner). Nevertheless, this letter could also be applied today for us, Christians. When we read this passage, even though it is important to see the context on what John was dealing with, it is also important to see it for ourselves as if this grandpa John is speaking to us - his little children.
Now here is a quote i found on the internet in regards of knowing the scientific progress by Gaston Bachelard:
The statement above is so different from what the Bible says in regards of knowing God. Christian has an assurance (according to John’s letter here - verse 3), that we know God - John said that we can know that we Know God.
Now, this letter from grandpa John to the church in Ephesians is also suggesting us today to do the same examination to ourselves (individuals), and also to the body of Christ, whether we are in fellowship with Christ. “And by this, we know...” - How do we know that we know God? “By this ...”, John said. Now, the word “know God” here is not the same as “know about God”. The word know here in Greek is “ginosko” (G1097), and has the same meaning as the hebrew word “yada” (H3045). The word "ginosko" is also used in a verse like John 17:3 - "And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent." It goes beyond mere knowledge about God, but it refers to experiential, intimate knowledge of God, describing perfectly our longing to experience God in the midst of our ordinary life. Look on Genesis 4:1 for example: in some translation (ESV or KJV) use the word “knew” for Adam “knew” Eve, then she (Eve) conceived and bore Cain. So the word “lay with” in NIV is translated with knew in ESV or KJV which comes from the word “yada” in hebrew. To us today, we might question, how come knowing someone could make that person pregnant? It doesn’t makes any sense, does it? It is because when the Bible use such word “ginosko” or “yada” it never means just to know about God, but it means more than that. Again it refers to intimate knowledge, just like a husband and wife. So the word “know God” here could be translated as abide in God (verse 6), or in relationship with God, or loving God (verse 5) or have fellowship with God (which is the theme that John brought up in chapter 1). “And by this we know that we are in fellowship with God” - if we paraphrase the word. How do we know? or How can we be assured that we have the right relationship with God? Grandpa John then said something that is consistent with what Jesus said in John 14:15, which is if we keep His (God’s) commandments. If we keep God’s commandment, rest assured that we abide in God, or that we really love God, or that we are having fellowship with God. As John had written this letter for the Ephesian church to examine herself, we who claims ourselves as christian ought to examine ourselves, do we really love God or in fellowship with Him?
This does not mean that John was suggesting works as a means to salvation; instead works as an evidence of salvation. ESV Commentary explains this passage very well, “Assurance of salvation is possible. John suggest christians a means of self-diagnosis. Here the test is ethical (moral test): Do professing Christians have a change in life and keep the Lord’s commandments? Obedience to God does not bring about justification (which comes by faith alone), but obedience as a pattern of life does give evidence that one has been born again. To know Him [God] involves a personal relationship that transforms practical behavior. It is saying that obedience in one’s life reveals genuine relationship with God. The key here is about personal relationship with God – a personal relationship that grows and manifests itself in a deeper desire to please Him by obeying His word in a sincere way.
In other words, to be in a certain relationship means that you will do certain things. Example: If you are really a true/good friend, means that when your friend is in need, you will do the best of what you can do to help your friend, even if it means to wasting your personal / work time to go through difficult moments with your friend; If you are truly a good husband/wife, it means that you will stay loyal and committed to your spouse only, fulfilling his/her needs, and sacrifice your time for your spouse. So when your friend is in need, and you ignore him/her basically that relationship of yours as a good friend will be broken; the same thing with your spouse, if you are not loyal, then you are breaking that relationship. So here if we relate this to our relationship with God, to be in a genuine relationship with Him means to obey His commands.
So what is God’s commandment? we might ask pastor John. He then told the church through the section of his letter from verse 7-11 here: This commandment is not a new commandment, it has been since the old days even since the Old testament, and you (the church) has heard about this. It is to Love your God with all your heart, soul and might (Deuteronomy 6:5) - which Jesus refers as the First commandment; and to love our neighbour as ourselves - which Jesus refers to the second commandment. This commandment, not to be misunderstood as two different commands, but instead it is pointing to the same command: the command to love the Lord God. To love our neighbour is an implication (command) or an expression of what loving God is.
But at the same time, It was new commandment in that it had been raised to a completely new standard in the life of Jesus: as Jesus had loved men that men were now to love each other. Men did not really know what love was until they saw it in Christ. Jesus displayed a kind of love that man never seen before, a love we were to imitate (Mat 5:43-48). I would like to quote from David Guzik on how he describes God’s love for us:
It is said in verse 10 to 11 that if we are in Him, if we are in fellowship with God, if we say we know God, John said that we must have love to our brothers and sisters because of God’s character. If we really have a true relationship with God, we should know His character, and what He pleases. He is God of love, that He loves us even when we are still His enemy (Rome 5:7-8).
Lastly John summarise this command on a different approach: “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.” (1 John 2:15-17, ESV). The world here does not mean that we must not love people, otherwise it will be contradict with the message above; but the world here refers to a system, or the way of lawlessness/wickedness. Do not love this system that we live in which against God, for we can’t love this world and also love God - it is contradicting to each other. The way of the world contradict to the way of our God - we have to choose. And you know what? John said: “this world is passing away” - this is not a prayer or a wish or a desire, it is a reality. God is victorious! Don’t abide in this world, as it won’t last, but love God, abides in Him, because it will last forever. It is much wiser to invest our lives into that which cannot be lost: doing the will of God (stay in fellowship with God). Again John is suggesting his reader (and us) to stay in fellowship with God.
Let us ponder and think of our relationship with God; be honest and examine ourselves, How are we before God? Do we have love for our brothers and sisters in Christ? When i read through this passage, and looked on myself, the first reaction that I got is that I feel ashamed; ashamed because I'm lack on following His commandments, ashamed because I am still struggling to live a life pleasing Him day by day, struggling to love others just as Christ has loved me, struggling in a situation of a broken relationship with my parents, struggling to always walk in the light or a holy life just as He is holy. There is even a great reluctant in me to write this article, as when i examine myself according to what God said through apostle John, i found myself not worthy. Some of you who read this article may find yourselves in the same spot as myself: maybe there is a particular sin that you are still struggling: be it your pride, maybe you are struggling with hate with your spouse who has betrayed you, maybe you are struggling with your affection to your kids, maybe you are struggling with love to your parents who has abused you so much, maybe you are addicted with alcohol, or drugs, or anything that prevents your relationship with God.
Here is what I want to say; these are some words that has given me encouragement from Calvin.He said, if we have to be honest before God, who has the right to teach God's people? none of Jesus' disciples were a holy person too. If we look on the description of love in 1 Cor 13, who are capable to fulfilling this kind of love? who are capable to fulfilling this God's commandments??? No one! Because the kind of love being described in 1 Cor 13 is not a human love..., but it's about Christ. When we look at the list, it's just impossible for a person to fulfill them. Unless Christ Himself, there is no one else can have a holy love - and this is exactly the point of relying to God. It is not by our own effort... ask the Holy Spirit to guide us , He's real, and He's true in giving help! Even John was a hot-headed man (read Luk 9:54; Mark 3:17), but God works in his life to make him an apostle with such love. This is also what John means in his letter: it was indeed a letter to suggest us to examine ourselves, but it was not intended to scare us away. John knew that they are children of God (1 John 2:12-14 and also 3:1), they are saved people, John was reminding them to keep pursuing relationship with God. John knew that we are not sinless, that’s why in previous chapter he said (in verse 8-9) that if we confess to God, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins. In chapter 2 verse 1-2, John also begin by suggesting us to stop keep on sinning. We are not sinless being, but we have to stop keep on sinning (there is a difference here); and if we sin, we have an advocate: Jesus Christ (our advocate with the Father). Come to God, ask for His forgiveness, and walk according to His Commandment - He is faithful! Oh Praise You God!
As I have written above, this passage is about our sincere relationship, and not merely a compulsion. So If you are struggling, as John suggested: Pray to God; ask for His help to open your heart and your spouse, friends, parents, kids and let God fills with His love to strenghten and encourage you for doing His will.
In Christ,
Paul
This part of letter of John to the church in Ephesians is following what he has suggested in previous chapter, that is to have fellowship with God The Father, and with His Son - Jesus Christ (1 John 1:3). John was old at the time when he wrote this letter to the Ephesians, and he often used the word “my little children” when addressing the church (although, the word children doesn’t always means physical children or children in terms of age; it could also means children in a spiritual manner). Nevertheless, this letter could also be applied today for us, Christians. When we read this passage, even though it is important to see the context on what John was dealing with, it is also important to see it for ourselves as if this grandpa John is speaking to us - his little children.
Now here is a quote i found on the internet in regards of knowing the scientific progress by Gaston Bachelard:
The statement above is so different from what the Bible says in regards of knowing God. Christian has an assurance (according to John’s letter here - verse 3), that we know God - John said that we can know that we Know God.
Now, this letter from grandpa John to the church in Ephesians is also suggesting us today to do the same examination to ourselves (individuals), and also to the body of Christ, whether we are in fellowship with Christ. “And by this, we know...” - How do we know that we know God? “By this ...”, John said. Now, the word “know God” here is not the same as “know about God”. The word know here in Greek is “ginosko” (G1097), and has the same meaning as the hebrew word “yada” (H3045). The word "ginosko" is also used in a verse like John 17:3 - "And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent." It goes beyond mere knowledge about God, but it refers to experiential, intimate knowledge of God, describing perfectly our longing to experience God in the midst of our ordinary life. Look on Genesis 4:1 for example: in some translation (ESV or KJV) use the word “knew” for Adam “knew” Eve, then she (Eve) conceived and bore Cain. So the word “lay with” in NIV is translated with knew in ESV or KJV which comes from the word “yada” in hebrew. To us today, we might question, how come knowing someone could make that person pregnant? It doesn’t makes any sense, does it? It is because when the Bible use such word “ginosko” or “yada” it never means just to know about God, but it means more than that. Again it refers to intimate knowledge, just like a husband and wife. So the word “know God” here could be translated as abide in God (verse 6), or in relationship with God, or loving God (verse 5) or have fellowship with God (which is the theme that John brought up in chapter 1). “And by this we know that we are in fellowship with God” - if we paraphrase the word. How do we know? or How can we be assured that we have the right relationship with God? Grandpa John then said something that is consistent with what Jesus said in John 14:15, which is if we keep His (God’s) commandments. If we keep God’s commandment, rest assured that we abide in God, or that we really love God, or that we are having fellowship with God. As John had written this letter for the Ephesian church to examine herself, we who claims ourselves as christian ought to examine ourselves, do we really love God or in fellowship with Him?
This does not mean that John was suggesting works as a means to salvation; instead works as an evidence of salvation. ESV Commentary explains this passage very well, “Assurance of salvation is possible. John suggest christians a means of self-diagnosis. Here the test is ethical (moral test): Do professing Christians have a change in life and keep the Lord’s commandments? Obedience to God does not bring about justification (which comes by faith alone), but obedience as a pattern of life does give evidence that one has been born again. To know Him [God] involves a personal relationship that transforms practical behavior. It is saying that obedience in one’s life reveals genuine relationship with God. The key here is about personal relationship with God – a personal relationship that grows and manifests itself in a deeper desire to please Him by obeying His word in a sincere way.
In other words, to be in a certain relationship means that you will do certain things. Example: If you are really a true/good friend, means that when your friend is in need, you will do the best of what you can do to help your friend, even if it means to wasting your personal / work time to go through difficult moments with your friend; If you are truly a good husband/wife, it means that you will stay loyal and committed to your spouse only, fulfilling his/her needs, and sacrifice your time for your spouse. So when your friend is in need, and you ignore him/her basically that relationship of yours as a good friend will be broken; the same thing with your spouse, if you are not loyal, then you are breaking that relationship. So here if we relate this to our relationship with God, to be in a genuine relationship with Him means to obey His commands.
So what is God’s commandment? we might ask pastor John. He then told the church through the section of his letter from verse 7-11 here: This commandment is not a new commandment, it has been since the old days even since the Old testament, and you (the church) has heard about this. It is to Love your God with all your heart, soul and might (Deuteronomy 6:5) - which Jesus refers as the First commandment; and to love our neighbour as ourselves - which Jesus refers to the second commandment. This commandment, not to be misunderstood as two different commands, but instead it is pointing to the same command: the command to love the Lord God. To love our neighbour is an implication (command) or an expression of what loving God is.
But at the same time, It was new commandment in that it had been raised to a completely new standard in the life of Jesus: as Jesus had loved men that men were now to love each other. Men did not really know what love was until they saw it in Christ. Jesus displayed a kind of love that man never seen before, a love we were to imitate (Mat 5:43-48). I would like to quote from David Guzik on how he describes God’s love for us:
Wide enough to include every human being.
Long enough to last through all eternity.
Deep enough to reach the most guilty sinner.
High enough to take us to heaven.
It is said in verse 10 to 11 that if we are in Him, if we are in fellowship with God, if we say we know God, John said that we must have love to our brothers and sisters because of God’s character. If we really have a true relationship with God, we should know His character, and what He pleases. He is God of love, that He loves us even when we are still His enemy (Rome 5:7-8).
Lastly John summarise this command on a different approach: “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.” (1 John 2:15-17, ESV). The world here does not mean that we must not love people, otherwise it will be contradict with the message above; but the world here refers to a system, or the way of lawlessness/wickedness. Do not love this system that we live in which against God, for we can’t love this world and also love God - it is contradicting to each other. The way of the world contradict to the way of our God - we have to choose. And you know what? John said: “this world is passing away” - this is not a prayer or a wish or a desire, it is a reality. God is victorious! Don’t abide in this world, as it won’t last, but love God, abides in Him, because it will last forever. It is much wiser to invest our lives into that which cannot be lost: doing the will of God (stay in fellowship with God). Again John is suggesting his reader (and us) to stay in fellowship with God.
Let us ponder and think of our relationship with God; be honest and examine ourselves, How are we before God? Do we have love for our brothers and sisters in Christ? When i read through this passage, and looked on myself, the first reaction that I got is that I feel ashamed; ashamed because I'm lack on following His commandments, ashamed because I am still struggling to live a life pleasing Him day by day, struggling to love others just as Christ has loved me, struggling in a situation of a broken relationship with my parents, struggling to always walk in the light or a holy life just as He is holy. There is even a great reluctant in me to write this article, as when i examine myself according to what God said through apostle John, i found myself not worthy. Some of you who read this article may find yourselves in the same spot as myself: maybe there is a particular sin that you are still struggling: be it your pride, maybe you are struggling with hate with your spouse who has betrayed you, maybe you are struggling with your affection to your kids, maybe you are struggling with love to your parents who has abused you so much, maybe you are addicted with alcohol, or drugs, or anything that prevents your relationship with God.
Here is what I want to say; these are some words that has given me encouragement from Calvin.He said, if we have to be honest before God, who has the right to teach God's people? none of Jesus' disciples were a holy person too. If we look on the description of love in 1 Cor 13, who are capable to fulfilling this kind of love? who are capable to fulfilling this God's commandments??? No one! Because the kind of love being described in 1 Cor 13 is not a human love..., but it's about Christ. When we look at the list, it's just impossible for a person to fulfill them. Unless Christ Himself, there is no one else can have a holy love - and this is exactly the point of relying to God. It is not by our own effort... ask the Holy Spirit to guide us , He's real, and He's true in giving help! Even John was a hot-headed man (read Luk 9:54; Mark 3:17), but God works in his life to make him an apostle with such love. This is also what John means in his letter: it was indeed a letter to suggest us to examine ourselves, but it was not intended to scare us away. John knew that they are children of God (1 John 2:12-14 and also 3:1), they are saved people, John was reminding them to keep pursuing relationship with God. John knew that we are not sinless, that’s why in previous chapter he said (in verse 8-9) that if we confess to God, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins. In chapter 2 verse 1-2, John also begin by suggesting us to stop keep on sinning. We are not sinless being, but we have to stop keep on sinning (there is a difference here); and if we sin, we have an advocate: Jesus Christ (our advocate with the Father). Come to God, ask for His forgiveness, and walk according to His Commandment - He is faithful! Oh Praise You God!
As I have written above, this passage is about our sincere relationship, and not merely a compulsion. So If you are struggling, as John suggested: Pray to God; ask for His help to open your heart and your spouse, friends, parents, kids and let God fills with His love to strenghten and encourage you for doing His will.
In Christ,
Paul
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