First John 2:3-6

This part of chapter two deals with our obedience to God's commands. The first two verses of this chapter remind us of what He as the Judge and Christ as our Advocate do for us. Now it's time to find out what he wants from us.

Verse 3: starts with "Now by this" in the New King James version. Others use "Hereby". This is a phrase John often uses. It refers here to the last part of the verse, "if we keep his commandments." To know Christ means more than just having knowledge. It's to enter into a relationship with Him. Paul in Titus 1:6 writes of those who, "profess to know God but by their works deny him."

This would certainly apply to the Gnostics who thought that with their supposed knowledge and spiritual insight, they could maintain a relationship with God without keeping His commandments. This applies to us today when we encounter the "once saved always saved" crowd.

Verse 4: The word liar here is more emphatic than "we lie" of Titus 1:6. The person referred to in this verse is the same person Jesus speaks of in John 8:44.

Verse 5: John in this verse begins to develop his theme of love. Later verses will talk about our love for one another. Here he tells us about the importance of our love for God. Imagine a triangle. The first side, God's love for us was covered in verses 1-2. This verse makes up side two. The following verses relating to our love for each other make up the final side. Each is important. It is not possible to have just one or two of these portions in our lives. We must have all three.

Keep in mind the writer of these words is the same man who heard Jesus speak the words found in the gospel of John, chapter 14, verses 21 and 23. The idea of one who, "keeps His word" also is a lesson against the Gnostics of the first century. It's also a lesson against those who today teach the idea of "once saved always saved."

Verse 6: There are a couple of key words in this short verse. The first regards living or abiding in Him. We'll continue to see the word abide. It comes from the Greek word menei. It means you've made a place your home. You've established permanency. The verb tense used is a present active verb. That means it's a continuous, ongoing action just as in chapter 1, verse 9. We're committing ourselves to a permanent relationship with God.

The other key thought is that we "ought" to walk as Jesus did. That word is derived from the Greek oheilo meaning to be debt. It's the moral obligation one has to show the basis for one's profession. This is also another theme John will continue to use. He's saying it doesn't matter what we say. It only matters what we do. The Gnostics loved to say they were true believers. John is saying we have a responsibility to show it in our daily lives.