Taking a Look at 1 John

“And we can be sure that we know him if we obey his commandments. If someone claims, ‘I know God,’ but doesn’t obey God’s commandments, that person is a liar and is not living in the truth. But those who obey God’s word truly show how completely they love him. That is how we know we are living in him.Those who say they live in God should live their lives as Jesus did.”-                1 John 2:3-6 _NLT

         There are those who take the verse "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved--you and your household", _{(Acts 16:31 NLT)} quite literally. This leads to people say: “Well, I believe in Jesus, so I must be going to heaven.”  Paul’s letter to the Roman brethren carries it a step further by saying: “If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” _{(Romans 10:9 NLT)}  Salvation isn’t just about going to heaven; it’s about having an inner transformation based on living as Christ prescribed in scripture. We prove we are his by being faithful to God’s covenant with man, which involves obeying his commands, especially the most important command to love one another. Obedience is part of knowing God.

            If you obey the Lord you are showing both him and the world you live in that you love him. If you do not obey his word, yet say you are his you are nothing more than a liar … the truth is not in you.  Those who are confident that they live in God should live as Jesus did. When confronted with decisions that need to be made we must step back and ask ourselves the question, how would Jesus handle this? That would he say, what action would he take? That is being a believer in Christ; look at each situation life lies at your feet and based on your knowledge of the Bible, deciding with the assistance of the Holy Spirit what the correct course of action is. To quote an old children’s chorus, “They will know we are Christians by our love” … and our obedience to God’s word. Until next time, walk with the King and be a blessing! rlkeller

Resources: www.biblegateway.com; The Life Application Study Bible.