“KNOWING AND KEEPING”

“And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments.”

1 John 2:3

In today’s verse, John gives us another litmus test of a genuine conversion: obedience. Over the next few blogs, we will often encounter the words “know” and “keep,” two of John’s favorite terms in this epistle. In fact, in the five chapters of 1 John, “know” appears about 40 times, and “keep” comes out about 10 times.

In ancient thought, knowing does not only entail intellectual knowledge. Instead, it is the result of a personal experience or relationship.

On the other hand, keeping has to do with consistency. Obedience to God’s commandments isn’t a one-off event or an occasional act. Instead, it refers to the habit of adhering to biblical principles as a result of careful study of God’s word.

Our behavior reflects whether our faith is true or not. Jesus warns that false prophets (and by extension, false converts) are known by their fruit (Matthew 7:20). Therefore, a person who claims to know God but fails to demonstrate a life of obedience to His commandments is a self-deceived individual.

A professing Christian must have a pattern of continuous growth in obedience. Such a development does not happen overnight and requires diligent study and meditation on God’s word. We wouldn’t know what to obey unless we know what to do and what to avoid. That’s why a person who claims to be saved but does not read the Bible regularly fails to live a life consistent with Scripture.

Being a Christian does not happen because of command-keeping, but it does result in a life of obedience to Christ.

Pursue the Savior today!