1 John
1Jo 2:3-6 - Walking the Walk
by Joe Holder
And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him. He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked. (1Jo 2:3-6)
John does not use this occasion to teach salvation by works. But he certainly uses it to make clear points about the assurance of salvation. No one can talk-the-talk without the walk of a Christian and make a legitimate claim to being a child of God. Nor can they find any personal assurance of their salvation in this course. Every appearance of the English word know in this lesson comes from the same Greek word, ginosko. It refers to knowledge grounded on personal experience. Three other words might have been used for know. One refers to mental perception, one to proximity or understanding, and one to native insight, knowledge gained through the five senses. John chose a particular word for good reason. Remember his concern in this letter is with Docetic gnosticism. Do you see the verbal similarity between ginosko and gnosticism? One trademark of the gnostics was a claim to knowledge not known by other people. They thrived on the assertion that they had superior revelation and knowledge through their cultic connections with the spirit world. But their life displayed none of Christianity's godly characteristics. They said, "I know God better than any other Christian," but their conduct lacked all the essentials traits of a Christian. John goes to the heart of their hypocrisy in this passage. The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia contains an in-depth article on gnosticism. In naming the chief characteristics of gnostic philosophy the article begins with "A claim on the part of the initiated to a special knowledge of the truth, a tendency to regard knowledge as superior to faith, and as the special possession of the more enlightened, for ordinary Christians did not possess this secret and higher doctrine." Do you see John's point? A claim to knowledge of God apart from Jesus Christ and the historic faith is a false claim!
Irenaeus (ca. 120-202) wrote extensively against the Gnostics in his work Against Heresies. Two quotations from his writings will provide a glimpse both of their ideas and of a historic ancient Christian's objections to them. "The Universal Church, moreover, through the whole world, has received this tradition from the apostles." Here is his second quotation. "But, again, when we refer them to that tradition which originates from the apostles, [and] which is preserved by means of the succession of presbyters in the Churches, they object to tradition, saying that they themselves are wiser not merely than the presbyters, but even than the apostles, because they have discovered the unadulterated truth. For [they maintain] that the apostles intermingled the things of the law with the words of the Savior; and that not the apostles alone, but even the Lord Himself, spoke as at one time from the Demiurge, at another from the intermediate place, and yet again from the Pleroma, but that they themselves, indubitably, unsulliedly, and purely, have knowledge of the hidden mystery: this is, indeed, to blaspheme their Creator after a most impudent manner! It comes to this, therefore, that these men do now consent neither to Scripture nor to tradition." Irenaeus shows how early Christians viewed the transmission of truth to them exclusively through the apostles and subsequent leaders within the church, not through private verbal revelations or traditions."
These citations could be repeated many times over from several ancient Christians whose writings are preserved for our reading. John leads the opposition to this non-Christian, anti-Christian philosophy, especially in 1 John. In reading Irenaeus and modern New Age teachers one frequently wonders at the amazing similarity between the ancient gnostic philosophy and modern New Age teaching. It originated outside Christianity, but attempted to gain entrance into the church. John recognized it as unacceptable error and opposed it. Apparently the Holy Spirit also objected to it with equal ferocity by including this writing in inspired Scripture.
While most readers of this chapter are neither ancient gnostics nor contemporary New Age disciples, the insidious error John confronts in this letter can creep into our minds and influence our thinking with great effectiveness and subtlety. This timeless wisdom cries out to us across the centuries. As we cling to timeless truth revealed in Scripture, God also charges us to oppose near-timeless error. As Scripture thoroughly furnishes us to every good work, it also thoroughly furnishes us with knowledge against error. Someone has written that those who refuse to learn the lessons of history are doomed to repeat history's mistakes. Will we learn the dangers of this error and sit at John's feet to hear his counsel? Will we allow him to teach us how to oppose this evil?
Now we can explore John's lesson with historic reflection. Notice his opening words. I will expand the word know to include the specific definition of the word John used. "And hereby we do know [by personal experience] that we know him [in our personal experience], if we keep his commandments." How do you know Christ? How do you know that you know Him? You could claim some form of exclusive knowledge as your basis of personal knowledge and assurance, but that would merely imitate the gnostics. You and I have only one solid basis for a claim of personal knowledge of God and of our salvation, ...if we keep his commandments.
The word translated keep here "expresses watchful care and is suggestive of present possession."2 The true believer does not look for ways to avoid God's commandments; he/she looks for ways to practice them and maintain watchful care in consistently living by them. The idea here is not occasionally keeping the commandments but a constant habit of keeping them. The point John makes is frighteningly simple and frighteningly challenging. We have Biblical assurance of our salvation in direct proportion to our conduct, how faithfully we keep His commandments. We can attend church and maintain a wonderful image of Christianity, but we have no assurance of salvation within unless we actually live up to our profession of faith. The gnostics who denied the incarnation claimed superior knowledge without the accompanying lifestyle of a believer in Christ. John says the experiential knowledge of the ordinary believer is actually superior to the gnostic claim. However, the experiential knowledge of the believer is not based on feelings, but on actions. How we live generates our assurance or robs us of its blessing.
If we say we know him and fail to live according to His teachings, John says we lie and do not the truth. We perfect God's love through personal action, not through empty words and claims. Again John's definition of love is not a certain feeling, but specific actions.
He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked. A. T. Robertson, Word Pictures in the New Testament, writes of this verse, "Present active infinitive [...] (ought), 'Himself also to keep on walking,' a continuous performance, not a spasmodic spurt." Do you see a consistent lifestyle here, not an occasional "spurt" of Christianity? Godly believers live under the charge constantly to sum up the life of Christ in their personal conduct. Do you want to know how Christ lived? Look at one of His followers! The world is already full of pseudo-gnostics who claim intellectual superiority over others because of a mystical knowledge they alone have of God. It runs in painfully short supply of robust Christians who present Christ to others by way of a consistent and predictable lifestyle.
If you were to give yourself a private report card today of your Christianity against this high challenge, what grade would you honestly earn? How seriously do you take your Christianity? Do you view it as an entertaining hobby, a pleasant pastime, but not to interfere with your "important" things? Or do you view it as the single most important activity of your life? Do you practice a private gnostic version of Christianity, or do you practice a New Testament historic Christianity? If you were to give yourself another report card a month or a year from now, what would you like to see? Are you willing to start working today, right now, to make the changes in your life that are necessary for that improvement? Let the work begin!
1Jo 2:7-11 - Old or New, What is it