The Letters of John: Obedience Matters

2022-06-12 

Pastor Jonathan Falwell 

1 John 2:1-11 (CSB) My little children, I am writing you these things so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ the righteous one. 2 He himself is the atoning sacrifice, for our sins, and not only for ours, but also for those of the whole world. 3 This is how we know that we know him: if we keep his commands. 4 The one who says, “I have come to know him,” and yet doesn’t keep his commands, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. 5 But whoever keeps his word, truly in him the love of God is made complete. This is how we know we are in him: 6 The one who says he remains in him should walk just as he walked. 7 Dear friends, I am not writing you a new command but an old command that you have had from the beginning. The old command is the word you have heard. 8 Yet I am writing you a new command, which is true in him and in you, because the darkness is passing away and the true light is already shining. 9 The one who says he is in the light but hates his brother or sister is in the darkness until now. 10 The one who loves his brother or sister remains in the light, and there is no cause for stumbling in him. 11 But the one who hates his brother or sister is in the darkness, walks in the darkness, and doesn’t know where he’s going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes. 

1. Obedience starts with Him 

Vss 1-2 (CSB) My little children, I am writing you these things so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ the righteous one. 2 He himself is the atoning sacrifice, for our sins, and not only for ours, but also for those of the whole world. 

• This is a continuation of the previous chapter talking about sin
• While Christians have been made saints through the atoning power of the Gospel, we will still sin
• And when that sin occurs, Jesus has already paved the way for our forgiveness

2. Obedience makes a difference 

Vss 3-6 This is how we know that we know him: if we keep his commands. 4 The one who says, “I have come to know him,” and yet doesn’t keep his commands, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. 5 But whoever keeps his word, truly in him the love of God is made complete. This is how we know we are in him: 6 The one who says he remains in him should walk just as he walked. 

• Our obedience is a marker of our salvation…but it is not the source of our salvation
• Sin in the life of the believer does not take away our assurance, but it is a barrier to our growth
• Our desire, and action, towards obedience is what makes us “complete” (teleioō)

3. Love and Obedience go hand in hand 

Vss 7-11 Dear friends, I am not writing you a new command but an old command that you have had from the beginning. The old command is the word you have heard. 8 Yet I am writing you a new command, which is true in him and in you, because the darkness is passing away and the true light is already shining. 9 The one who says he is in the light but hates his brother or sister is in the darkness until now. 10 The one who loves his brother or sister remains in the light, and there is no cause for stumbling in him. 11 But the one who hates his brother or sister is in the darkness, walks in the darkness, and doesn’t know where he’s going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes. 

• “Old and New” – Leviticus 19:18 (…love your neighbor as yourself, I am the Lord); John 13:34 (A new command I have given you, love one another as I have loved you…)
• Matthew 22 – Love God, Love People
• Harold Willmington stated, “We can be assured that we know God if we (1) try to obey his commands and imitate Christ and, (2) love our fellow believers.[1]

[1] Harold Willmington, Willmington’s Bible Handbook, Tyndale House Publishers, Wheaton, Illinois, 1997. Page 779.