Theological Commentary: Click Here
Discipleship Focus: Obedience
- Obedience: Genuine and satisfying obedience comes out of our identity. Our true identity comes only from our Father.
1 John 2
places the initial focus upon Jesus Christ as our redeemer. Of course, He is. He came and died so that we might be able to
know God and relationship with the Father.
That much is simply understood through the witness of God’s Word.
However,
look at the natural conclusion to this passage.
Wat is it that John writes to us immediately after speaking about Christ
as our redeemer? How do we know that we
have received Christ? We obey His
commandments. If we say that we know
Christ but do not keep His commandments, we are a liar. It’s there.
It’s black and white. If we are
in Christ, we will obey.
This is
why at the end of the passage we hear John advocate abiding in Christ. When we are abiding in Him, we are listening
to Him. We are resting in His care. We are communing with Him. When we abide in Christ, obedience should be
second nature.
What’s
interesting is the example that John gives to us about what obedience looks like. When John speaks about applied obedience, he
talks about how we feel in our heart with respect towards our brothers and
sisters. If we are truly in Christ and
obedient to Him, we should not find ourselves at odds with other people who are
in Christ. Hatred and anger has no place
in the heart of the person who is obedient to Christ. I don’t know about you, but I find that an
incredibly challenging proposal.
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