1 JOHN 2:3-6
“Jesus answered them, and said, My doctrine is not mine, but his that sent me. If any man will
do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself”
(Jn.7:16-17).
“Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my
disciples indeed” (Jn.8:31).
“Verily, verily, I say unto you, If a man keep my saying, He shall never see death” (Jn.8:51).
“And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments” (1 Jn.2:3).
“Then shall we know, if we follow on to know the LORD: his going forth is prepared as the morn-
ing; and he shall come unto us as the rain, as the latter and former rain unto the earth” (Hos.6:3).
Thought 1. Some people seek to know God. They seek after God, but they do it in the wrong way.
1) Some speculate about God. This is the route most people take in trying to know God. They imagine what
God is like and hold that image in their mind and try to live by what they imagine. They have their own
teachings and their own images of what God is like, and they govern their lives by that image.
2) Some try to seek and know God by mystical or emotional experiences. They seek to know the spiritual
world and its focus through spiritists, astrology, seances, magic, and a host of other man-made mystical
experiences.
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(2:4) Profession, False: there is the man who makes a false profession. Scripture is direct and pulls no punches:
“He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in
him” (v.4).
It is absolutely impossible to know God and not to keep His commandments. Why? For one clear reason: if God really ex-
ists, then He created us. We came from God. He created us for some purpose; He put us on earth for some reason. Therefore,
He is bound to tell us why He created us; He is bound to tell us what He wants us to do and exactly how to do it. He would
defeat His purpose if He did not. Therefore, God would never leave us in the dark, groping and grasping and trying to find
out the truth. He would be a God of hate if He left us in the dark, and He is the farthest thing from hate. Jesus Christ has
shown us that God is love, that God loves us so much that He has given us the Holy Scriptures to tell us what to do. But
more than this, God has shown us His love by giving His Son to live the truth out right before our eyes. God has not only
given us His written Word that tells us how to live, He has given us the Living Word in the life of His Son. God has sent His
very own Son to live the perfect and ideal life upon earth so that we might know how to live. Jesus Christ lived out the will
of God; He lived just like God commands man to live. Therefore, He knew God perfectly. He had perfect communion and
fellowship with God.
The point is this: if a person says that he knows God and does not keep God’s commandments, he is a liar. The only way a
person can know God is to follow Jesus Christ, to walk in fellowship with God just like Jesus Christ did. A person has to fol-
low the perfect and ideal life of Jesus Christ. The person has to walk and live as Jesus Christ walked and lived; he has to fol-
low Jesus Christ and do exactly what Jesus Christ says in order to know God. This is what Jesus Christ did: He kept all the
commandments of God; therefore, He knew God perfectly. This is exactly what man must do. Man must follow Jesus Christ
and do exactly what Christ did: keep the commandments of God. When man keeps the commandments of God, then he will
come to know God.
But note: the converse is also true. If a man does not keep God’s commandments, then he does not know God. This is ex-
actly what this verse says. Note it again.
“He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him”
(v.4).
Note: this person makes a false profession. His knowledge of God—what he thinks God is like—is false. His image of
God and the ideas within his mind of God are not true. They are false, counterfeit, not genuine. The person does not know
God at all. How can we tell? Because he does not keep the commandments of God. He has not truly believed in Jesus Christ,
nor is he loving his brother like God commands. He is not walking like Jesus Christ walked, not obeying God nor doing what
God says to do. The verse is clear; note it: the person is a liar and the truth is not in him. He is making a false profession.
“Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he
that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven” (Mt.7:21).
“He answered and said unto them, Well hath Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is writ-
ten, This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me” (Mk.7:6).
“By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another” (Jn.13:35).
“They profess that they know God; but in works they deny him, being abominable, and disobe-
dient, and unto every good work reprobate” (Tit.1:16).
“Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children; and walk in love, as Christ also hath loved
us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour. But
fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as becometh
saints; neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are not convenient: but rather giving
of thanks. For this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an
idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. Let no man deceive you with
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