This epistle of John is like a father’s letter to his dear children. He addresses these believers as his children because of his genuine love and concern for them that the teachings imparted to them would guide and build their Christian lives. John speaks of “knowing” and “abiding” in Christ, in our reading today.

KNOW: “Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments.” (1 John 2:3). To know Christ is to know Him in a personal way as our Lord and Saviour- that is to accept His lordship over our life. When we accept Christ’s substitutionary death on our behalf for the forgiveness of our sin and eternal life in Him, we become His children with the Holy Spirit dwelling in us. Then on we yield ourselves to be led by the Spirit: “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.” (Rom.8:14) and we have God’s Word as our guiding principles. Knowing Christ more and more is through the reading and meditating of His Word which leads us to putting them to practice. James 1:25 [GW] “However, the person who continues to study God’s perfect laws that make people free and who remains committed to them will be blessed. People like that don’t merely listen and forget; they actually do what God’s laws say.” 

ABIDE: “He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked.” (1 John 2:6) There are many aspects of Christ we study for us to understand how He walked! But from our reading we can pick up two which John relates to one to the other (1 John 2:7-11)

• Walking in the light: Jesus walked in the light! HE said: “I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.” Hence we are children of light and do not follow the deeds of darkness which belong to the devil. 1 John 1:6 says, “If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.” To avoid the practice of the deeds of darkness we need the light of God’s Word to guide us. “The unfolding of Your words gives light; It gives understanding to the simple.” (Ps.119:130). His Word is light for us to walk straight on the path of life.
   

• Walking in love: Jesus walked in love. Revelation 1:5[NLT] says, “…All glory to him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by shedding his blood for us.” He loved us so much to go to the cruel cross for our sake! He showed us by example that greater love has no one than this that he laid down his life for us. In John 15: 9 Jesus said, “Just as the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you; abide in My love.” Hence we contradict ourselves if we say we are walking in the light and in love, yet we hate our brother or sister. If our brother/sister has wronged us unknowingly or willfully, we are called to forgive just as Christ forgave us (Refer Eph 4:32) and continue to walk in love. 1 John 2:10 says, “He who loves his brother abides in the light, and there is no cause for stumbling in him.” 
   

​Let us examine ourselves in the light of today’s Word and weed out anything that is contrary to it. If we say we know Christ and we are following Him, we ought to walk as He did- in the light and in love! 

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Meditate on:

“He [Christ] left you an example so that

you could follow in his footsteps.”

-1 Peter 2:21 [GW]

Listen: 'Step by Step'