1 John Part 13

And this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us. 1 John 3:23

John, being the disciple whom Jesus loved, was probably with him when one of the experts in the law asked Jesus what the most important commandment was. Jesus answered:

Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' 38This is the first and greatest commandment. 39And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' 40All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments. Matthew 22:37-40

I think this is very close to what John says in verse 23. Believing in Jesus is how we love God; there's no possible way to love God without believing in his Son. Perhaps this is the starting point in fulfilling the most important command to love God with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength.


'Those who obey his commands live in him.'

Those who obey his commands live in him, and he in them. And this is how we know that he lives in us: We know it by the Spirit he gave us. 1 John 3:24

This statement makes sense to me. We are living in God's will if we do what he says. But does it mean more than that? Do these verses from Galatians help clarify the true meaning of this passage?

..for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. Galatians 3:27

I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. Galatians 2:20a

Part of the problem is we're limited by human thought and language while trying do describe a profound spiritual truth that is beyond description. In some way our old selves have died and Christ makes us spiritually alive, so we live in him. And while we our old selves are gone, we are still here on earth as individuals, and Christ lives in us. But we are not just in his will if we obey him; he also spiritually sustains us. After all, how could we obey him without his help? And 'help' seems like such an inadequate word, as if someone on a ventilator is only hooked up to a 'breathing helper' when the person would stop breathing and die without it. God sustains us and makes it possible for us to do his will; he's not just a 'helper.'


We know that God lives in us by the Spirit he gave us.

How else could we know? We are so dull in ourselves and completely unaware of God and his Spirit that the only way we could possibly know that God is in us is if the Spirit told us himself.

But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. 14He will bring glory to me by taking from what is mine and making it known to you. 15All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will take from what is mine and make it known to you. John 16:13-15

It is comforting to know that the Spirit will tell us only what the Father and Son say. The Spirit of God will never lead us astray. We can also trust the Spirit to make things known to us if we listen. He brings glory to Christ by making what is His known to us. What an amazing gift. One that I ignore regularly.