Agape Love= True Christianity.
The 1st epistle of John Chapter 2:3-2:8
The apostle John is writing to a church that is being infultrated by false teachers and people who claim to know God, but are in fact not born again. People were sitting comfortably within the church thinking they knew God, but in fact they did not. John is writing as a grandfather to his spiritual children within the church. John is writing to bring his brothers and sisters of the Church back to what they heard from the beginning by Jesus Himself. John seeks to establish what it means to be an authentic Christian or one who is indeed born again.
1 john 2:3-8
Verse 3: "Now by this we know that we have come to know Him, if we keep His commandments."
To know Him means a personal knowledge as in a relationship. It does not mean to know about God or have our facts about God in order. Do you know God? Does God know you? Have you and do experience a relationship with God.
Keep means a careful observation. It is like keeping time- It matters to you to keep time and be on time. It doesn't mean you won't ever be late, but it is very important to you that you are on time. What commandments are we to carefully observe or to keep?
The greatest commandments are these: "To love God with all of your heart, with all of your mind, and with all of your strength, and the second is this: love your neighbor as yourself" -Jesus. Love God with everything that you have and love others with God's agape love, which is a divine love and a love that only God can give.
Do you care about loving God? Do you care about loving others with Agape love?
verse 4: "he who says that he knows Him, and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in Him."
to say that you know God and not care at all about loving God or loving God's people proves a person to be a liar and proves a person to not have the truth in him. John needed for his church to know this and it is important for us to know that. Do you carefully observe that your life is a life that exhibits love for God and love for people? Do you care?
verse 5: "Whoever keeps His word, the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him."
The love of God being perfected is best found in the fact that "God demonstrated His own love for us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 5:8 Jesus died for us when we were in our most filthy, dispicable, and nasty state. When we were performing our most heinous sin God chose to die in our place on the cross. The perfect love of God is seen best when we are found loving those who are difficult to love and loving people who we would not ordinarily be able to love. It is easy to love those who love you back, but Jesus says to love your enemies, pray for those who spitefully use you and bless those who curse you. This is the perfect love of God. How is this possible?
By Keeping/ carefully observing God's word. The holy scripures train one to love like God loves. Bind the Bible on your wrist like a watch and always take inventory to keep what it says. You cannot keep what you do not know and ignorance is a great barrier to godliness. Evidence of this process is a sure sign that we are right with God.
verse 6: "He who says that he abides in Him ought to himself also walk just as He walked."
Abide means to be connected and remain connected. A branch of a tree is connected to the trunk. Jesus is the trunk. If we are connected to Jesus we will bear fruit. If we are not connected to the trunk we are good for nothing and just a branch on the ground. How did jesus walk? Jesus was always concerned about doing His Father's will. When we walk like Jesus walked we seek to do what God wants with our lives. Is your life typified by: What is my will for my life or do you ask, "God, what is your will?" My will be done or "God, your will be done." Jesus grew in wisdom and understanding from the time He was twelve. Are you growing in wisdom and understanding? Jesus devoted Himself to investing spiritually into the lives of others. Are you concerned with the spiritual condition of your loved ones and strangers? Jesus gave his very life for us. Do we sacrifice our lives for the brothers and sisters of the church? All of this is the fruit of abiding in Jesus. As we grow we should see the likeness of Jesus come out of our lives.
Verse 7 and 8: Basically, in my own words: these commandments are nothing new, but make sure that they become new in your life today. Don't get confused with other teachings and other philosophies. Love God with everything that you have and lay down your lives for others. Let this be what you live by and let these commandments be the most important thing in your life.
This is a very short version, but hopefully you got the jist. To my friends and family and other readers: I love you guys so much. I love to see my friends and family walking in the truth. Keep the faith and stay strong in Jesus!!!!!
Steve Jones
Amen brotha. I agape you. =)
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