And hereby we do know that we know him if we keep his commandments.
1 John 2:3 KJV
The former term ‘know’ connotes awareness obtained through information or observation. The latter term ‘know’, on the other hand, connotes relationship or intimacy.
Here’s a comparison: And hereby we knew that Adam knew Eve, his wife, the second their son Cain began enlarging Eve's stomach. The process of Eve’s pregnancy was legitimate evidence that proved the husband and wife were involved in intimacy. Therefore, we have obtained awareness by observing Eve’s stomach. She is pregnant. That knowledge only means one thing. The couple know each other; they are intimate with each other.
John says “hereby, or, as a result of this utterance (1 John 1:5- 1 John 2:2), we have obtained awareness that we are intimate with God if we keep His commandments.”
John is addressing a very important dilemma in this verse, I believe, that needs to be resolved. He is addressing the whole idea of following the law versus being totally set free from the law; and he does it by not answering it. In my interpretation, John is saying it this way: “No, no, no--forget about following the law for one second; If you are intimate with God, then the fulfillment of the law is merely the corollary.
(Are we content with salvation? becomes the big question.)
John 3:16 shows us the way, and the price it took, to obtain salvation. If we believe in the Son of God, we shall be saved. That’s no question. But now that we have been saved, are we content? Do we seek intimacy with the one who died for us? or is it this standoffish relationship where Jesus is merely a man that paid our price on a cross on a hill they call Calvary? Are we complacent?
We know one thing. God’s Word is clear. Breaking the Laws of God brings death, and keeping them stems life. John is not attacking this theology. But, as we’ll see, he is making a very legitimate point when it comes to how intimacy fulfills the law.
In the book of Exodus, from chapters 21 to 23, God gives Moses laws about servants, murder, livestock, fighting, property, personal action, the Sabbath day, appointed feasts, and more. Later on, In Leviticus 18:5, God tells Moses by keeping His statutes a man shall live. Otherwise, a man shall die.
In Romans 2:13 Paul says a man is justified by obeying the law. Theoretically, what Paul is hinting at is, there are two ways to make it to heaven. One is by keeping His commandments, without fail, everyday of our natural lives. The other way, the Christian way that is, is to repent of our sins and trust in Christ alone (John 10:9). We are a broken creation. It’s impossible to be good enough because our very nature as descendants from Adam are corrupt. Attempting to inherit the kingdom of heaven with a payment of our own good works, is as ridiculous as the effort to kindle a Class-A, survival fire by the rubbing of our palms. Not only is it ridiculously ignorant, but we hurt ourselves in the process of the endeavor. Therefore, although we could theoretically inherit the Lord’s kingdom independent of Him, it’s impossible because mankind is fundamentally ruined.
Ok. So if we are fundamentally ruined, then how can we keep God’s commandments to show we are intimate with him?
Wrong question.
We seek intimacy with God first. When intimacy with God is our seed, following His Law is the fruit that comes forth. We don’t follow the law to show God we are intimate with Him. We are first intimate, so we seek to please Him, and it just so happens to be that pleasing Him aligns with following the Law.
There’s a story (that I made up) of a man and woman who was struggling in their marriage covenant after 15 years. Many times they sat down and had deep discussions about separating and if they should actually go through with the divorce papers. They had an intimacy issue. What was happening was the woman really loved random acts of affection: she liked it when her husband would come up randomly and hug her from behind; she liked when he would kiss her for no reason; or tell her that he loved her unexpectedly; she liked holding hands in public. The Husband never spent intimate time with his wife, so he never initiated these simple, yet meaningful, acts of affection because he just didn’t know. He never took the time to ask and talk with his wife about such things. Eventually, the wife built up enough courage to ask him. “Honey, I’m going to go in the kitchen, when I’m not looking, can you sneak up and hug me? I really love that.” Or “Honey, today can you surprise me with an unexpected kiss, and then tell me that you love me? I really love that.” The husband did carry out her request, but grudgingly. He only did it to stay in his covenant, but truly he couldn’t care less about what she wanted. The humble wife, however, was still pleased because it showed her that he cared just enough.
We see the problem here clear as daylight. The wife should not have to ask her husband to do these types of things for her because he should be intimate with her to know her wants, and make her feel cherished. This is what John is addressing, but with God and his creation.
And hereby we do know that we know him if we keep his commandments.
1 John 2:3 KJV
In the Old Testament, there were many times where the Israelites followed God’s commandments, but grudgingly, sort of like this husband. They were not intimate with God; therefore, they followed His statutes with sheer fear of losing protection. The thought of what would happen if they didn’t follow his commandments lingered in the back of their minds. They didn’t realize their acts of obedience were acts that God truly adored. Not just the acts of obedience alone, but what they were actually doing--keeping the Ten Commandments. It’s not like God is above us with these arbitrary set rules to follow where He gets excited off the fact that we move at the snap of His fingers. No. He loves deeply, and so His commandments express the way He shows His love, and the way we should show love. They are His love language, similar to the wife’s love language being random acts of affection. If the Israelites had been more intimate with God, then they would have initiated these acts of affection on their own. They would have followed the Ten Commandments to show God they loved him, not out of fear of losing something. Similar to the way this husband would have initiated random hugs and kisses, unexpected bulletins of “I love you,” and other random acts of affection, if he had been intimate with his woman. He wouldn’t do them out of fear of just losing his marriage.
So, John is saying, don’t attempt to fulfil the law--It’s like playing hopscotch at a dead end--eventually, you'll have to turn around. There is no hope for us as a fallen creation. Instead, you should take the Christian route. Trust in Jesus Christ, repent, and turn from your wicked ways to obtain salvation. However, don’t stop there. Salvation doesn't satisfy the new heart of a true convert. Become intimate with God, and, in doing so, you will keep his commandments. Conversation is a part of Intimacy. If we spend more time with God, we will become intimate with Him. As we become more intimate with Him, we figure out His love language. And because we love Him, we seek to communicate that language. We keep His commandments because we know Him, not because they are law.
We won’t bow to another god because we know that He is a Jealous God, and we want to please Him, because we adore Him.
We won’t take His name in vain because we love Him too much to use His name as a curse word.
We will keep the Sabbath day holy because we know that he loves that day. Because we are intimate with Him, He doesn’t have to ask us to keep the Sabbath day holy because we already know. And we keep it because we love Him enough to know that.
We honor our father and mother because we know it ultimately honors Him.
We don’t kill, steal, or commit adultery because God hates murder, theft, and adultery. We know these things through intimacy with God, so we don’t kill, steal or commit adultery because we want to please Him, not because it’s a law.
We don’t lie on our neighbor, because God hates lying--not just because it's a law.
We don’t covet because God hates coveting--not just because it's a law.
We want to please God as believers. We aren’t content with salvation. By knowing what God does and does not like, we act accordingly because we love God. When we look at the law, of course it’s a mirror that reflects our impurities, but it’s not just that. They are God’s love language. We don’t look at them and think they are merely laws to be kept. We look at them as God’s way of communicating His love, and so we want to be in that conversation.
God's Love Language is the Law
Commentary 1 John 2:3
Focus #13 Intimacy
Keywords: Law, Know, Content
And hereby we do know that we know him if we keep his commandments.
1 John 2:3 KJV
The former term ‘know’ connotes awareness obtained through information or observation. The latter term ‘know’, on the other hand, connotes relationship or intimacy.
Here’s a comparison: And hereby we knew that Adam knew Eve, his wife, the second their son Cain began enlarging Eve's stomach. The process of Eve’s pregnancy was legitimate evidence that proved the husband and wife were involved in intimacy. Therefore, we have obtained awareness by observing Eve’s stomach. She is pregnant. That knowledge only means one thing. The couple know each other; they are intimate with each other.
John says “hereby, or, as a result of this utterance (1 John 1:5- 1 John 2:2), we have obtained awareness that we are intimate with God if we keep His commandments.”
John is addressing a very important dilemma in this verse, I believe, that needs to be resolved. He is addressing the whole idea of following the law versus being totally set free from the law; and he does it by not answering it. In my interpretation, John is saying it this way: “No, no, no--forget about following the law for one second; If you are intimate with God, then the fulfillment of the law is merely the corollary.
(Are we content with salvation? becomes the big question.)
John 3:16 shows us the way, and the price it took, to obtain salvation. If we believe in the Son of God, we shall be saved. That’s no question. But now that we have been saved, are we content? Do we seek intimacy with the one who died for us? or is it this standoffish relationship where Jesus is merely a man that paid our price on a cross on a hill they call Calvary? Are we complacent?
We know one thing. God’s Word is clear. Breaking the Laws of God brings death, and keeping them stems life. John is not attacking this theology. But, as we’ll see, he is making a very legitimate point when it comes to how intimacy fulfills the law.
In the book of Exodus, from chapters 21 to 23, God gives Moses laws about servants, murder, livestock, fighting, property, personal action, the Sabbath day, appointed feasts, and more. Later on, In Leviticus 18:5, God tells Moses by keeping His statutes a man shall live. Otherwise, a man shall die.
In Romans 2:13 Paul says a man is justified by obeying the law. Theoretically, what Paul is hinting at is, there are two ways to make it to heaven. One is by keeping His commandments, without fail, everyday of our natural lives. The other way, the Christian way that is, is to repent of our sins and trust in Christ alone (John 10:9). We are a broken creation. It’s impossible to be good enough because our very nature as descendants from Adam are corrupt. Attempting to inherit the kingdom of heaven with a payment of our own good works, is as ridiculous as the effort to kindle a Class-A, survival fire by the rubbing of our palms. Not only is it ridiculously ignorant, but we hurt ourselves in the process of the endeavor. Therefore, although we could theoretically inherit the Lord’s kingdom independent of Him, it’s impossible because mankind is fundamentally ruined.
Ok. So if we are fundamentally ruined, then how can we keep God’s commandments to show we are intimate with him?
Wrong question.
We seek intimacy with God first. When intimacy with God is our seed, following His Law is the fruit that comes forth. We don’t follow the law to show God we are intimate with Him. We are first intimate, so we seek to please Him, and it just so happens to be that pleasing Him aligns with following the Law.
There’s a story (that I made up) of a man and woman who was struggling in their marriage covenant after 15 years. Many times they sat down and had deep discussions about separating and if they should actually go through with the divorce papers. They had an intimacy issue. What was happening was the woman really loved random acts of affection: she liked it when her husband would come up randomly and hug her from behind; she liked when he would kiss her for no reason; or tell her that he loved her unexpectedly; she liked holding hands in public. The Husband never spent intimate time with his wife, so he never initiated these simple, yet meaningful, acts of affection because he just didn’t know. He never took the time to ask and talk with his wife about such things. Eventually, the wife built up enough courage to ask him. “Honey, I’m going to go in the kitchen, when I’m not looking, can you sneak up and hug me? I really love that.” Or “Honey, today can you surprise me with an unexpected kiss, and then tell me that you love me? I really love that.” The husband did carry out her request, but grudgingly. He only did it to stay in his covenant, but truly he couldn’t care less about what she wanted. The humble wife, however, was still pleased because it showed her that he cared just enough.
We see the problem here clear as daylight. The wife should not have to ask her husband to do these types of things for her because he should be intimate with her to know her wants, and make her feel cherished. This is what John is addressing, but with God and his creation.
And hereby we do know that we know him if we keep his commandments.
1 John 2:3 KJV
In the Old Testament, there were many times where the Israelites followed God’s commandments, but grudgingly, sort of like this husband. They were not intimate with God; therefore, they followed His statutes with sheer fear of losing protection. The thought of what would happen if they didn’t follow his commandments lingered in the back of their minds. They didn’t realize their acts of obedience were acts that God truly adored. Not just the acts of obedience alone, but what they were actually doing--keeping the Ten Commandments. It’s not like God is above us with these arbitrary set rules to follow where He gets excited off the fact that we move at the snap of His fingers. No. He loves deeply, and so His commandments express the way He shows His love, and the way we should show love. They are His love language, similar to the wife’s love language being random acts of affection. If the Israelites had been more intimate with God, then they would have initiated these acts of affection on their own. They would have followed the Ten Commandments to show God they loved him, not out of fear of losing something. Similar to the way this husband would have initiated random hugs and kisses, unexpected bulletins of “I love you,” and other random acts of affection, if he had been intimate with his woman. He wouldn’t do them out of fear of just losing his marriage.
So, John is saying, don’t attempt to fulfil the law--It’s like playing hopscotch at a dead end--eventually, you'll have to turn around. There is no hope for us as a fallen creation. Instead, you should take the Christian route. Trust in Jesus Christ, repent, and turn from your wicked ways to obtain salvation. However, don’t stop there. Salvation doesn't satisfy the new heart of a true convert. Become intimate with God, and, in doing so, you will keep his commandments. Conversation is a part of Intimacy. If we spend more time with God, we will become intimate with Him. As we become more intimate with Him, we figure out His love language. And because we love Him, we seek to communicate that language. We keep His commandments because we know Him, not because they are law.
We won’t bow to another god because we know that He is a Jealous God, and we want to please Him, because we adore Him.
We won’t take His name in vain because we love Him too much to use His name as a curse word.
We will keep the Sabbath day holy because we know that he loves that day. Because we are intimate with Him, He doesn’t have to ask us to keep the Sabbath day holy because we already know. And we keep it because we love Him enough to know that.
We honor our father and mother because we know it ultimately honors Him.
We don’t kill, steal, or commit adultery because God hates murder, theft, and adultery. We know these things through intimacy with God, so we don’t kill, steal or commit adultery because we want to please Him, not because it’s a law.
We don’t lie on our neighbor, because God hates lying--not just because it's a law.
We don’t covet because God hates coveting--not just because it's a law.
We want to please God as believers. We aren’t content with salvation. By knowing what God does and does not like, we act accordingly because we love God. When we look at the law, of course it’s a mirror that reflects our impurities, but it’s not just that. They are God’s love language. We don’t look at them and think they are merely laws to be kept. We look at them as God’s way of communicating His love, and so we want to be in that conversation.