1 John 2:4                       4 He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. One of my pet peeves is to hear someone say, “Such and Such knows the Lord”.  The scenario goes a little like this:  Pastor, can you pray for my son?  Here lately he refuses to set foot in a church, he’s drinking a lot lately, he criticizes the church all the time now.  I don’t know what’s gotten into him.  He knows the Lord but I don’t know what’s gotten into him!  This thought process is absolutely wrong when you parallel his behavior against what John is teaching in this book.   If he knew the Lord, he would love the brethren.  If he knew the Lord, he would be loyal to the church.  If he loved the Lord, he would not live a life of unrepented sins.  This type of confession is tantamount to a marital partner making vows at the alter on their wedding day.  They vow to be loyal to their spouse but then turns around and commits adultery on their wedding night.  They confessed with their mouth one thing at the altar, but they knew in their hearts that those words were empty and shallow.    James 1:22 22 But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only foolingyourselves. 23For if you listen to the word and don’t obey, it is like glancing at your face in a mirror. 24You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like. 25But if you look carefully into the perfect law that sets you free, and if you do what it says and don’t forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it. The Apostle John is comparing what people say against what people do.  It’s as if he’s reminding us of the age-old adage: “Talk is cheap”.  As Kajuan so eloquently put it in his commentary of verse 3, intimacy with God produces fruit of obedience.  Those who love God obey him out of intimacy and love; not out of obligation in order to be loved by Him.  Intimacy (knowing God) is the key to keeping God’s commandments and those who fail to do so don’t know him.  In our sinful and oversexualized society; It’s a common thing for sinful men to lie and say they’ve been intimate with a popular woman in an attempt to look cool in front of his peers; even if he has not been intimate with her.   Here, the Apostle John is accusing men of saying they have known God (intimacy) without producing fruit of obedience as evidence of said relationship.  The same way when a man is truly intimate with a woman, eventually fruit from that intimacy will be birthed.  Likewise, when a person is intimate with God through, worship, prayer, devotion, fasting, or service; righteous will be birthed out of that individual.  I emphasize that this spiritual reproductive system is not accomplished through a believer trying to keep rules to avoid God’s wrath, but instead through an ongoing love relationship with God.  4 He that saith Some might call John out for judging these individuals.   They might say, “How can John know if someone knows God.  “That’s between them and God”.  I don’t think John is speaking to anyone individually.  Instead John is giving a tool to gauge the veracity of ones confession.   John is sharing a diagnostic tool for spiritually impotent Christians.  As an example:  When a woman is infertile, there is obviously something wrong within her body that’s prohibiting her from bringing forth life.   In 2020, Women spend 2.4 billion trying to figure out why them and their spouse can not produce fruit from the womb.  The medical community knows that the problem lies with one of the parties in the relationship.  So, if you are not producing fruit, the question becomes, “Who impotent; you or God?  And if the answer is you (has to be you), what is causing you not to produce fruit.   John would say, “you are not knowing God”.  Now, if by God’s grace, the doctor is able to diagnose the problem, the woman’s response is not to indict the doctor who pointed out the ailment that prevented her from producing fruit; she thanks him and maybe even names the baby after the doctor.  Likewise, it may be judgmental but it’s not not hateful for a Christian to challenge another person’s confession if their “commandment keeping” is absent from the life of the believer.   Listen to the Apostle Paul’s instructions on this:  2 Corinthians 13:5 Examine yourselves to see if your faith is genuine. Test yourselves. Surely you know that Jesus Christ is among you; if not, you have failed the test of genuine faith. Paul doesn’t say, examine your confession.  No, Paul says examine yourselves to see if your faith is genuine.  Paul and John are in good company on this topic because look at what Jesus says: John 15:77 If you remain in Me and My words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8This is to My Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, proving yourselves to be My disciples.… This remaining in Jesus is referring to the relationship of the believer to Christ.  Then He tells us one of the chief ways to remain in Him; through remaining in His Word.  And if we are faithful and obedient to do so, what what He says the outcome of remaining in Him and His word?  that you bear much fruit of obedience and righteousness becomes the proof that you are His disciples.    It’s not what you say that proves that you are a disciple but your obedience to God.  It's not what you say that proves you are intimate with God; it's you obedience to the commandments of God. Intimacy produces that fruit. Again, Jesus edifies us on this matter in Matthew 7:22 Matthew 7:22 22 Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ 23 Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’ These professing believers SAID, Jesus was their Lord.  But notice why they are condemned  in verse 23; Because they said Jesus was their Lord with their mouths, but according to Jesus, with their lives they were “evildoers”.  They didn't keep the commandments of God. What we do and how we do it proves our faith more than what one might say.     True Christians want to produce good fruit as much as a woman wants to produce fruit from her womb.  That fruit is proof of her intimacy with her husband.   Likewise, keeping the commandments of God is proof of the believers intimacy with God.    If individuals are saying, “I know God, but live a lifestyle full of deeds of the flesh, it’s not judging or hatred towards them if you say, “Brother, you must not be spending time with God, God’s word,prayer, etc. ”  Good deeds are the evidence of your relationship with Jesus which in turn convinces your heart that you indeed have been born again.  If your life is not producing righteous acts and eliminating wrongful acts, you should not be comfortable in that state.                         Here’s another witness of these truths.  Listen to the Lord’s brother.     James 2:14 says: 14 What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? 15 If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, 16 and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good[a] is that? 17 So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. The point brother James is making is:  Words by themselves (without deeds) are useless.  Just like if you say, “Be warm my brother” to a homeless man in the middle of December; your words alone will not produce warmth for that individual.   To believe your words alone would make him warm is Ludacris.   Your words must be accompanied by the actions of giving him a coat for you to be truly convinced that he will be warm.   Likewise, you will never truly be convinced in your faith if all you do is “Say” you know God but you fail to keep God’s commandments.  It is your deeds that proves your faith.  Words declare your faith but deeds prove it! Let’s end with the testimony of Jesus of those who were apart of the religious right during His time. Matthew 23:1Then spake Jesus to the multitude, and to his disciples, 2Saying, The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat: 3All therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do; but do not ye after their works: for they say, and do not. Again, the emphasis is what one says and how lips service without Godly service exposes the lies of those who say the know God!  James says in James 2:18,  18 But someone will say, “You have faith and I have works.” Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.  Amen!
  1. Amen! Praise Jesus!