1 John 2: Christ is our Advocate

                John explains that Jesus Christ died for our sins and that if we wish to known God, we must follow His commandments. Those who say; “…I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.” (1 John 2:4) Essentially John is saying that those who say they have accepted Jesus Christ as their Savior, but do not walk after His ways is a liar. In order to know God or to know His Son Jesus Christ and truly accept Him in your heart… WE MUST FOLLOW HIS COMMANDMENTS. If we love Him, we will follow Him.

“…whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God… He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also to walk, even as he walked.” (1 John 2:5-6) Again, we see that saying is different than doing. If we accept Jesus Christ, we must show it through actions. Salvation is FREE, but it is up to us to accept this FREE gift. Accepting the FREE gift means following Jesus Christ.

John writes to everyone who has overcome the wicked one [the devil] and has followed after Jesus Christ. John warns; “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.” (1 John 2:15-16) John instructs us to love not the things of the world, but does that mean we can’t enjoy some worldly things? I would venture to say that while we are living in this world, it is OK to enjoy worldly things. However, we must have our main focus on the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Is it ok to have money? Yes. Is it ok to have a nice house or car? Yes. It is only when the love of the worldly things takes away from the love of our Savior or away from the love of our neighbors and family. What matters most is that when we pass on from this life into the next we leave behind good memories with those we loved, we take with us knowledge and experience and nothing else.