John 2:3-5 — “Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. He who says, ‘I know Him,’ and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him.”
Knowing God is not only intellectual but also experiential as well. The evidence that we know Him is found in the fact that we are keeping His commandments. The word “keep” in these verses does not simply mean to hold on to. It also means to guard. His commandments are not meant to just be obeyed; they are to be cherished and looked after with great care. We just came through an extensive reading of the longest psalm in the word of God in our One Year Bible reading. Psalm 119 is a marvelous description of one’s attitude toward the word of God. The scriptures are longed for, delighted in, obeyed, rejoiced over, panted after, learned from, trusted in, lived by, meditated upon, and held in awe, just to name a few.
John contends that if we confess knowing Him but we are not keeping His commandments, there exists a severe disconnect that causes us to be liars. Pretty strong language. John obviously has a great respect for the word of God. He begins his gospel with “In the beginning was the Word.” In Revelation chapter 1 verse 9 John tells us he is in exile on the island of Patmos because of the word of God. This might help us to understand His passion for scripture and his disdain for those who say one thing but do another. Our text ends in verse 5 with John stating that the love of God is complete in those who keep His word.
Today when you make the decision to “keep” the word of God there is a lot more to it than obedience. You are demonstrating your love for God and your knowledge of God.