Beginning with this blog post, I am going to start offering my own translation from the Greek. Sometimes I get frustrated with modern translations, although they contain the essential meaning and are useful to hear the voice of God speaking to us through the words once inspired by the Holy Spirit and now made alive by faith through the Holy Spirit.
1 John 3:24 And the one who keeps his commands abides in him and he in this one; and in this we know that he abides in us, from the Spirit whom he has given to us.
καὶ ὁ τηρῶν τὰς ἐντολὰς αὐτοῦ ἐν αὐτῷ μένει καὶ αὐτὸς ἐν αὐτῷ· καὶ ἐν τούτῳ γινώσκομεν ὅτι μένει ἐν ἡμῖν, ἐκ τοῦ πνεύματος οὗ ἡμῖν ἔδωκεν.
Obedience that comes from faith is not optional for Christ followers. To be a “follower” or “believer” requires what these words imply: listening to Christ and acting upon what we know and have heard through the Holy Spirit. John brings together the statements from Paul in Ephesians 2:8-9, that we are saved by grace through faith, and James in James 2:24, that we are justified by works. We abide in Christ and Christ in us by the two foci of faith and obedience. Faith must come first, otherwise our obedience degenerates into a works’ based salvation. But without works, the faith is only intellectual and not to the deep inner person or heart. Obedience must be natural or first priority response of faith. When we hear the word “obedience,” we may have in our mind a list of does’s and don’ts’. Obedience is much deeper than that. This interpretation is only the surface and leads to the law of God becoming a burden that no one can bear. John helps us in his letter to get deeper in what we think about obedience. Obedience involves first, the attitude of the heart towards God (in repentance, confession, and submission) and others (unconditional love). The first and primary command to obey is love. If we love, every other command will be fulfilled. The other commands only help us understand what love is and how to love.
The Holy Spirit witnesses to our conscience that we abide in Christ and are obediently loving others. The Holy Spirit takes the small spark of our decision and helps it grow by opening our eyes and hearts more to the needs of people around us. In this way, the Spirit tenderizes our heart.
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