1 John 2:5-6: but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him: whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.
Obedience has a specific goal: perfection in love. If we allow God to transform us, becoming evident in our willingness to be led by the Holy Spirit, we will find that we take on more of God’s character of holy love. The one whom we model is Jesus Christ who lived a perfect life of love. He is the one we imitate. The question of this verse is what it means to “walk in the same way in which he walked.” To know this, we must do three things: 1) Study the words of Jesus and about Jesus found in the Bible, both Old and New Testaments. This is the primary way we come about know Jesus. 2) Spend time in prayer, allowing the Holy Spirit to take the words of the Bible and plant them deeply in our hearts and minds. 3) Live out what we discover and experience through prayer and Scripture study through interaction with believers in the church and non-believers in the world. Without #1 and 2, #3 will prove empty and without power, leading to struggle. Without #3, #1 and 2 only become self-serving religiosity. All three must be done to be prefaced in love.
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