John 2:3 3And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments.
This verse expresses how a person can have assurance of salvation and victory over sin. John’s answer is simple: obedience. Obedience and faith go together in biblical theology. Faith should lead to obedience, and obedience confirms faith. Faith without obedience is only a fading thought of the intellect. Obedience solidifies faith in the heart. John will get deeper into the idea of obedience in the following passages.
The structure of this verse states the outcome before the condition. This refers to the clause at the end of the verse, referring to keeping commandments. The closest antecedent to him is Jesus Christ in verse 1. Two different tenses are used for the verb know (ginōskō). The first usage is in the present tense, implying an experience and relationship we can have now with knowing Jesus. Jesus not only lived two thousand years ago but is alive and present with us now. The second usage is the perfect tense, indicating that we can know him at one point in the past and that our knowledge of him is continually growing. The second verb adds emphasis to the first one but includes when we came to believe.
Obedience to Jesus’ commands is not the way to be saved. If it were, then we could save ourselves by how well we obey. Obedience is the proof that we believe. Jesus said in John 14:15, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” Our knowledge of Jesus is not intellectual but experiential, lived out daily in our interactions with others and our inner thought processes. To know Jesus means loving him, and to love him is shown by obeying him.