1 John 2:6 6The one who speaks about remaining in him ought to walk just as that one himself also walked.
Walking in the New Testament often serves as a metaphor for lifestyle and behavior. The claim of faith in Jesus should be evident in how a person lives. Two important ideas in this verse need balanced. The first is one’s relationship with God, represented in the infinitive translated here as remaining (menein) or abiding. This word is significant in John’s Gospel and represents the relationship of faith and obedience the disciple has with Jesus, especially shown through loving one another (John 15:1-10). In him could refer to God the Father, the closest antecedent in verse 5, but the whole section and the letter to this point have been focused on faith in Jesus.
The phrase ought to walk contains a present tense verb and infinitive, indicating that the way a person behaves ought to become a lifestyle, a habit, and not an occasional action. 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.
An important question of this verse is the meaning of the last phrase, introduced with the significant comparative word just as (kathws) or in the same way. Since the context suggests that Jesus is the subject, our goal is to live like Jesus. A disciple becomes like the master. First, to understand how Jesus walked, we need to study his teachings in the Bible. Careful and regular Bible reading will teach us the Jesus lifestyle. Second, spending time in prayer will allow the Holy Spirit to take the words of the Bible and plant them deeply in our hearts and minds. Third, we learn to apply what we learn and are taught through the Holy Spirit in fellowship with other believers. These three habits will give us the strength to go out on a mission to the world. Without all of these, any obedience will be occasional, often self-serving, and discouraging because we will struggle to overcome sin and the evil one.