1 John 2:6 - What It Means to Abide or Walk with God.
1 John 2:6 (NKJV) He who says he abides in
Him ought himself also to walk just as He
walked.
1 John 2:6 (NLT) Those who say they live in
God should live their lives as Jesus did.
1 John 2:6 (TLB) Anyone who says he is a
Christian should live as Christ did.
1 John 2:6 (MSG) Anyone who claims to be
intimate with God ought to live the same kind of life
Jesus lived.
COMMENTARY PEARLS
The love of Christ in the heart is what is
needed. Self is in need of being crucified. When
self is submerged in Christ, true love springs
forth spontaneously. It is not an emotion or an
impulse, but a decision of a sanctified will. It
consists not in feeling, but in the transformation of
the whole heart, soul, and character, which is
dead to self and alive unto God. Our Lord and
Saviour asks us to give ourselves to Him.
Surrendering self to God is all He requires, giving
ourselves to Him to be employed as He sees fit. Until
we come to this point of surrender, we shall
not work happily, usefully, or successfully
anywhere (Letter 97, 1898). 6SDABC1101
Walking as Christ Walked. Those who walk
even as Christ walked, who are patient, gentle,
kind, meek and lowly in heart, those who yoke up
with Christ and lift His burdens, who yearn for
souls as He yearned for them - these will enter
into the joy of their Lord. (RH May 29, 1900).
The Imitation of Christ. True religion is
the imitation of Christ. Those who follow Christ
will deny self, take up the cross, and walk in
His footsteps. Following Christ means obedience
to all His commandments. No soldier can be said
to follow his commander unless he obeys orders.
Christ is our model. To copy Jesus, full of love
and tenderness and compassion, will require that
we draw near to Him daily. (Letter 31a, 1894)!
7SDABC949
We do not earn salvation by our
obedience; for salvation is the free gift of God, to be
received by faith. But obedience is the fruit of
faith. Ye know that He was manifested to take
away our sins; and in Him is no sin. Whosoever
abideth in Him sinneth not: whosoever sinneth hath
not seen Him, neither known Him. 1 John 3:5,
6. Here is the true test. If we abide in
Christ, if the love of God dwells in us, our
feelings, our thoughts, our purposes, our actions,
will be in harmony with the will of God as
expressed in the precepts of His holy law.
That so-called faith in Christ which
professes to release men from the obligation of
obedience to God, is not faith, but presumption. By
grace are ye saved through faith. But faith,
if it hath not works, is dead. Ephesians
2:8; James 2:17. Jesus said of Himself before He
came to earth, I delight to do Thy will, O My
God: yea, Thy law is within My heart. Psalm
40:8. SC61
COMMENTARY
It isn't easy to learn a new culture.
Immigrants to a new country often stick out for the
clothes they wear, the mannerisms they express, and
the values they hold. The acculturation process
goes relatively quickly for some, but others
never quite blend in. The multitude of unwritten
social cues and expectations can be overwhelming.
We can be thankful that God is patient
with us as we learn the Kingdom culture.
Sometimes we get lost in the details too, just as a
foreigner does when adjusting to a strange land. But
fitting into the Kingdom of God isn't primarily a
matter of analyzing the culture like a social
scientist would. God has made it much simpler for us.
If we want to know the culture of our Kingdom,
all we need to do is look at the attitudes and
actions of the King.
John put it another way to his readers:
If we say His life is in us and we live in His
Kingdom, we must live as Jesus lived and walk as He
walked. Looking around at Kingdom citizens today, we
might conclude that not many people know this. The
twenty-first-century church hardly looks like first-century
Galilee, so the visible Kingdom will naturally vary
from the King's original environment. But do we
speak as He spoke? Are we driven by the same
purpose that drove Him? Do we have the same
compassion and commitment? Do we love, heal, and
forgive, as He loved, healed, and forgave? Are we
visible manifestations of the character of God?
These are penetrating questions, even for
those who claim to have followed Him for years. We
easily call ourselves Christians, but can we easily
call ourselves Christlike? We must if we want to
thrive in His Kingdom.
Learn the Kingdom culture well by looking
at the King. Don't embrace any models of
Christianity that don't look a lot like Christ. Measure
yourself by no other standard. In everything you do,
be like Him. [The One Year Heaven On Earth
Devotional by Chris Tiegreen]
I have heard that if you walk three times
a day at a brisk pace, it can help keep you in
good shape physically. You wont move as
quickly as you move when you are running. Walking is
a regulated motion, but as you do it, you make
progress. You move forward gradually.
If we want to abide in Jesus, we must
walk as He walked. The Bible says, He who says
he abides in Him ought himself also to walk
just as He walked (1 John 2:6).
Walking with God is a picture the Bible
often uses to describe the Christian life.
Galatians 5:16 says, Walk in the Spirit, and you
shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.
Colossians 2:6 tells us, As you therefore have
received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him.
And in Micah 6:8 we read, He has shown you, O
man, what is good; and what does the Lord require
of you but to do justly, to love mercy, and to
walk humbly with your God?
Again and again the Bible tells us that
we need to walk with God. Its something we
need to commit ourselves to. An interesting verse
in Amos 3 gives us an important aspect of
walking with God: Can two walk together, unless
they are agreed? (verse 3).
In the original language, the term
together carries the concept of two people moving as
a single unit. To walk with God means moving
together as a single unit. We are united toward the
same goal. We are putting our strength toward the
same end. We are moving together at the same
pace.
To walk with God means that we are moving
in harmony with Him. We are staying close to
Him. It is the same concept as abiding. [Greg
Laurie from Harvest Ministries;
https://www.harvestdaily.com]
Lets imagine for a moment that you
planted a beautiful tree in your front yard. It
looked great, and you were very happy with it for
about a week. Then you thought, I think it
would be better in my backyard.
So you dig it out, take it to your
backyard, and replant it. You really like it there.
But another week goes by and you think, That
was a mistake. I should put it back in my front
yard again. And so you do.
Then you change your mind ten more times
and keep uprooting and replanting the tree. That
tree will eventually die.
You need to leave the tree in one place
so it can get its roots deep into the soil.
Then you need to take care of that tree and water
it.
In the same way, to abide with Jesus
means sinking our spiritual roots deep into His
soil. The Bible tells us, He who says he abides
in Him ought himself also to walk just as He
walked (1 John 2:6 NKJV).
And when we understand what it means to
abide, well start seeing our prayers answered in
the affirmative. Jesus said, If you abide in
Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what
you desire, and it shall be done for you
(John 15:7 NKJV).
We might read that and think, That
sounds awesome!
But wait. This promise is predicated on
our abiding in Him. If were spending time
reading Gods Word, if were spending time
praying, then it will change the things that we want
in life. In fact, well find ourselves asking
God for the things He wants for us rather than
the things we merely want for ourselves.
If you want to walk with God, then make
time for Him every day. [Greg Laurie from Harvest
Ministries; https://www.harvestdaily.com]
LINK FOR FURTHER STUDY ON THIS PASSAGE
http://www.abible.com/devotions/2017/20171106-1012.html
YOUR COMMENTS
If anyone has a paraphrase, commentary or
testimony on this passage of Scripture, either
personal or otherwise, I would be interested in
hearing from you. Thanks in advance and let's keep
uplifting Jesus that all might be drawn to Him. Fred
Gibbs
LINKS WORTH CHECKING OUT
Most Important Decision in Life:
http://www.youtube.com/embed/WGnEuGwvXqU?rel=0
A Man without Equal by Bill Bright:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NiVa7UoruIo
Seeking God Made Real:
http://vimeo.com/31489782
Prayer Made Real:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tc8VdMV26VE
Importance of Choice:
http://creationhealth.com/CREATION-Health/Choice [click on video]
Medical Seminar on Healthful Living by David
DeRose, MD, MPH:
https://www.smartlifestyletv.com/lifestart
LINKS FOR BIBLE STUDIES
Lifting Up Jesus Bible Studies:
http://www.liftingupjesus.net/
Amazing Facts Bible Studies:
http://www.amazingfacts.org/bible-study/bible-study-guides.aspx
Hope Awakens Bible Study Guides:
https://www.hopeawakens.study/lesson-header;id=2
Glow Tract Video Bible Studies:
http://www.bibleresearch.info/
LINKS FOR BIBLE PROPHECY SEMINARS
Revelation Now by Pastor Doug Batchelor:
https://www.revelationnow.com/
Unlocking Bible Prophecies by Cami Oetman of
Adventist World Radio:
https://bible.awr.org/en/the-signs/
Hope Awakens by John Bradshaw of IIW:
https://itiswritten.tv/programs/hope-awakens
Prophecies Decoded by Pastor Ron Clouzet:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL1A435C5373550657
