We know that we have come to know him if we keep his commands. 1 John 2:3 NIV
Whoever claims to live in him must live as Jesus did. 1 John 2:6 NIV
John, the author of First John, known as the Apostle of Love, was so close to Jesus that as He was dying, Jesus asked him to take care of His mother. What an incredible assignment! That act alone tells us much about John. He told us from his own experience how we would see evidence that the Holy Spirit was working in us to do what God planned through Jesus.
First, when we are saved, following Jesus, we can no longer be casual about sin. We take it seriously; we don’t excuse or justify it. We repent and change our mind about it. So the question is, am I convicted or comfortable when I sin?
Second, we are motivated by deep gratitude to obey God. We recognize who He is and the difference Jesus has made in our lives now and forever. We love Him. We are overwhelmed and grateful. You know how it is – when you love someone deeply, you are grateful they are in your life. You want to do what pleases them.
John says that when you are truly in relationship with Jesus you align your choices with your claim to know Him. Your salvation changes your way of life, not just what you believe. Living as He lived includes embodying His sacrificial love, resisting temptation, and living in total dependence on the Father. This obedience grows over time. As a child grows in relationship with a loving parent, obedience doesn’t flow from fear but from increasing maturity. In our relationship with God, we become more completely and quickly obedient. So the question is, do I sincerely want to please Jesus and live like Him? Do my choices reflect my new relationship with God?
Third, when we are saved, we are characterized by genuine love for others. John reminds us of Jesus’ command, “Let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth” (1 John 3:18 NIV). Jesus showed us the most sacrificial, unselfish, tangible love imaginable. This is what people who are truly following Jesus do. They love radically, unselfishly, and sacrificially. Jesus did that for me and that is what it means to follow Jesus. So the question is, does the way I love others (the whole world – John 3:16) look like Jesus?
Those are the sure signs of new birth. We can live with confidence if we pass this test.
- I must be born again! I can be born again. That is the work of the Holy Spirit in me to transform me as I place my faith in Christ.