Episode Details

Welcome back to the Hope Bible School verse-by-verse Bible study of 1 John. This is Jeff M Newman. Get a new lesson every other week on Monday at 12:00 PM Eastern.

We are now on Lesson 27 and we are going to study 1 John 2:4.

We just went through a review of the commandments of Jesus. Spend time each day reviewing, studying, meditating on, and obeying His commandments.

In Lesson 27 we are going to learn about people that claim to know Jesus personally, but do not, because they do not keep His commandments.

Let’s read our verse.

1 John 2:4 If anyone says, “I know Him,” but does not keep His commandments, he is a liar, and the truth is not in him.

Let's focus on the first part of the verse: If anyone says, “I know Him,”

“If anyone” means all people.

“Says” (3004. legó) means telling others verbally.

To “know Him” (1097. ginóskó) means to know Jesus through personal experience, to know Him intimately and deeply.

You can only have this kind of personal, experiential knowledge by believing in Jesus, walking with Jesus and obeying His commandments.

This part of the verse is speaking about a person that is telling others verbally that they know Jesus through personal experience. This is a person that claims that they have eternal life and are obeying His commandments.

We read in John 17:3 that eternal life is all about growing in the knowledge of God. God wants you to have a deep, intimate, experiential knowledge of Him that comes through obeying His will.

John 17:3 Now this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom You have sent.

Let's move to the next part of the verse: "but does not keep His commandments,"

“Keep” (5083. téreó) means to watch over, to guard, to observe, to keep intact, or to spiritually guard.

“His commandments” (1785. entolé) are God's ordinances, injunctions, instructions, laws, or requirements.

This is speaking about a person that professes to others that they know God personally and experientially but don't guard, observe, or watch over His commandments.

In Matthew 7:21-23 we read that someone could claim to know God because they are doing religious activities in God's name, but never actually know God. The only people that know God are the ones that are doing His will.

Matthew 7:21-23 Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of My Father in heaven. 22 Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ 23 Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you workers of lawlessness!’

In Titus 1:16 we read that there are people that profess to know God, but their actions contradict their claims.

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