We Know that We Know

“And hereby we do know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments.” 
(I John 2:3)

In the previous chapter John was addressing our fellowship as Christians with the Lord. Here he is speaking of assurance of salvation.

First, what John is not saying: He is not saying that we are saved by keeping the Ten Commandments or any other commandments. He is not proposing some doctrine of legalism for salvation.

He is telling us that assurance of salvation comes as a result of seeking always to do the Lord’s will rather than our own. The Ten Commandments were given to the nation of Israel. They were added, the Bible indicates, to let lost people know how sinful they are and how desperately the world needs Christ. There are numerous commandments of Christ addressed to believers which we are to follow in living the Christian life. Some of them are: “Pray without ceasing,” "Love one another,” "Quench not the Spirit,” “In every thing give thanks,” “witness to the lost and share the Gospel,” “Bear ye one another’s burdens” plus many others. The keeping of these does not make one a Christian. Neither does breaking them cause one to lose his salvation. The keeping or not keeping allows a person know whether or not they are saved.

Is it your desire to follow Christ and live for Him, or do you ignore His will and go about your own way?