Image generated with ChatGPT by OpenAI. Description: “In a contemporary community kitchen, a Christian volunteer warmly serves a meal to someone in need. Their eyes meet with mutual affection and dignity. A wide composition includes others sharing food and conversation, showing obedience to God expressed through love.”
“The one who keeps God’s commands lives in him, and he in them. And this is how we know that he lives in us: We know it by the Spirit he gave us.”
1 John 3:24 NIV
Just a few days ago, we studied 1 John 3:16. Now God is directing us to another nearby verse to learn more about Christian love in action. This verse closes out chapter 3 of the First Epistle of John.
The first thing you might notice is that John refers to “him” and “he” — that is the triune God (Father, Son, Holy Spirit) he is referring to in this verse. As a Christian, you’ve heard the term “abiding in Him” before; that’s translated in the New International Version (NIV) of the Bible as “lives in Him.” Abide is a much closer translation, so it appears that the NIV chose the more contemporary phrase “live in”. In the original Koine Greek, the word is μένω (menō), meaning “to remain” and “not to depart”.
Abiding in God can be interpreted as “not departing” from your faith in Him. How do you know if you are abiding in God? John explains that “The one who keeps God’s commands lives in Him,” so by keeping His commandments, you remain in Him. What are those commandments? Jesus explained the answer in simple terms to a Pharisee, “an expert in the law,” who was trying to test His knowledge of Mosaic Law (the laws handed down to Moses by God):
“Jesus replied: “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.””
As I mentioned earlier, a lot of 1 John 3 is about showing His love for mankind through action. Using your time, treasure, and talent to serve others is keeping both of these commandments is tangible proof that you abide in God.
John finishes that first sentence of the verse with the reminder that God also lives in us — “and he in them.” But how do we know that He abides in us as well? “We know it by the Spirit he gave us” — the Holy Spirit who took up residence in us when we first believed. Precept Austin explains:
When did He give the Spirit? When first we believed.
2 Corinthians 1:21-22 Now He who establishes us with you in Christ and anointed us is God, 22 who also sealed us and gave [us] the Spirit in our hearts as a pledge.
Ephesians 1:13-14 In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation–having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, 14 Who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of [God’s own] possession, to the praise of His glory.
Romans 8:15-16 For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, “Abba! Father!” 16 The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God,
Also from Precept Austin is this commentary by 19th-Century theologian Albert Barnes:
This is another certain evidence that we are true Christians. The Saviour had promised John 14:23 that he would come and take up his abode with his people. John says that we have proof that he does this by the Spirit which he has given us. That is, the Holy Spirit is imparted to his people to enlighten their minds; to elevate their affections; to sustain them in times of trial; to quicken them in the performance of duty; and to imbue them with the temper and spirit of the Lord Jesus. When these effects exist, we may be certain that the Spirit of God is with us; for these are the “fruits” of that Spirit, or these are the effects which he produces in the lives of men.
Perhaps by this point your mind is spinning as mine was with all of this talk of abiding and being abided in. British theologian John Stott (1921 - 2011) had perhaps the most clear explanation of what he refers to as “continuous mutual indwelling”:
The concept of a mutual ‘abiding’ (RSV), mentioned here in the letter for the first time, we in Him and He in us, is derived ultimately from our Lord’s allegory of the Vine and the branches (John 15:1-11). There it is Christ Who dwells in His own, and they in Him. Here, if we may judge from the use of ‘Him’, ‘His’ and ‘He’ in 1Jn 3:22–23, it is ‘God’ (ED: The Father) Who dwells in us, as in 1Jn 4:12, and we in Him… Both here and in John 15 (Jn 15:10) the condition of continuous mutual indwelling is obedience; although obedience is also the issue and evidence of the indwelling. Cf. 1Jn 2:3–6 for an exposition of the same truth… No-one may dare to claim that he lives in Christ and Christ in him unless he is obedient to the three fundamental commands which John has been expounding, which are belief in Christ, love for the brothers and moral righteousness. ‘Living in Christ’ is not a mystical experience which anyone may claim; its indispensable accompaniments are the confession of Jesus as the Son of God come in the flesh, and a consistent life of holiness and love.
What a wonderful summation! We can know for certain that we abide in God and He abides in us through our confession of faith in Jesus as the Son of God and through living a life of holiness and love.
Heaven On Wheels Daily Prayer:
Father in Heaven, I thank You for the gift of the Holy Spirit, through whom I am guided and strengthened. Help me to abide in You daily, living in accordance with Your commands. May I always reflect the love of Jesus Christ in my actions, helping Your love to flow through me to others. Lastly, I pray for the courage to always follow Your leadership and to grow in grace and knowledge of You. AMEN.