If someone claims, "I know God," but doesn't obey God's commandments, that person is a liar and is not living in the truth. 1 John 2:4
With the giving of requirements, rules, and instructions comes the expectation that they will be followed. Once these requirements and instructions have been given, people have an understanding of what is expected of them. In the same way for believers, we have been given instructions in the Bible. We have been given requirements, rules, and expectations of what God requires of us. Now that we have these instructions, it is expected that we will live accordingly. John teaches us this truth in 1 John chapter 2.
In our Bible study yesterday, we talked about the fact that in order to obey God's commands, we have to know them. That means reading our Bibles and learning how God calls us to live. Today, we are talking about the next step: obeying God. You see, it is not enough to know Scripture; we have to do what it says. John writes about this in 1 John 2, "If someone claims, 'I know God,' but doesn't obey God's commandments, that person is a liar and is not living in the truth" (verse 4). In this verse, John teaches that it is inconsistent for a person to say that they know and follow God, yet they do not obey Him.
James says it this way, "If you listen to the word and don't obey, it is like glancing at your face in a mirror. You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like" (James 1:23). This, he says in the previous verse, only fools ourselves.
Let's learn from our reading from 1 John and the book of James today. In a world where things are inconsistent, let's determine to be people whose actions match our words. Let's not only claim to know God and His word, but also be people who obey Him. Let's read, study, and learn His word. Let's demonstrate our love for God with our words and our actions.
One method for application is known as the "SPECS" method. In this method, we ask ourselves four questions about what we are reading in Scripture: In these verses, is there a/an:Scripture to memorize?Promise to claim?Example to follow?Command to obey?Spend some time utilizing this method. Read James 1:19-27 and ask yourself these four questions. Pull out a notebook to record your answers and reflect on how God might call you to respond based on the truths you read in Scripture today.
Read James 1:19-27 (NLT)
Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry. Human anger does not produce the righteousness God desires. So get rid of all the filth and evil in your lives, and humbly accept the word God has planted in your hearts, for it has the power to save your souls.
But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves. For if you listen to the word and don’t obey, it is like glancing at your face in a mirror. You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like. But if you look carefully into the perfect law that sets you free, and if you do what it says and don’t forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it.
If you claim to be religious but don’t control your tongue, you are fooling yourself, and your religion is worthless. Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you.
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