1 John 3:23 – January 4, 2021

And his commandment is this: we should believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and love one another just as he commanded us. 1 John 3:23 NABRE           

John speaks of a commandment, which is to believe and to love. Belief is dependent on faith, and it is faith and love together which are the heart of the Christian life. John speaks on the topic of love, making it a central message to his life and letter. John says God’s commandment is that we, “believe in the name of His Son, Jesus Christ.” This seems unusual that we are commanded to believe. For John faith is an approval of the idea of an internal trust and surrender to God and an outward confession of faith. The Father has sent the Son as savior of the world and He sets before us the basic choices to believe or not to believe. In his gospel John quotes Jesus as saying to Nicodemus, “Whoever believes in him will not be condemned, but whoever does not believe has already been condemned, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.” (John 3:18) Belief is not just a matter of having adequate information; rather, it reflects the attitude of our heart toward God.  By referring to this as God’s commandment that we believe in Jesus Christ, John is underlining the necessity of true faith for being in good standing with God. This is what God requires: that we believe in Jesus and love one another. Believing in Jesus is a fundamental part of being obedient to God and His word.

Many believe that this simple statement to believe in Jesus is all that is required to be saved in such a way that they can rejoice in eternal life. But Jesus tells us there are many things we should do as followers to show we believe, faith demands action. 

Do you believe in the name of God’s Son, Jesus Christ? Do you feel this is enough to be saved? 

By referring to this as God's commandment that we believe in Jesus Christ, John is underlining the necessity of true faith for being in good standing with God. This is what God requires: that we believe in Jesus and love one another. Click To Tweet

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