1 JOHN 2:3-11
The church was delighted with their new bells in the belfry above their sanctuary. They did not have the money to buy the bells when it was built, but on their 25th anniversary, they were able to raise money to hang three bells in the empty space. Though impressive, there was one problem: the congregation would never hear the bells ringing. Although they looked real, they were artificial.
The apostle John wrote his first letter to encourage believers not only to see themselves as true Christians, but also to show that they are real in the way they live. The proof that a person’s faith is real cannot be found in any mystical experience with God. People really know and love God by submitting to His authority and His word (1 John 2:5-6).
When we claim that we have been changed by the gospel and that we know and love God deeply, we must affirm this by our obedience to His Word.
If we claim to know God but our lives have not changed, then it is a sure sign that we do not know God. Because the truth of God changes and leads people to transformed lives.
🙏 Lord, make us doers of the Word.
