Welcome back to the Hope Bible School verse-by-verse Bible study of 1 John. This is Jeff M Newman. Get a new lesson every other week on Monday at 12:00 PM Eastern.
We are now on Lesson 27 and we are going to study 1 John 2:4.
We just went through a review of the commandments of Jesus. Spend time each day reviewing, studying, meditating on, and obeying His commandments.
In Lesson 27 we are going to learn about people that claim to know Jesus personally, but do not, because they do not keep His commandments.
Let’s read our verse.
1 John 2:4 If anyone says, “I know Him,” but does not keep His commandments, he is a liar, and the truth is not in him.
Let's focus on the first part of the verse: If anyone says, “I know Him,”
“If anyone” means all people.
“Says” (3004. legó) means telling others verbally.
To “know Him” (1097. ginóskó) means to know Jesus through personal experience, to know Him intimately and deeply.
You can only have this kind of personal, experiential knowledge by believing in Jesus, walking with Jesus and obeying His commandments.
This part of the verse is speaking about a person that is telling others verbally that they know Jesus through personal experience. This is a person that claims that they have eternal life and are obeying His commandments.
We read in John 17:3 that eternal life is all about growing in the knowledge of God. God wants you to have a deep, intimate, experiential knowledge of Him that comes through obeying His will.
John 17:3 Now this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom You have sent.
Let's move to the next part of the verse: "but does not keep His commandments,"
“Keep” (5083. téreó) means to watch over, to guard, to observe, to keep intact, or to spiritually guard.
“His commandments” (1785. entolé) are God's ordinances, injunctions, instructions, laws, or requirements.
This is speaking about a person that professes to others that they know God personally and experientially but don't guard, observe, or watch over His commandments.
In Matthew 7:21-23 we read that someone could claim to know God because they are doing religious activities in God's name, but never actually know God. The only people that know God are the ones that are doing His will.
Matthew 7:21-23 Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of My Father in heaven. 22 Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ 23 Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you workers of lawlessness!’
In Titus 1:16 we read that there are people that profess to know God, but their actions contradict their claims.
Titus 1:16 They profess to know God, but by their actions they deny Him. They are detestable, disobedient, and unfit for any good deed.
In James 1:22 we read that we are called to not only listen to God’s word, but to do what it says. If we are not doers of the word, we are only deceiving ourselves.
James 1:22 Be doers of the word, and not hearers only. Otherwise, you are deceiving yourselves.
Now, let’s focus on the next part of the verse: “he is a liar,”
A liar (Thayers, 5583. pseustés) is a person who breaks faith, a false and faithless person, one who falsifies, distorts, misleads, or willfully misrepresents.
If a person claims to have a personal, experiential knowledge of God, but does not observe, keep intact or guard His commandments is a person who willfully misrepresents and misleads others. He is a liar.
True knowledge of God can only come through obedience to His will.
In John 8:44 we read that the devil refuses to uphold the truth, because there is no truth in him. A person that does not obey God, belongs to the devil, who is a liar.
John 8:44 You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out his desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, refusing to uphold the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, because he is a liar and the father of lies.
In 1 John 1:6 we read that if we claim to have fellowship with God, yet walk in darkness we lie and do not practice the truth. (See Lesson 15.)
1 John 1:6 If we say we have fellowship with Him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.
In 1 John 2:22 we read that if we deny that Jesus is the Christ, we are a liar.
1 John 2:22 Who is the liar, if it is not the one who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, who denies the Father and the Son.
In 1 John 4:20 we read that if we hate our brothers or sisters in Christ, we are a liar.
1 John 4:20 (NIV) Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen.
Now let’s focus on the final part of the verse: “and the truth is not in him.”
Truth (225. alétheia) means true to fact, reality, the opposite of illusion.
You can't fool God.
He knows who is following His commandments and who does not.
If you say that you know God, but you are walking in disobedience, you do not know God and the truth is not in you.
You cannot have an personal, experiential relationship with God without keeping His commandments.
In John 14:6 we read that Jesus is the truth and you can only come to the Father through Him. In other words you can only come to the Father by knowing Jesus personally.
John 14:6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.
In Colossians 1:27 we read that when you have a personal relationship with Jesus, He will live in you. This means that when you have a personal relationship with Jesus, He is actually living in you. Jesus, who is the truth, is in you.
Colossians 1:27 To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.
In conclusion, Jesus wants you to have a deep, personal, experiential knowledge of Him. This can only come through keeping His commandments. However, if you are telling others that you know Him, but are not keeping His commandments, you are a liar.
You are deceiving yourself and deceiving those around you. The truth is not in you. Take time and evaluate whether or not you know Jesus. Are you telling others that you have an eternal relationship with Jesus, but not keeping His commands?
In 1 John 1:9 we read the solution to this.
1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (Review Lesson 18)
Let’s read our verse one more time.
1 John 2:4 If anyone says, “I know Him,” but does not keep His commandments, he is a liar, and the truth is not in him.
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Listen to these lessons over and over again. Let God’s Word penetrate you deeply, do what God is asking you to do, and help others to obey His will.
If you have any prayer requests please share them in the comments. Thank you and God bless you.
~ Jeff M Newman
(Photo by Sophie Turner on Unsplash. Berean Study Bible.)
Lesson 27 - 1 John 2:4 If anyone says, “I know Him,” but does not keep His commandments, he is a liar, and the truth is not in him.