The Moral Test of Obedience

Those who know the Lord will do the same thing Neal McDonough did: they will, by the help of the Lord, choose to do the right thing.

The Moral Test of Obedience

"And this is His commandment: that we should believe on the name of His Son Jesus Christ and love one another, as He gave us commandment. Now he who keeps His commandments abides in Him, and He in him. And by this we know that He abides in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us."

(1 John 3:23-24)

I enjoy watching movies. Neal McDonough is a Christian actor, and you most likely would recognize his face if not his name. He has a powerful story. Years ago, he was canceled by Hollywood for not kissing a co-worker in a scene. He said he lost his house, cars, and all his prized possessions. He was bitter and turned to alcohol until his wife and the mother of his five kids gave him an ultimatum. "After some introspection, and some tough love from his wife, he realized he had to make his life about serving God, 'rather than serving me.' He credited his wife of 25 years, Ruve, for giving him the motivation he needed to quit drinking, saying, "She grabbed me and says, it's us or the bottle, you choose," and he "never looked back." (Source.)

Those who know the Lord will do the same thing Neal did: they will, by the help of the Lord, choose to do the right thing. This week we have been looking at 1 John and the three tests John gives for every genuine follower of Jesus. If we truly know the Lord, then we will believe in Jesus, love people, and obey Jesus.

John restates his three tests in these two verses. If we are genuine followers of Christ, we will believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, we will love the brethren, and we will obey God's commandments. These are not negative duties that we check off to demonstrate our authenticity, but these three fundamentals provide real purpose and meaning to our lives. Those who focus on the fundamentals of the faith live with purpose, meaning, and success.

God's commandment to mankind is that we believe in His Son, Jesus Christ. The Greek word pisteuo is used. It is one of my favorite Greek words; I actually have it tattooed on my right arm. It means to believe, to have faith. We believe in Jesus at conversion and continue to believe and trust Him throughout our days on earth.

John uses the word agape in the present tense. We are to continually love the brethren with this sacrificial, selfless love. John is restating his second test, the social test of love. We must be willing to lay down our lives and our material possessions for the Church.

If we are to live with purpose, we must believe, love, and obey. We find great freedom in surrendering our lives to the commands of God. Here John restates the first test: the moral test of obedience. The one who keeps God's commandments, John says, abides or remains in God and God in him.