As we turn our attention the the second chapter of 1 John, notice that in the first eleven verses, John gives us three results of maintaining fellowship with the Lord. Let me remind you that our fellowship is the practical outworking of the Believer's relationship with God. Our fellowship with God results in the changing of our mind, will, and emotions which are the three components of our soul. Our souls are the arenas wherein our sanctification takes place.
The Apostle John writes in 1 John 2:1-2,
"My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. 2 And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world."
As indicated in these two verses, the first sign that we are growing in fellowship with the Lord is that we are making a habit of drawing nearer to the Lord. As a result we discover that our lives are being built on the truth which is what God has said in His word on any given subject. As we have pointed out before, when we sin, we are ignoring what God has said on a given subject and we are going our own way. However, when we listen to His definition of things and apply His teachings, we discover that we are walking in the Spirit. The Holy Spirit always works in tandem with His word, producing the life of the Lord Jesus through our yielded lives. And, as a result, we grow in ministry effectiveness and wisdom.
Now, as John indicates here in verse 1, if we sin, and we will, we must remember that the Lord Jesus continues to be our Advocate. This means that even though we still sin, He will not abandon us. And when we grow in His righteousness, we still need His advocacy because we can never be good enough to earn God's favor. This is also the reason John draws our attention to the fact that the Lord Jesus is our propitiation (satisfying sacrifice) before the Father. John is saying, as we grow in His wisdom and recognize the stupidity of sin, we will not become sinless. And, by the way, when you sin, God doesn't turn His back on you because you sin.
Now, in verses 3-6, John gives us the second result of walking with the Lord. It is making it our habit of obeying His word. 1 John 2:3-6 reads,
" 3 Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. 4 He who says, “I know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. 5 But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him. 6 He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked." Notice the progression in these verses. We first keep His commandments, then we keep His word, then we walk as He walked. John, here, is providing for us a portrait of our growth in God's wisdom as we yield to His truth. There is an increasing intimacy seen in these verses. His commandments lead to His word which leads to His way of living.
Finally in verses 7-11, we are given the third expression of walking with the Lord. It is that we will love other Believers. 1 John 2:7-11 reads,
"7 My dear friends, I am not writing a new command to you but an old command you have had from the beginning. It is the teaching you have already heard. 8 But also I am writing a new command to you, and you can see its truth in Jesus and in you, because the darkness is passing away, and the true light is already shining. 9 Anyone who says, “I am in the light,” but hates a brother or sister, is still in the darkness. 10 Whoever loves a brother or sister lives in the light and will not cause anyone to stumble in his faith. 11 But whoever hates a brother or sister is in darkness, lives in darkness, and does not know where to go, because the darkness has made that person blind." The Greek word that the Apostle John uses here for the word love is "phileo" which is brotherly affectionate love. There will be a genuine brotherly love in the heart of the Believer who is walking in the light toward his brother or sister in the Lord. In other words, before we are American, we are brothers in the Lord. Before we are any skin color or ethnicity, we are brothers in the Lord.
There you have it, three expressions of walking in the light (walking with the Lord): making it our habit of drawing nearer to the Lord, making it our habit of obeying His word, and making it our habit to affectionately loving those who also believe in the Lord Jesus.
