What pleases God? / 1 John Bible Study (Part 9) / Chapter 3

What is it that pleases God? A young expert in the Jewish Law asked Jesus, “Which is the greatest commandment?” To which Jesus replied, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your mind, and love your neighbour as yourself.” Matthew 22:37-39. John put it like this in v23ff, “This is His Commandment, that we should believe on the Name of His Son Jesus Christ and love one another as He commanded us. He who keeps God’s Commandment, dwells in God and God in him. And this is how we know that He lives in us, by the Spirit He has given us.”

This takes us back to Ch 2:28 when John writes, “Now my little children, abide in Christ so that when He shall appear, we may have confidence – certainty of our salvation – and not be ashamed before Him at His Coming.” It’s how we are living. If we are living right, that gives us the confidence that we are pleasing God, and the certainty that when Jesus appears, we shall rise with Him and live with Him. Because, as John said, Ch 2:29, “If you know that Christ is righteous, then you know that everyone who does what is right is born of Him.”

What a challenge we have! Remember, John was in prison, he suffered for Christ, he lived in exile in Patmos – and this is where Jesus gave him such a wonderful revelation of the Coming Kingdom of God. Oh, that God would give us great revelation of who we are in Him! God bless you!