How Can We Know? (1 John 2:4-6)

“Whoever says “I know him” but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him: whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.”

(1 John 2:4-6)

Once, I bought an old house with some absolutely dingy lighting. The problem wasn’t the light fixtures; the problem was the globes. They were filthy, covered in dust and grimes from years of poor maintenance.  Their impurity inhibited proper function. As we turn from the light of our homes to the light of our hearts, A.G. Sertillanges aptly summarizes the point, “Purity of thought requires purity of soul.” To know the world around us rightly we must first be oriented to God rightly. 

Now, it should not be a shock to us that the world separated from God is going mad. The paralyzing effects of sin cloud our reason, sully our conscience, and choke our affections. The suppression of the righteousness of God knows no bounds, extending to sexuality, pronouns, and the furthest extremes of absurdity. When the world refused to listen to God, God “gave them over to their stubborn hearts, to follow their own counsels” (Ps. 81:12). A wicked heart will always lead to wicked practice, for impurity inhibits proper function.

The question before us today is simple: how are Christians to engage in this sort of atmosphere? How are Christians to pursue purity of thought in an impure world? As John shows us today, the best answer is to walk in the light, to pursue righteousness. The Psalms repeatedly remind us that it is in God’s light that we see light (36:9), that it is God’s testimonies that are “making wise the simple” (19:7). If we are to know this world rightly, we must walk with our righteous Creator.  It is He who made us with eyes, ears, and other faculties to know Him and to know His world. Knowing him, receiving His word, and practicing it in our lives – these are the very spectacles which allow us to see this world rightly. In a word, purity promotes proper function.