2:5
The evidence that the love of God is truly in us is that we keep His word. The corollary of this is that those today who talk so much about the love of God, but ignore or deny His word, are either liars or are utterly deceived. Keeping God’s word is the only reliable sign that you or I are in Christ and He in us. Now this does not mean that we can get in Christ by obeying His word, that would be salvation by works. But if we are in Christ we will seek to obey His word, and we will put effort into doing so.
2:6
The test is repeated. If we claim to abide in Christ, then we ought to walk as He walked. This means living life in the same way that He lived it. This is one of the reasons why the gospels are so important. They are not just a record of the death and resurrection, though of course that is a mightily important point! They record how Jesus lived, and we should seek to live in the same way. Notice that John speaks about abiding in Christ. He does not speak about following an ideology or a philosophy, or even a moral code. The gospel is about knowing God, dwelling with Him, and He with us. Out of that our thinking will be transformed, and we will seek to live different lives, but it all flows from a relationship with Him.
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