3:23
But who can do what pleases God? John has just been talking about us having confidence because we keep His commandments and do what pleases Him, but we are all aware of our inadequacies and failings. So how is this any good to us? John now tells us what His commandments are: to believe in the name of His Son, and to love one another. If we do this we have obeyed His commandments and are doing what pleases Him. Now this does not mean that other commands and laws do not matter, and it certainly does not mean that we “love God and do what we like”, in the sense of it not mattering what we do. Indeed, as John has been arguing throughout this letter, if we are continually and wilfully sinning then it is a sign that we do not truly believe. But look at the gospels. Many people came to Jesus in faith, from all sorts of backgrounds, and He accepted them.
3:24
So obedience is a proof that we belong to God and abide in Him. And the Spirit testifies to us as well. He does this by His word, and by personal communication. We need to realise that both are important. We cannot and must not rely on feelings, but God, through the Spirit, makes His presence known to us, He communicates with us on a personal level. Now, everything must be tested against the word, and if we imagine the Spirit has said something to us that is not in the Bible then we are deluded. And there will be times when we do not feel God’s presence, when He may even seem to be far off, but we always have the word of God, and in those times the word still assures us. But God is a God who has personal relationships with people, we see that throughout the Bible, and that includes us.
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