As we continue our study of 1 John, we pick up at verse 23 of Chapter 3. Writing under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, the Apostle writes:
“And this is His command: to believe in the name of His Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as He commanded us.”
1 John 3: 23
A name in the Bible is used to describe the character of a person. It represents who he or she really is. We sometimes see names changed when a person has moved into a particular calling such as Abram, or Saul. There is such a profound change in their life, they become a new person with a new name.
The name of Jesus, and the many translations of it into and from other languages, is specific to what our Heavenly Father wants us to see, and understand. It means “The Lord saves”. He did not come to help us be saved, He came to Save us. He is our Savior because we cannot save ourselves from our sinful nature. We cannot eliminate that lust of the eye, and lust of the flesh, the pride and ego that drives us to think wrong thoughts, and say wrong things, and consequently do wrong things. No matter how we try on our own, we cannot. But in Jesus, we can.
John is not talking about believing there was a man called Jesus, a great teacher, and prophet, and miracle worker, though indeed He was; John is talking about believing that man Jesus was God’s begotten Son in the flesh, and that He came into this world as a man to save His lost children by doing what they could not do.
John was in the circle when Jesus said, “My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.” (John 15:12) Jesus loves with perfect love – unconditional love. This is how we are to love. We cannot do that on our own. It is not our nature. But when we believe in Jesus, and ask Him into our heart, and the Spirit of God enters into our soul, we receive a new nature. To be sure, we still have the old nature, but the work to replace it begins. Work by the Holy Spirit in our spirit. And the longer we know who we really are, the longer we walk in Him, the more we give all that we are to Him, the more we look like Jesus Christ to the world. Our new name, Christian, means a kind and loving and accepting and caring child of God, full of grace and mercy. We rise to that name.
His command to believe in the name of His Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another is saying: keep it simple. Here is the way, here is your power, here is your new life. Live it abundantly.
The grace of the Lord Jesus be with you, God’s Beloveds. My love to all of you in Christ Jesus. Be blessed in all things.
Poppa B.
Abundant Life Christian Fellowship, On Line