Walk in the same manner as He walked.

1 John 2:1-17(NASB) from the daily reading in the One Year Bible

My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; ² and He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world.

³ By this we know that we have come to know Him, if we keep His commandments. ⁴ The one who says, “I have come to know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him; ⁵ but whoever keeps His word, in him the love of God has truly been perfected. By this we know that we are in Him: ⁶ the one who says he abides in Him ought himself to walk in the same manner as He walked.

⁷ Beloved, I am not writing a new commandment to you, but an old commandment which you have had from the beginning; the old commandment is the word which you have heard. ⁸ On the other hand, I am writing a new commandment to you, which is true in Him and in you, because the darkness is passing away and the true Light is already shining. ⁹ The one who says he is in the Light and yet hates his brother is in the darkness until now. ¹⁰ The one who loves his brother abides in the Light and there is no cause for stumbling in him. ¹¹ But the one who hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness, and does not know where he is going because the darkness has blinded his eyes.

¹² I am writing to you, little children, because your sins have been forgiven you for His name’s sake. ¹³ I am writing to you, fathers, because you know Him who has been from the beginning. I am writing to you, young men, because you have overcome the evil one. I have written to you, children, because you know the Father. ¹⁴ I have written to you, fathers, because you know Him who has been from the beginning. I have written to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God abides in you, and you have overcome the evil one.

¹⁵ Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. ¹⁶ For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. ¹⁷ The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever.

What does it mean that Jesus is both our Advocate and the propitiation for our sins. An Advocate is one who represents or makes a case for another, like an attorney or other legal representative. Jesus advocated for the entire world:

In the garden before His crucifixion, John 17:20-23:  “I do not ask on behalf of these alone, but for those also who believe in Me through their word; ²¹ that they may all be one; even as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be in Us, so that the world may believe that You sent Me.”

On the cross, Luke 23:34: “Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.”

Now and forever, Romans 8:33-35:  Who will bring a charge against God’s elect? God is the one who justifies; ³⁴ who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is He who died, yes, rather who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us. ³⁵ Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?

These verses in Romans are the bridge between Christ being our Advocate, interceding for us and Him being the propitiation, the atonement for our sin. The same one who represents us before God is also the one who sacrificed Himself for us according to God’s will. If we are Christ’s, we have an airtight case concerning our redemption, reconciliation and restoration.

So if we are in Christ we are redeemed, reconciled and restored. Jesus said on the cross; “It is finished” The finished work of Christ, our Advocate and the propitiation for our sin has completely taken care of our past. If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. (2 Corinthians 5:17) Christ has also taken care of our future.  “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.” (John 3:16) Our past is forgiven in Christ and our future is secure in Christ. We are left with how we should live today.

John continues then, not to make the case for coming to Christ, but rather to make the case for how those who have come to Christ should live.   “ By this we know that we have come to know Him, if we keep His commandments. ⁴ The one who says, “I have come to know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him; ⁵ but whoever keeps His word, in him the love of God has truly been perfected. By this we know that we are in Him: ⁶ the one who says he abides in Him ought himself to walk in the same manner as He walked.”   How do we walk in the same manner as Jesus? 

John gives us a few indicators of those who abide in Christ. First John says, we should keep His commandments. If we are in Christ, if we “have come to know Him”, we will keep His commandments, not just the ones that fit our own ideology, but all His commandments. John continues saying: “The one who says he is in the Light and yet hates his brother is in the darkness until now. ¹⁰ The one who loves his brother abides in the Light and there is no cause for stumbling in him. ¹¹ But the one who hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness, and does not know where he is going because the darkness has blinded his eyes.” Jesus prayed about this love that we should have for our brother in the garden while He advocated for our future.      “ The glory which You have given Me I have given to them, that they may be one, just as We are one; ²³ I in them and You in Me, that they may be perfected in unity, so that the world may know that You sent Me, and loved them, even as You have loved Me.” (John 17:22-23)       This love we are to have and show for our brother is first a love for fellow believers. Christ’s prayer in the garden was that there would be unity among believers. Until believers can show the world that we have unity and love for each other we cannot show the love of God to others. If we can’t love those who follow Christ, how can we follow Jesus commandment to love our neighbor as ourselves?   Jesus prayer says: “that they may be one, just as We are one; ²³ I in them and You in Me, that they may be perfected in unity, so that the world may know that You sent Me”

If we are not one with Christ and one with God and unified with one another, then the love we give to others is a human love, not God’s love. John tells us the danger of loving in human terms.  He says:     Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. ¹⁶ For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world.    In our human capacity we cannot separate the sinner from the sin. Jesus was the only man who could unconditionally love sinners yet uncompromisingly hate sin. In John 8:12, Jesus says: "I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life."  1 John 1:5 says: God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all. In Christ there is no darkness nor is there any acceptance or tolerance of sin. Yet, God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8)

Our human tendency is to either hate the sinner along with the sin or to accept and tolerate both the sinner and the sin. Neither one reflects the true love of God and Christ. How do we “walk in the same manner” as Jesus? How do we keep His commandments, all of them? How do we love sinners yet hate sin?   Jesus says:  “But now I am going to Him who sent Me; and none of you asks Me, ‘Where are You going?’ ⁶ But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart. ⁷ But I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you…when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth” (John 16:6-7,13) In John 14:15-17 , Jesus says:  “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments. ¹⁶ I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever; ¹⁷ that is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you and will be in you.

Only as we abide in Christ and as we allow the indwelling and abiding Holy Spirit to guide us and lead us, to control everything we do, can we walk in the manner Jesus walked. “by the name of Jesus Christ...  there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4) Our actions and our love cannot save them. Only Christ can save them. If we are to keep His commandments, if we are to love others, if we are to shine the light of Christ into the darkness of the world, it is only through and by His Spirit.

Thank You Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ, my Lord, my Savior, my Advocate and the propitiation for my sin; and thank You Holy Spirit of God for abiding with me and in me, for guiding me and helping me to walk in the same manner as Jesus.    Amen.