2By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and observe His commandments. 3For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments; and His commandments are not burdensome.
How do we know if we truly believe with the kind of faith that saves us? John brings into focus what we call assurance of salvation. God wants true believers to know they are saved and have eternal life, to be assured of it. As we read this passage, we must be clear that the apostle is not talking about the security of our salvation but its assurance. One can be secure (from God’s perspective) but not be assured of it (from one’s own perspective).
Other places in Scripture deal clearly with our security in Christ, for example, Romans 8:28–38. Many believers will enter eternity after a life filled with doubts of whether they did enough, or believed correctly, or whether they had lived well enough to keep their salvation intact. John undercuts that thinking by focusing on our being assured of what we already have. By analogy, a person who has inherited a million dollars deposited in his bank account will not enjoy the benefits if he doesn’t really believe it is his. His belief doesn’t change the fact that he is a millionaire, but it changes whether he enjoys being one or not. So also, some true believers are not enjoying the benefits of their security in the love of God, the blessing of the unlimited, eternally forgiving, unending love of God.
So, back to the question, how can we know our faith is genuine? If we look at this sequentially, we will see true faith proving itself through our loving relationships. Having a faith that leads to being born of God, in turn, leads us to love the Father, which shows in our love for fellow believers (vs. 1). Also, saving faith produces in us a desire to “observe His commandments.” Notice, it does not say that obeying God makes us children of God. Our obedience is evidence that our faith is genuine.
This does not mean Christians are perfectly obedient. Not at all. But when we see that God’s commandments “are not burdensome,” as true believers, we want to obey God because we know the value in doing so. Outwardly, both unbelievers and believers may strive to follow the Bible’s moral and relational teaching, but with polar opposite motivations. Unbelievers think of God’s commands as legalistic requirements to gain salvation. Genuine faith produces a complete reorientation to God’s laws, where obedience is a joyful response to salvation. For unbelievers, obedience is an attempt to gain salvation, but for believers, obedience is a joyful response to salvation.
Lord, I genuinely desire to love You by doing as You ask and loving others.
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