Abide in Christ to Love Others

Background and Overview of 1 John

The author John, an eyewitness of Christ as God in human form (1 John 1:1), wrote a letter included in the New Testament and referred to as “1 John.” He addressed it to a group of Christians, whom he told about the truth of Christ and their spiritual condition. John desired his readers to have true fellowship with God for two reasons: to complete his joy (1:4), and so they would avoid sin (2:1). John’s recipients likely lived amid a sect known as Gnostics, a group who believed in a knowledge that ranked as superior to what the apostles taught. Its teachers denied that Christ had come in the flesh (4:2). So, the writer called the true believers to “remain” or “abide” in the apostolic teachings.

John’s letter describes ways to identify true believers and combat false teaching. He emphasizes fellowship in the light (1:5–2:28), fellowship in righteousness (2:29–4:6), and fellowship in love (4:7–5:12). He ends by assuring true believers of eternal life (5:13), answered prayer (vv. 14–17), and victory over the evil one (vv. 18–19). His final two encouragements—to abide in the true Christ (v. 20) and guard themselves against idols (v. 21)—close his letter.

John’s writing highlights love, evidenced by the repeated command to love other believers. Love begins with abiding in Christ, also referenced as "living in the light."

Abide in Christ

“Anyone who loves another brother or sister is living in the light.” —1 John 2:10 (NLT)

Task-oriented individuals like me love our daily “to-do” lists. Action items might include writing business cases, completing assignments, buying groceries, visiting Mom, and taking the kids to their piano lesson—all good things. But if we do them with little thought about God, we finish them in our own strength. Abiding in Christ, or the light ( 2:10), means living in the strength of the Holy Spirit.

When we complete action items while surrendering to the Spirit’s strength, we invite the Spirit to do the work. Consider how a dove glides without needing to flap. The bird angles its wings to deflect the air and moves with minimal effort. Similarly, believers who abide in Christ allow the Spirit to guide their daily tasks moment by moment. The Spirit reminds believers of how Christ approached His tasks, with love and joy in serving God through peaceful actions with others. Christlike tasks result when we set Christ in the forefront of our minds and invite the Spirit to guide our work. We can ask God what He wants on the action list, pray over the tasks, and ask for strength while in the process of completing items on our list. As we do so, God transforms us to live in the Spirit’s strength and abide in Christ.

A Christian who abides in Christ, living a life with God’s love, loves a fellow believer with a love that spills over to others (2:10). Conversely, someone who claims to abide in Christ but fails to love a fellow believer lives in darkness (v. 9). As we live moment by moment in the light and rely on the Spirit, we demonstrate our love for fellow believers.

Practice For Today

Practice setting your mind on Christ by asking him to guide your to-do list, inviting his guidance, and meditating on or memorizing today’s key verse about abiding in Christ (living in the light).

Reference: Hanna, Kenneth G. From Gospels to Glory: Exploring the New Testament. Bloomington, IN: WestBow Press, 2015.

Photo by Gerd Altmann on Pixabay.