The one who claims he remains in him ought to walk even as that one walked. (author’s translation)
This verse is just incredible. John challenges the reader in a way like only “Be perfect” can. This sentence simply means that each person who claims to be in Jesus must live exactly like Jesus.
Again, note the present tense. If you claim to currently be in Jesus, then you need to be living just as He lived. Now, this does not mean you need to become a carpenter or a traveling teacher, rather this means the kind of life He lived with respect to living the gospel.
Do people know you are a Christ-follower because of your life?
If you never spoke a word, could you be convicted of being a Christian?
Does God shine through your eyes?
Does God work through your hands?
Does the Holy Spirit reside in your tongue?
Does Scripture pour from your mouth?
Are you willing to confront sin in believers?
Are you willing to grant mercy to unbelievers?
Humorously enough, I think we Christians tend to swap the last two, granting mercy to Christians and confronting sin in non-Christians, which is the opposite of what Jesus did. Why should the world conform to the standards of God when they are His enemy? Why should Christians get a free pass to sin when they claim to follow Christ? This verse is talking about just that. Christians are to be judged according to Christ, whereas the person who does not claim to be in Jesus does not have the same standard to live up to.
Where is your heart, where is your example? Do you focus on Christ as the goal of your daily walk, or do you see only the lack of Jesus in the world around you? Look in, look at the church, and live in the world.
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