Keeping Christ's word and walking as He walked are not only tests of how much Christians love the Lord, but they are also safeguards to their fellowship with Him (I John 2:4-11). Perseverance is one of the great subjects of Scripture. Both the ignorant of Scripture and the hypocrite separate perseverance from the actuality of faith, which manifests itself in keeping Christ's word and walking as Christ walked. Although perseverance is the duty of every child of God, it would never come to realization apart from God's grace and preservation. Perseverance is the doxology to God's preservation. Saints "are protected [present passive participle of phroureo, which means to guard, keep, or keep in a state of settlement or security] by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time" (I Pet. 1:5 NASB). Admonition and perseverance must not be considered as opposites. A contradiction occurs only if a person misunderstands the nature of perseverance and treats it as something divorced from God-given faith.

Fellowship is intelligent in order that it may be holy. Keeping Christ's word perfects God's love in Christians: "The one who says [present active participle of lego], I have come to know [perfect active indicative of ginosko] Him, and does not keep [present active participle of tereo] His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him; but whoever keeps [present active subjunctive of tereo] His word, in him the love of God has truly been perfected. By this we know [perfect active indicative of ginosko] that we are in Him" (I John 2:4, 5 NASB). John contrasted the one who keeps on saying he has come to know Christ, with a resultant state of knowing Him but does not continually keep His commandments (v. 4), with whoever keeps on keeping His word (v. 5). Furthermore, the one who does not keep on keeping Christ's commandments is a liar in contrast to the one who having had God's love completed in him, with a resultant state of completion, keeps on keeping His word.

God's word is the inner spiritual unity of all His commandments. Keeping Christ's word is a day-by-day obligation, not one big act of obedience. Continual obedience is the certain result of true theological training. Keeping His word is to retain it in understanding, conscience, affections, and practice. The Greek word for "keeps" in I John 2:5 is a present active subjunctive of tereo, which means to watch over protectively, keep, or observe practically. This literally means that the person continually keeping Christ's word does so with great care. The Galatian Christians were rebuked for failing to continually obey God's word: "You were running [imperfect active indicative of trecho, to run a certain course of conduct] well [kalos, an adverb that means well, suitably, becomingly, or correctly]; who hindered [aorist active indicative of egkopto, which means to impede one's course by cutting off his way, to interrupt, or hinder-Rom. 15:22; Gal. 5:7; I Thess. 2:18; I Pet. 3:7] you from obeying the truth?" (Gal. 5:7 NASB). Paul's use of the figure of a race suggests that the Judaizers were cutting in on the Galatian believers to hinder their running. The imperfect tense is used descriptively in Galatians 5:7 because Paul described what had gone on in past time. Christians must make haste without delay to keep Christ's word.

Saints who watch over Christ's word protectively will humbly search the unfathomable treasure of Divine wisdom for more light. They are not looking for new things, but exploring old truths: "Beloved, I am not writing a new [kainos, new in the sense of recently made, novel, or unheard of] commandment to you, but an old [palaios, old in the sense of long ago, not new or recent] commandment which you have had from the beginning; the old commandment is the word which you have heard" (I John 2:7 NASB). Anything purported to be a new revelation is sure to be wrong. However, new discovery of old truth is not wrong.

Children of God are exhorted by Jude to "contend earnestly [present middle infinitive of epagonidzomai, to contend strenuously in defense of] for the faith which was once for all [hapax, once] delivered to the saints" (Jude 3 NASB). (See Heb. 6:4; 9:26, 28; I Pet. 3:18, 20.) Christians must manifest the greatest diligence about the most important things. Men who give up any part of the truth of Scripture to please either themselves or others will also give up another part for fleshly advantage. Their relinquishing any truth of Scripture, even though they retain many verities, is a breach of allegiance to Christ.

Abiding in Christ results in the Christian walking as He walked: "the one who says he abides [present active infinitive of meno, which means to continually remain, endure, or persevere, constantly remain as one is, or not to become different] in Him ought [present active indicative of opheilo, to be constantly bound or obligated] himself to walk [aorist active indicative of peripateo, to be conducting himself] in the same manner as He walked" (I John 2:6 NASB). The word "abide" was a favorite term of the apostle John. He used it thirty-nine times in his Gospel and twenty-six times in his Epistles. Therefore, knowing Christ, being in fellowship with Him, and remaining in constant fellowship with Him were John's chief subjects. The one who is constantly saying he continually remains in Christ ought to walk in the manner in which Christ conducted Himself. To walk in the manner Christ walked destroys the theory of evolution. An ape aping a man makes the ape a man no more than a believer imitating Christ makes the believer a Christ. The Christian is obligated to imitate Christ in His ordinary life, not as He walked on the water: "THEREFORE be imitators of God, as beloved children" (Eph. 5:1 NASB).

The Christian walk is described as one of separation, submission, and suffering: "For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example [hupogrammos, a copy to write after or an example for imitation] for you to follow in His steps" (I Pet. 2:21 NASB). Christians are called to salvation and a lifetime of following Jesus Christ as their example. No one can imitate Him in either His miraculous works or His vicarious death, but Christians can follow Him in separation, submission, and suffering.

Unlike Christ's separation, the appeal for Christian separation indicates their low level of spirituality. Christ's natural separation provided for the elect's positional and conditional separation. What was natural to Christ is made possible to His people in grace. A Biblical example of the Christian's need for separation is recorded in Paul's message to the assembly in Corinth: "Our mouth has spoken freely to you, O Corinthians, our heart is opened wide. You are not restrained [present passive indicative of stenochoreo, to be cramped in feeling] by us, but you are restrained in your own affections [splagchnois, affections]. Now in a like exchange [antimisthian, accusative singular of antimisthia, a retribution, recompense, or a return in kind]-I speak as to children-open wide to us also" (II Cor. 6:11-13 NASB). Paul made this appeal because the Corinthians had questioned his apostleship (I Cor. 9:1, 2), charged him with incorrect motives (II Cor. 12:11-13:8), and made light of his manner (I Cor. 2:1-5). The apostle desired their devotion to God, not affection toward himself. In this emotional passage, Paul sought their return to the love and devotion he had shown toward them.

Five areas of Christian separation are named in II Corinthians 6:14-16-"Do not be bound together with unbelievers, for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness? Or what harmony has Christ with Belial, or what has a believer in common with an unbeliever? Or what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; just as God said, I WILL DWELL IN THEM AND WALK AMONG THEM; AND I WILL BE THEIR GOD, AND THEY SHALL BE MY PEOPLE" (NASB).

1. The area of "righteousness and lawlessness" refers to separation in the sphere of commerce. How can the believer be a partner with a person who is unfaithful in his use of riches, which are the object of the unrighteous (Luke 16:11). Riches themselves are not immoral, but they are made unrighteous by injustice. The conclusion of unrighteous riches is not gain, but loss. When money is not handled in the spirit of faithful stewardship, it will become a person's master (Luke 16:13).

2. The area of "light with darkness" refers to separation in the sphere of ideology. Ideas are good when they are based on God's absolute standard. However, most ideas, whether religious or political, are humanistic. Humanism is designed to establish the will of man as the ultimate authority. Furthermore, humanism relies on democracy for public support, which means it has its own brand of authoritarianism. Humanistic laws are giving society a new morality that strikes against Biblical morality. Such laws produced by humanistic ideologists are designed to save men and remake society. However, humanistic ideologists are promoting their own humanistic bigotry at the expense of absolute truth. Therefore, Christians must never support such human systems or lean toward human institutions. Both political and religious ideology originate in the darkness of the depraved heart.

3. The area of "what harmony has Christ with Beliel?" directs to separation in the social sphere. Nehemiah's action illustrates that diplomacy has no place when persons who claim to be God's covenant people become allies with God's enemies. During the time that Nehemiah was in Babylon, Eliashib, who had been appointed to the oversight of the temple chambers, was allied to Tobiah (Neh. 13:4-31). Tobiah represents those who pretend to be supporters of truth, but they are its betrayers. Eliashib brought Tobiah into the courts of the house of God. Degradation in Israel's separation occurred while Nehemiah was absent: (1) Eliashib desecrated the house of God. (2) The children of Israel ceased offering tithes. (3) The temple was forsaken. (4) The Sabbath was profaned. (5) Heathen marriages were contracted. (6) The Jewish language was corrupted. (7) Eliashib's grandson married Sanballot's daughter and thus defiled the priesthood. On Nehemiah's return, he threw Tobiah's furniture out of the chamber, restored the temple services and the Sabbath, put a stop to heathen marriages, and cleansed the priesthood. Promptness and firmness are more important than diplomacy in the things of God.

4. The area of "what has a believer in common with an unbeliever?" points to separation in the marriage sphere. Scripture is clear concerning the marriage relationship. Marriage in the Lord surpasses everything human, as it did in nature before the fall. There is a wholesome moral order in the world, and hybrid breeding must not confuse it. Hybrid breeding in the case of mixed marriages is like the crossbreeding of two cultures or traditions. An ox and an ass do not work well together (Deut. 22:10). The same principle is true of a believer and an unbeliever living together with two distinct sets of values.

5. The area of "what agreement has the temple of God with idols?" refers to separation in the spiritual sphere. After Paul named the fifth sphere of separation, he referred to some Old Testament Scriptures (Lev. 26:12; Is. 52:11). What agreement is there between living saints and idols? All the false conceptions of the sovereign God are as despicable as idols made of stone, wood, and metal displayed by false religion. In every age, the call of God has been for His people to live a life of separation, not isolation. After setting forth Jesus Christ and the Christian's knowledge of Him, John closed his Epistle correctly: "Little children, guard yourselves from idols" (I John 5:21 NASB).

Walking as Christ walked involves submission. Jesus Christ is the believer's example in submission: "…Christ is the head [kephale, the head, metaphorically, one to who others are subordinate] of every man, and the man is the head of a woman, and God is the head of Christ" (I Cor. 11:3 NASB). Although Christ is the Christian's example in submission, His subordination to the Father and the Christian's subordination to Him differ. The eternal Son and His eternal Father are equal, but there is no equality between the Son and those for whom He died. Christ was submissive to the Father in His incarnation, His life on earth, and His death on the cross. Christ's subordination to the Father did not make Him inferior to His Father. Inferiority and subordination differ. As there is no inferiority in Christ's Divine nature, there is none in His human nature.

Christians are responsible to submit to God: "Submit [plural aorist passive imperative of hupotasso, which means to subordinate, place oneself under, or be under influence] therefore to God…" (James 4:7 NASB). The plural aorist passive imperative signifies to submit oneself in obedience to God at once for all time. This means Christians give themselves to be governed by the will of God, which is expressed in the word of God. God's will is not only the rule, but also the reason and motive for obedience to glorify God. Hypocrites may obey certain things, but their motive is not to glorify God. The first step in submission has respect to the truths of revelation: "I hastened and did not delay To keep Thy commandments" (Ps. 119:60 NASB). The words "did not delay" destroy any indecision or procrastination. When the sovereign God speaks, His children must act without delay. Since the Shepherd knows better than the sheep what is needful, the pupils and not the teacher must bow.

Walking as Christ walked includes suffering. Jesus Christ is the Christian's example in suffering. "Suffering" is the key word in I Peter. Without Christian suffering, no one could prove that he loves God more than the world, relatives, or friends. Suffering has been appointed to make the children of God better Christians. A consideration of the enmity between the seed of the woman and the seed of the serpent, the Spirit of God and the spirit of Satan, and the Spirit of truth and the spirit of error should lead saints to not question their suffering.

Paul was a chosen vessel to the Lord to bear His name before the Gentiles, kings, and Jews. However, bearing Christ's name would not be without suffering great things for His sake (Acts 9:15, 16). Paul later spoke to Timothy of his imprisonment and exhorted him to partake of the affliction of the gospel: "…do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, or of me His prisoner; but join with me in suffering for the gospel according to the power of God" (II Tim. 1:8 NASB). He exhorted him to "Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, descendant of David, according to my gospel, for which I suffer hardship even to imprisonment as a criminal; but the word of God is not imprisoned. For this reason I endure all things for the sake of those who are chosen, that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus and with it eternal glory" (II Tim. 2:8-10 NASB). No wonder the experienced apostle said, "And indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted" (II Tim. 3:12 NASB).

Christians should suffer for righteousness (I Pet. 3:14-16). Their suffering should not be the result of careless and sinful conduct. The greatest suffering is not from moral uprighteousness but from following Christ. He is "…A STONE OF STUMBLING AND A ROCK OF OFFENSE; for they stumble because they are disobedient to the word, and to this doom they were also appointed" (I Pet. 2:8 NASB). The Christian's righteousness is not diminished but increased by his suffering for righteousness' sake. Righteousness thrives best under affliction. David behaved more wisely when he heard about the plot on his life (I Sam. 18:10-30). However, persecutors as well as the persecuted are under God's control.

Christian suffering is common to all saints: "Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though some strange thing were happening to you; but to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing; so that also at the revelation of His glory, you may rejoice with exultation" (I Pet. 4:12, 13 NASB). Christians are tried to show what measure of grace they have and to purify that which is in them. They can rejoice if they are partakers of Christ's sufferings: "that I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death" (Phil. 3:10 NASB). Christ is the saints' example, but they must understand that their imitation of His suffering is not attainment. No one can flatter himself with the hope of arriving at a point in this life beyond which there is no further improvement. Whatever the trials might be, God will complete that which concerns His children because He will not forsake the work of His grace. Severe trials in the lives of Christians produce perseverance, not apostasy.