“He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.”
My Notes
What Does 1 John 2:4 Mean?
"He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him." John draws a direct line between knowledge of God and obedience to God. The claim to know God is tested by one criterion: do you keep his commandments? If not, the claim is false — and John doesn't soften the verdict. The person is a liar. Not mistaken. Not confused. A liar. And the truth isn't just absent from their words — it's absent from their being.
The word "know" (ginōskō) means experiential, relational knowledge — not just knowing about God but knowing him. John is saying that genuine relationship with God necessarily produces obedience. If obedience is absent, the relationship isn't real, regardless of what the person claims.
Reflection Questions
- 1.If your life were evaluated purely by your obedience, would it confirm or contradict your claim to know God?
- 2.Why does John use the word 'liar' rather than something softer?
- 3.What's the difference between perfect obedience and genuine obedience — and which does John require?
- 4.Where is the gap between what you claim about God and what your daily choices reveal?
Devotional
Liar. John doesn't use a softer word. If you say you know God and don't keep his commandments, you're a liar. The truth isn't just missing from your statement — it's missing from your entire being.
This is John at his most uncompromising. There's no middle ground here. No "well, maybe they're just struggling." No "everyone's journey is different." If you claim intimacy with God and your life shows zero obedience to his commands, your claim is false. Period.
The word for "know" is important — it's relational, experiential knowledge. Like knowing a person, not knowing a fact. John is saying: if you really know God — if you've actually encountered him, experienced his love, been transformed by his presence — obedience follows naturally. Not perfectly. But genuinely. The person who truly knows God wants to obey him. Their desires change. Their orientation shifts. Commandment-keeping flows from relationship, not from duty.
So the test isn't: do you keep every commandment perfectly? It's: is obedience the trajectory of your life? Is there evidence that knowing God has changed how you live? If the answer is no — if your life looks the same as it did before you claimed to know him — John says the claim is a lie. Not a mistake. A lie. Because genuine knowledge of God always produces visible change.
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
He that saith I know him,.... God or Christ, as the Gnostics did, who pretended to great, even perfect, knowledge of…
He that saith, I know Him - He who professes to be acquainted with the Saviour, or who professes to be a Christian. And…
He that saith, I know him - This is a severe blow against those false teachers, and against all pretenders to religious…
These verses may seem to relate to the seventh verse of the former chapter, between which and these verses there…
The previous statement is enforced by denying the opposite of it. The construction, -he that saith," -he that loveth,"…
Cross References
Related passages throughout Scripture