Expositor's Bible Commentary Commentary 1 John 2:6

"he that saith he abideth in him ought himself also to walk even as he walked." — 1 John 2:6 (ASV)

“To live in him” (either the Father or the Son, but in the context the Father is more likely) introduces another way the opponents described their relationship to God. What they claimed by this experience we do not know; probably they boasted of mystical experiences, visions of the light, and the like. What they did not claim was any seriousness to live in a godly manner. The author’s comment is direct and forceful: “Whoever claims to live in him must walk [i.e., live] as Jesus did.” Relationship to God requires moral behavior worthy of God. And as the revelation of God in Christ is accepted as the high point of divine selfdisclosure, so the human life of Jesus becomes the measuring stick of true moral and ethical behavior. The author is not claiming that the walk of Jesus can be perfectly imitated but that there is a divine imperative—which must be taken seriously—for believers to live according to the way Jesus lived.