If a person says he knows Jesus but does not obey Jesus he is a liar. John has a way with words doesn't he? There is no sugarcoating the truth here! The Apostle puts it in the most blunt of terms, you are a liar!
The word "know" in 1 John 2:4 indicates more than a mere understanding of facts. John indicates something deeper in the Greek than the English language communicates in translation. To actually "know Him" is to "experientially" know Him. To actually "know" Jesus is to experience Him in relationship. Unfortunately, a lot of people define "knowing" Jesus in academic terms, as if ascent to certain intellectual truth is actual saving "knowledge" of Christ.
To be a Christian one must know Jesus relationally not simply know facts about His life. Do you know Him? This kind of "experiential knowledge" of Jesus will radically change your life and John makes this fact clear in our verse. If you genuinely know Jesus, your thoughts, speech and actions will be radically changed by the experience. If you have not experienced life change on account of your relationship with Christ you must ask the hard question, "Do I really know Christ?"
James
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