<p>2:24 <em>As for you, let that abide in you which you heard from the beginning. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, you also shall abide in the Son and in the Father</em>- John strongly links belief in Christ as the Son of God with a life of true love. They had heard from &ldquo;the beginning&quot; of their contact with the Gospel that Christ was the Son of God; and yet also the need to love one another. The &ldquo;message&quot; which they had heard from the beginning was that Christ was the Son of God (1 Jn. 2:24); and yet it was also that we should love one another (1 Jn. 3:11). Encounter with Him, living in the light of His personal example and the receipt of His spirit / mind, results in love. This is why in the context of teaching the need for love, John warns against false teaching regarding the nature of the Lord as Son of God (1 Jn. 2:22,23; 4:1-4; 2 Jn. 7-11). &ldquo;The word... from the beginning&quot; was the <em>logos</em> of Christ, the essence of Him and His spirit, which was love unto death (Jn. 1:1-3); and yet in John&rsquo;s letters, the word from the beginning was that we should love each other (1 Jn. 2:7; 3:11). This is the essence of belief in the Lord: love for each other. &ldquo;This is his commandment, That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another&quot; (3:23). &ldquo;Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God: and every one that loves him that begat loves him also that is begotten of him&quot; i.e. your brother. &ldquo;If we love one another, God dwells in us... whoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwells in him&quot; (4:12,15). But why is there this link between love, and belief in Jesus of Nazareth being the begotten Son of God? Theologically, it could be said that if we accept Him as God&rsquo;s Son, then we must likewise accept all God&rsquo;s other sons, begotten as they are by His Spirit. But practically, are we not being taught to see the <em>pure wonder</em> of the way in which <em>Almighty God had a Son</em> and gave that Son, so freely and so painfully, for us...? The <em>pure wonder</em> of God having a Son of our nature, a child and then a man who showed us the essence of God displayed in human flesh and temptation; and then giving Him to us... If we see this, we will naturally show love to our brethren. So it isn&rsquo;t just a case of thinking yes, we believe the Lord was Son of God, not God the Son- and period. No. There&rsquo;s infinitely more to it than this. This faith and understanding can tear down every barrier between men, and provide the inspiration for a life of true, self-sacrificial love. The true <em>wonder</em> of it all simply must be meditated upon. That God&rsquo;s very own son should begin so small, as an ovum, &ldquo;a single fertilized egg barely visible to the naked eye, an egg that would divide and redivide until a foetus took shape, enlarging cell by cell inside a nervous teenager&quot;.</p><p>The Lord speaks of us abiding in His word (Jn. 8:31) and yet also of His word abiding in us, and us abiding in Him (Jn. 15:7). That <em>logos </em>is not the whole Bible, but the <em>logos </em>of Him, the essence of His personality, recorded words, character and, in a word, His spirit. That word abiding in us may indeed refer in the first instance to the illiterate new Christian converts reciting over and over in their minds the Gospel accounts. In all situations they were to have the &lsquo;word of Jesus&rsquo; hovering in their minds. To abide in Christ was and is to have His word abiding in us; but not just His recorded words. The very essence of Him should be the spirit which takes over our entire life and thinking. Paul&rsquo;s evident familiarity with the Lord&rsquo;s words is an example of how one of our brethren lived this out in practice. We have to ask how frequently in the daily grind the words and person of the Master come to mind, how close they are to the surface in our subconscious&hellip; for this is the essence of Christianity. It&rsquo;s not so much a question of consciously memorizing His words, but so loving Him that quite naturally His words and being are never far from our consciousness, and frequently come out in our thinking and words. No wonder it seems the early church made new converts memorize the Gospels. And perhaps too 1 Jn. 3:9 has similar reference- the seed of God the Gospel- of John- which the converts had first heard must abide in the convert, so that he or she doesn&rsquo;t continue in sin. The continual meditation upon the Lord&rsquo;s words and person as we have them in the Gospels will have the same effect upon us. <em>This</em> is the real way to overcome sin and to achieve genuine spiritual mindedness, to know the mind of Christ; in this way the Lord Jesus abides in us by His Spirit (1 Jn. 3:24). Abiding in the word of Christ, His words abiding in us, abiding in love, abiding in the Father and Son, the Spirit and anointing abiding in us (1 Jn. 4:16) are all parallel ideas.</p><p>But we are to &quot;let&quot; or allow His <em>logos</em> / Spirit abide in us. It is not just a matter of psychological steel will to recite His words to ourselves. We are to allow Him to fill us with His Spirit, to make His abode or dwelling with us.</p>