1 John 2:29, “If you know that he is righteous, you may be sure that everyone who practices righteousness has been born of him.”

Interesting points:
1. In this verse, John concludes this section with an insightful observation concerning those who have chosen to abide in Christ. Building on the fact that all believers know Jesus Christ is righteous, John tells us that when we see someone who lives a righteous, Christ-centered life, we can have confidence that he/she has accepted Jesus as Lord and has fellowship with Him.

2. The context of this statement is purely positive: godly behavior is a sign of a close relationship with God. With this verse and the section that follows, John builds towards a key point in 1 John 4:12–16, which indicates that when a person truly walks with God, He is working directly through him/her.

3, Let’s remember that righteous living does not provide us salvation; instead, it is the result of salvation. Romans 3:23 reminds us that “All have sinned and fall short of God's glory” while Ephesians 2:8–9 reminds us that salvation is not earned by works, but is the result of grace through faith. And Ephesians 2:10 helps us understand that good works should naturally result from the person who has become a believer. Consequently, genuine righteous deeds provide evidence that a person has truly come to faith in Christ.

Application:
Brothers, the words “practices righteousness” stand out in this verse. There is only one righteous man – our Savior – whose obedience to God resulted in our salvation AND set an example for us of how to live our lives. Although we will falter and fail repeatedly, we are like a violinist learning to play their instrument: perfection will require practice.
And as we get up, dust off, correct our course and pursue our Lord, the casual onlooker will notice something different about how we carry ourselves, deal with people and set our priorities.
Today, let’s take a hard look at ourselves from the perspective of a complete stranger. Do our lives proclaim who God is and do we reflect His character? Are the fruits of the Spirit manifest in our lives? Have we changed for the better since we entered a relationship with Him?

Let us not give up holding each other accountable, encouraging each other and spurring each other onwards in our faith so that out living testimony to the World boldly declares to Whom we belong and Who do we earnestly choose to follow every day of our lives!

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