What does 1 John 2:29 mean?

John concludes this passage with a summary. Believers know Jesus Christ is righteous. When we see someone who lives a righteous life like Jesus, we can have confidence the person has fellowship with Him. This is a strong indicator that such a person is born again or saved. Whether or not the opposite is true is not as certain. That is, a struggle with sin cannot be taken as proof that one is unsaved—particularly when seen in other people. The context of this statement is purely positive: godly behavior is a sign of a close relationship with God. John is building towards a key point in 1 John 4:12–16, which is that when a person truly walks with God, God is working directly through them.

Righteous living does not provide salvation; righteous living is the result of salvation. All have sinned and fall short of God's glory (Romans 3:23). Salvation is not earned by works, but is the result of grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8–9). Good works should naturally result from the person who has become a believer (Ephesians 2:10). When they do, such righteous deeds offer evidence that a person has truly come to faith in Christ.