1 John 3: Children who are sinless & love

• v.1,2 Children of God
• v.3-10 The Battle against Sin
• v.11-16 Loving One Another
• v.16-24 Expressions of Love

[Chapter Synopsis: This is a chapter all about being children of God who combat sin and Satan and reveal the love of God flowing through them to one another in very practical ways.]

v.1,2 Children of God

[Passage Synopsis: A powerful reminder of key truths: we have been made children of God with a destiny that will be fulfilled when Jesus returns.]

v.1 See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him.

v.2 Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.

[Note: A clear reminder that we ARE children of God. Yes, there’s still a lot to be revealed but when Jesus returns we will be like him.]

v.3-10 The Battle against Sin

[Passage Synopsis: This starting place of understanding you are a child of God impacts the whole of your life. The power of sin and Satan over you has been broken and so you no longer have to give way to temptations which seek to lead you off track.]

v.3 With that clear start comes the reminder that we are called to be holy and pure

v.3  All who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure.

v.4 That means we steer clear of sin, of law-breaking

v.4 Everyone who sins breaks the law; in fact, sin is lawlessness.

v.5 Because our present state is that our sins have been removed and dealt with…

v.5 But you know that he appeared so that he might take away our sins. And in him is no sin.

v.6 ….and being ‘in Christ’ the power of sin is broken so it is no longer an ongoing part of our lives

v.6 No one who lives in him keeps on sinning. No one who continues to sin has either seen him or known him.

v.7 So beware temptations that seek to lead you from doing what is right

v.7 Dear children, do not let anyone lead you astray. The one who does what is right is righteous, just as he is righteous.

v.8 Followers of the enemy continue to sin, followers of Jesus have had his power over them broken

v.8 The one who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work.

v.9 Once born again, sin is no longer a habit

v.9 No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God’s seed remains in them; they cannot go on sinning, because they have been born of God.

v.10 God’s children are obvious because they do what is right which involves loving others

v.10 This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not God’s child, nor is anyone who does not love their brother and sister.

[Note: Sin has no place in the kingdom of God so we do all we can to reject it.]

v.11-16 Loving One Another

[Passage Synopsis: The practicalities of being a child of God are reiterated: love must reign in you, things like hatred must be banished.]

v.11 For this is the message you heard from the beginning: We should love one another.

v.12 Do not be like Cain, who belonged to the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own actions were evil and his brother’s were righteous.

v.13 Do not be surprised, my brothers and sisters, if the world hates you.

v.14 We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love each other. Anyone who does not love remains in death.

v.15 Anyone who hates a brother or sister is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life residing in him.

[Note: Love for one another is a primary characteristic of a child of God. Cain is an example to learn from – don’t let unrighteousness have a place in you. Your distinctiveness will mean others hate you but we have entered a new life in which love prevails. No one tolerating hatred in them has God’s Spirit ruling them.]

v.16-24 Expressions of Love

[Passage Synopsis: Loving isn’t just about uttering words, it means living out caring and compassionate lives that express Jesus, meeting the needs of God’s family as the Spirit leads.]

v.16-18 Love, expressed in what Jesus did, is now to be expressed through us

v.16 This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters.

v.17 If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person?

v.18 Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.

[Note: Jesus laying down his life for us was the ultimate expression of love and should act as an example for us to follow, so if we see needy brothers and sisters we will reach out to bless them, but let it be in action not just words.]

v.19-22 Hearts at rest in His presence means confidence to ask of Him

v.19 This is how we know that we belong to the truth and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence:

v.20 If our hearts condemn us, we know that God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything.

v.21,22 Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God and receive from him anything we ask, because we keep his commands and do what pleases him.

[Note: This will reveal that we are truly followers of Jesus and if we feel guilty about falling short in this, realise that God knows the truth about us. If our conscience isn’t speaking up, we can have faith to pray and ask and expect answers, because we are being obedient.]

v.23,24 The treble-call is to believe, and to love, and to be obedient

v.23 And this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us.

v.24 The one who keeps God’s commands lives in him, and he in them. And this is how we know that he lives in us: We know it by the Spirit he gave us.

[Note: The basics are to believe Jesus [and follow his leading] and love one another, and being obedient means we will be one with God, obeying His Spirit within us.]

For those who may wish to make a study of this chapter, to perhaps think some more about what you have been reading, use the link below: