Epistles of John

A study of John's three letters

Sunday, March 7, 2010

The Epistles of John - 1 John 3

(1) See how very much our Father loves us, for he calls us his *children, and that is what we are! But the people who belong to this world don’t recognize that we are God’s children because they don’t know him.



  • *children: Greek: tekna

  • The love God has "lavished" on us! This is agape love. The creator of the Universe calls us His children!

  • To John, there is no higher place, no nearer relationship, than being children of God. No greater expression of the Father's love! He has brought us into a relationship of nearness and dearness. He has not merely rescued us from our sins, but He has made us (and called us) His children!

  • John 1:11-12: He came to his own people, and even they rejected him. But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God.


(2) Dear friends, we are *ALREADY God’s children, but he has not yet shown us what we will be like when Christ **appears. But we do know that ***we will be like him, for we will ****see him as he really is.



  • *ALREADY God’s children: Present tense - we are presently His children and joint heirs with Christ!
    How? - by adoption.

    • Romans 8:14-17: For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, “Abba, Father.” For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children. And since we are his children, we are his heirs. In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God’s glory. But if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering.


    • Ephesians 1:4-5: Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure.



  • **appears: "is revealed".

  • ***we will be like him:

    • Romans 8:19, 29: For all creation is waiting eagerly for that future day when God will reveal who his children really are. ... For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.

    • What we will be means having glorified bodies that will never be sick or grow old or die, and being completely without sin. No one like that has yet appeared on earth (except Christ himself after his resurrection). In eternity, Christians will be morally without sin, intellectually without falsehood or error, physically without weakness or imperfections, and filled continually with the Holy Spirit. But “like” does not mean “identical to,” and believers will never be omniscient or omnipotent as Christ is, since he is both man and God.

    • Jesus’ resurrected body had unique characteristics; He could get inside locked rooms without passing through the walls. Remember how the disciples were huddled in the upper room behind locked doors (for fear they'd be next), when Jesus suddenly appears to them. How did He do that? He makes a point He has a real body, but not the kind we are used to. In order to get inside a room without going through the walls, you must have additional dimensions of existence. It’s not an easy concept to understand, but you can imagine the idea by thinking of people who only live in two dimensions — imagine their entire world is on a sheet of paper. Suppose also those people are inside their house locked behind the doors. You could (as a three-dimensional being) go inside their locked house (represented as a flat square) and appear to them without going through any of the walls. Why? You have additional dimensions. For them, you just appeared. We know more dimensions exist than we are able to experience — but how would the disciples have known that?

    • On the Mount of Transfiguration, we see Jesus clothed with light. With what was Adam (and Eve) clothed in the garden before the fall? - light. How did they know they were naked - no light! Do a study on "light" and "glory". We shall be brought back to what we were in the garden.



  • ****see him:

    • Psalm 17:15: Because I am righteous, I will see you. When I awake, I will see you face to face and be satisfied.

    • Job 19:25-27: “But as for me, I know that my Redeemer lives, and he will stand upon the earth at last. And after my body has decayed, yet in my body I will see God! I will see him for myself. Yes, I will see him with my own eyes. I am overwhelmed at the thought!




(3) And all who have this eager expectation will keep themselves pure, just as he is pure.



  • 2 Corinthians 7:1: Because we have these promises, dear friends, let us cleanse ourselves from everything that can defile our body or spirit. And let us work toward complete holiness because we fear God.

  • The question is, does this make a difference in your life? If you truly believe in Jesus, does it show? Can your friends tell? Evidence should exist of a changed life if you have truly been born again. Anyone who can continue to live in a sinful lifestyle needs to examine their commitment and devotion to Jesus.


(4) Everyone who sins is breaking God’s law, for all sin is contrary to the law of God.



  • Amplified Version is better at this, showing the definition of what sin is: Everyone who commits (practices) sin is guilty of lawlessness; for [that is what] sin is, lawlessness (the breaking, violating of God's law by transgression or neglect--being unrestrained and unregulated by His commands and His will).

  • Sin characterizes every human being born into this world. “An high look, and a proud heart, and the plowing of the wicked, is sin.” (Proverbs 21:4 KJV). Sin is living life without reference to God.

  • Sin (hamartia) connotes disobedience to and rejection of the ways of God.

  • For John, it is not violation of the Mosaic law that results in lawlessness, since he is writing to Christians. The ‘law’ for the author is the law of love, as given by Jesus in the new commandment of John 13:34-35. This is the command to love one’s brother, a major theme of 1 John and the one specific sin in the entire letter which the opponents are charged with (3:17). Since the author has already labeled the opponents “antichrists” in 2:18, it may well be that he sees in their withdrawing from the community and refusing to love the brethren a foreshadowing of the apocalyptic iniquity of the end times (compare 2 Thessalonians 2:3-8). In Matthew 24:11-12 Jesus foretold that false prophets would arise in the end times (compare 1 John 4:1), that lawlessness ("anomia") would increase, and that “the love of many will grow cold” (which would certainly fit the author’s portrait of the opponents here).


(5) And you know that Jesus came to take away our sins, and there is no sin in him.



  • John 1:29: The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!

  • 2 Corinthians 5:21: For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ.

  • Hebrews 9:26: If that had been necessary, Christ would have had to die again and again, ever since the world began. But now, once for all time, he has appeared at the end of the age to remove sin by his own death as a sacrifice.

  • In spite of our lack of ability to understand what He went through, it was His love for us that held Him on the cross — simple nails wouldn’t do. There is an excellent book by Max Lucado entitled "He Chose the Nails."

  • If we continue in sin, we act as though Jesus had not died for us, as though he had not torn down the walls that trapped us in sin. For although the words "take away" includes the sense of bearing sin on our behalf, it may mean something closer to "abolish" or "do away with" sin. Jesus' life and death stand in radical opposition to sin and strike at the very heart of the power of sin. Furthermore, to condone or tolerate sin is to negate the life of Jesus as a model of active righteousness for the Christian (2:6).


(6) Anyone who continues to live in him will not sin. But anyone who keeps on sinning does not know him or understand who he is.



  • John’s message is a Christian cannot continue living in habitual sin. It doesn’t mean you won’t occasionally fall, or you won’t struggle with it, but for the true Christian it is impossible to continue in sin. Even if you try, you will be miserable. If you can continue to live an unrighteous life and it doesn’t bother you, perhaps you should examine your commitment to Christ.

    • 2 Corinthians 13:5: Examine yourselves to see if your faith is genuine. Test yourselves. Surely you know that Jesus Christ is among you; if not, you have failed the test of genuine faith.



  • 1 John 1:8 If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth. In 1 John 1:8, the grammar indicates John is speaking about occasional acts of sin. The grammar of 1 John 3:6 indicates that John is speaking of a settled, continued lifestyle of sin. John is not teaching here the possibility of sinless perfection.

  • In some ways, the question is not “do you sin or not?” We each sin. The question is, “How do you react when you sin? Do you give into the pattern of sin and let it dominate your lifestyle? Or do you humbly confess your sin, and do battle against it with the power Jesus can give?”


(7) Dear children, don’t let anyone deceive you about this: When people do what is right, it shows that they are righteous, even as Christ is righteous.



  • Romans 6:14: Sin is no longer your master, for you no longer live under the requirements of the law. Instead, you live under the freedom of God’s grace.

  • The Gnostics were influencing the church at this point; John reminds us to beware of deception. Many times deceit sounds correct and even logical, but upon closer examination is found unbiblical and false. Even today, people teach false doctrine and (either knowingly or unknowingly) lead people astray. Many times these people will claim a “new revelation” from God that has been hidden until now. If someone teaches something contradicting the Bible, it’s the teacher in error, not the Bible.

  • John is not saying that we are made righteous before God by our own righteous acts - the Bible clearly teaches that we are made righteous through faith in Jesus Christ. Yet, that righteousness in Jesus will be evident in our lives. Apparently, there were those who taught that you could be righteous before God with no evidence of righteousness in your life - John is rebuking this idea. Charles Spurgeon said it well: “The grace that does not change my life will not save my soul.”


(8) But when people keep on sinning, it shows that they belong to the devil, who has been sinning since the beginning. But the Son of God came to destroy the works of the devil.



  • John 8:34: Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave of sin.

  • John 8:44: For you are the children of your father the devil, and you love to do the evil things he does. He was a murderer from the beginning. He has always hated the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, it is consistent with his character; for he is a liar and the father of lies.

  • Knowing Christ means becoming involved in an all-out war against the works of the devil, that is, the practice of sinning.

    • Ephesians 6:12: For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.



  • Satan lost at Calvary. A myth exists that Jesus didn’t know what was happening, but even a casual reading of John 18:1-9 shows Jesus controlled the entire unfolding of events. It was His purpose and mission, and His mission has been accomplished — the works of the devil are defeated.

  • You either belong to the devil or to the Son of God - no middle ground!


(9) Those who have been *born into God’s family do not make a practice of sinning, because God’s life is in them. So they can’t keep on sinning, because they are children of God.



  • *born: John 3:3: Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, unless you are born again, you cannot see the Kingdom of God.” - or "born from above"

  • A believer who commits a sin repents, confesses and finds forgiveness. A person who continues to sin is not sorry for what he is doing - so, this person never confesses and doesn't receive forgiveness.

  • Those who habitually sin have neither seen him nor known him. They are not genuine Christians.

  • Christianity is not just signing the doctrine or creed. It is not just writing your name under a statement of belief. It means that your behavior changes. The emphasis of John, as with all the writers of the New Testament, is this: "Look," he says, "if you really have Jesus Christ living in you, you can't be the same person. You cannot go on living in sin, doing wrong things, lying and stealing, living in sexual immorality. You cannot do it." You see, these Gnostics were saying, "Look, if spirit is good and matter is evil and our bodies are matter, then the only thing that counts is the spirit. What you do with your body doesn't make any difference. So if you want to indulge the lusts of it, go ahead. It won't affect your spiritual standing with God." As a result they were turning (as Jude puts it) the grace of God into licentiousness. People were being taught that they could practice all the immorality of their day, and God would still treat them exactly the same.

  • You cannot have the Holy Spirit living in you and live an unholy life. If you live the unholy life and profess to be a Christian, you are a liar, says John. He is very blunt about it.

  • Who is it that cannot sin? The believer? No – or chapter 1:1-10 would be contradicted. It is the nature received from God that cannot sin.

  • It is the same message Paul preached, saying that as believers we are to throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception. Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy. (Ephesians 4:22, 24)


(10) So now we can tell who are children of God and who are children of the devil. Anyone who does not live righteously and does not love other believers does not belong to God.



  • John 8:44: For you are the children of your father the devil, and you love to do the evil things he does. He was a murderer from the beginning. He has always hated the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, it is consistent with his character; for he is a liar and the father of lies.


(11) This is the message you have heard from the beginning: We should love one another.



  • John 13:34; 15:12: So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. ... This is my commandment: Love each other in the same way I have loved you.


(12) We must not be like Cain, who belonged to the evil one and killed his brother. And why did he kill him? Because Cain had been doing what was evil, and his brother had been doing what was righteous.



  • John begins this section by defining what love is not, using the example of Cain (3:11-15), followed by a definition of what love is, using the example of Christ (3:16-17).

  • Cain killed his brother Abel. Why? Because he was jealous. Cain’s sacrifice to God didn’t follow God’s rules, and was thus rejected. Cain’s wrath then turned to his brother Abel. Instead of examining his own position and getting right with God, Cain chose to kill his brother, as if eliminating him would make him appear better. But God doesn’t grade on a curve. Rules are meant to be followed. Cain didn’t have love for his brother.

  • Genesis 4:3-8: When it was time for the harvest, Cain presented some of his crops as a gift to the Lord. Abel also brought a gift—the best of the firstborn lambs from his flock. The Lord accepted Abel and his gift, but he did not accept Cain and his gift. This made Cain very angry, and he looked dejected. “Why are you so angry?” the Lord asked Cain. “Why do you look so dejected? You will be accepted if you do what is right. But if you refuse to do what is right, then watch out! Sin is crouching at the door, eager to control you. But you must subdue it and be its master.” One day Cain suggested to his brother, “Let’s go out into the fields.” And while they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother, Abel, and killed him.

  • Cain is a good example of the failure to love:

    • We can presume that Cain had a godly upbringing that should have equipped him to love, but he chose not to.

    • Cain’s disobedience came from a lack of faith (Hebrews 11:4) which resulted in first disobedience, then hatred.

    • Cain’s disobedience and hatred was based in pride (Genesis 4:5).

    • Cain’s disobedience and hatred made him miserable (Genesis 4:5).

    • Cain refused the warning God gave him, and gave into the sin of hatred (Genesis 4:6-7)

    • Cain’s sin of hatred led to action against the one he hated (Genesis 4:8).

    • Cain was evasive about his sin of hatred, and tried to hide it. But God found him out (Genesis 4:9).




(13) So don’t be surprised, dear brothers and sisters, if the *world hates you.



  • *world: Cain is a "type" of the world.

  • John 15:18: “If the world hates you, remember that it hated me first.


(14) If we love our Christian brothers and sisters, it proves that we have passed from death to life. But a person who has no love is still dead.



  • John 5:24: “I tell you the truth, those who listen to my message and believe in God who sent me have eternal life. They will never be condemned for their sins, but they have already passed from death into life.

  • Being a Christian is more than saying, “I am a Christian” or, as Bill O'Reilly once said, "I was born a Christian." There are in fact some who claim to be Christians who are not. How can we know if we are one of these? John’s reply has been constant and simple. There are three tests to measure the proof of a genuine Christian: the truth test, the love test, and the moral test. If we believe in what the Bible teaches as true, if we show the love of Jesus to others, and if our conduct has been changed and is becoming more like Jesus, then our claim to be a Christian can be proven true.


(15) Anyone who hates another brother or sister is really a murderer at heart. And you know that murderers don’t have eternal life within them.



  • Matthew 5:21-22: “You have heard that our ancestors were told, ‘You must not murder. If you commit murder, you are subject to judgment.’ But I say, if you are even angry with someone, you are subject to judgment! ...


(16) We know what real love is because Jesus gave up his life for us. So we also ought to give up our lives for our brothers and sisters.



  • God demonstrated to us what "agape" love is by His Son giving up His life for us.

  • The exact same idea was expressed by Paul in Romans 5:8: But God showed (proved) his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.

  • To understand the Biblical idea of love, we should begin by understanding the vocabulary of love among the ancient Greeks, who gave us the original language of the New Testament:

    • Eros described erotic love - sexual love.

    • Storge referred to family love, the kind of love there is between a parent and child, or between family members in general.

    • Philia spoke of a brotherly friendship and affection. It is the love of deep friendship and partnership. It might be described as the highest love that is capable of without God’s help.

    • Agape is the fourth word for love. It described a love that loves without changing. It is love so great that it can be given to the unlovable or unappealing. It is love that loves even when it is rejected. Agape love gives and loves because it wants to; it does not demand or expect repayment from the love given - it gives because it loves, it does not love in order to receive.



  • John is telling us to do the same thing we read in Philippians 2:3-4: Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too.


(17) If someone has enough money to live well and sees a brother or sister in need but shows no compassion—how can God’s love be in that person?


(18) Dear children, let’s not merely say that we love each other; let us show the truth by our actions.



  • John will not allow us to merely talk about love; real love is demonstrated in actions (though it is also often evident in our feelings).


(19) Our actions will show that we belong to the truth, so we will be confident when we stand before God.


(20) Even if we feel guilty, God is greater than our feelings, and he knows everything.



  • "Sometimes our heart condemns us, but, in doing so, it gives a wrong verdict, and then we have the satisfaction of being able to take the case into a higher court, for 'God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things.'" (Spurgeon)


(21) Dear friends, if we don’t feel guilty, we can come to God with bold confidence.



  • “The word rendered confidence stood in ancient Greece for the most valued right of a citizen of a free state, the right to ‘speak his mind’ . . . unhampered by fear or shame.” (Barker citing Dodd)


(22) And we will receive from him whatever we ask because we obey him and do the things that please him.



  • John 15:7: But if you remain in me and my words remain in you, you may ask for anything you want, and it will be granted!


(23) And this is his commandment: We must believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and love one another, just as he commanded us.


(24) Those who obey God’s commandments remain in fellowship with him, and he with them. And we know he lives in us because *the Spirit he gave us lives in us.



  • *the Spirit he gave us lives in us: This is the new nature that Paul talks about so much.

  • Romans 8:16: For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children.



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Bible studies are held in Oakbay subdivision in Noblesville, Indiana. In-person Sunday studies have been eliminated because of COVID-19 concerns. Wednesday studies at 7:00 pm led by Don Terry via Zoom - presently studying the Book of Acts from a dispensationalist viewpoint. Bi-monthly Wednesday’s women’s studies at 7:00 pm led by Carolyn Terry via Zoom - presently studying Paul’s second letter to Timothy - and his last writing. You can see several of our present and past studies but we covered many other subjects before starting this blog. The goal of these studies is to bring each of us to know Christ better (epignosis) and then to “press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus” as mentioned by Paul in Philippians 3:14 and to hear Jesus’ “Well done, thou good and faithful servant.”. Dedicated to the memory of Don & Carolyn Terry’s daughter, DJ (Dorothy Jean) Terry, who went to be with the Lord Jesus Christ in 1999 at 20 years old.