1 John 3:4-10 (ESV)
4 Themes:
1. Our allegiance is evident by what we practice
2. God is without sin and is our righteousness
3. Jesus manifested to defeat sin
4. Our life in Him is not characterized by sin
a. When we abide in God we do not live in sin
b. When we are born of God we cannot keep sinning
4 Everyone who makes a practice of sinning also practices lawlessness; sin is lawlessness. 5 You know that he appeared in order to take away sins, and in him there is no sin. 6 No one who abides in him keeps on sinning; no one who keeps on sinning has either seen him or known him.
• John’s first point is that “sin is lawlessness”. It is to disobey God and his laws. It is rebellion, obstruction and disobedience. Sin is the ugly, smug dismissal of God’s desire for how we are to live and to act as if we know better.
•Romans 3:10 is quoting the Psalms when it says that “none is righteous, no, not one”.
•To see Jesus is supposed to change our life. If we keep on sinning, if we continue to cling to our old lives of rebellion and lawlessness, John says we certainly haven’t seen or experienced the real Jesus. The Jesus who has no sin who came to the world to take away our sins wants you to know him. Jesus wants us to abide in Him, he wants to be our shepherd and comfort.
7 Little children, let no one deceive you. Whoever practices righteousness is righteous, as he is righteous. 8 Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil. 9 No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God’s seed abides in him; and he cannot keep on sinning, because he has been born of God.
• The Greek word teknon or teknion is a good literal translation, but some versions that are more “idea for idea” might say “dear children”
• Imagine the affection he has for all these believers as he looks around as an old man in the faith and sees the great work God is doing in the world.
• We can practice righteousness. We ourselves are not good, but we are seen as righteous because of the spirit that lives in us. His advocate that lives in us IS righteous.
• John gives us another variation, v8 combines themes 1 and 2. Where previously sin is called lawlessness, here it is called the work of the devil.
• Being a Christian involves rebirth, dying to our old self and being raised to life with Jesus.
10 By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother.
• With all that in mind, everything he’s told us twice in the last 6 verses, he gets to his conclusion. We are to be known as Children of the perfect God by the outpouring of righteousness in our own lives.
• John writes that the same is true for us; we can recognize the children of God by the way they live, how they practice righteousness.
• We are identified by our actions. If we are full of righteousness, it is because we have been given the righteousness of Jesus. If we are still making a practice of sin, we have not been born of Him.
• Regardless of what people tell you, they reveal their beliefs by how they act. If they do not love their brother, how on earth could they be of God? If God is love, and love is not found in that person, then certainly God’s seed does not abide and is not growing in Him.
Application:
What is my practice?
24 Instead, I want to see a mighty flood of justice, an endless river of righteous living. Amos 5:24 (NLT)
– Am I practicing evil or practicing righteousness?
What makes you right before God?
– Are you holding on to something that you do that makes you better than the rest of us sinners?
What sin has Jesus defeated in my life?
– What victories are you celebrating right now? How can we celebrate with you? How can you encourage those around you of the victory you’ve seen in their life?
2 Corinthians 5:21
21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.