1 John 3
1 John 3:1-24
1 Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know Him.
2 Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.
3 And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.
4 Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness.
5 And you know that He was manifested to take away our sins, and in Him there is no sin.
6 Whoever abides in Him does not sin. Whoever sins has neither seen Him nor known Him.
7 Little children, let no one deceive you. He who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous.
8 He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil.
9 Whoever has been born of God does not sin, for His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God.
10 In this the children of God and the children of the devil are manifest: Whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is he who does not love his brother.
11 For this is the message that you heard from the beginning, that we should love one another,
12 not as Cain who was of the wicked one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his works were evil and his brother’s righteous.
13 Do not marvel, my brethren, if the world hates you.
14 We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love his brother abides in death.
15 Whoever hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.
16 By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.
17 But whoever has this world’s goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him?
18 My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth.
19 And by this we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before Him.
20 For if our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and knows all things.
21 Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence toward God.
22 And whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do those things that are pleasing in His sight.
23 And this is His commandment: that we should believe on the name of His Son Jesus Christ and love one another, as He gave us commandment.
24 Now he who keeps His commandments abides in Him, and He in him. And by this we know that He abides in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us.
To be a child of God is to be given access to knowing Him, not as we will one day, but still knowing Him by the Spirit in a reality that transcends the significance of any other knowing. This is not a small thing to be included with every other aspect and influence of life. When it actually occurs in a heart that truly believes, there will be a complete transformation, where all the old dies/cannot live again, and the new looks and acts just like Him. The greatest characteristic of this likeness is emulating His love. This access is what will enable the death of all other practiced transgressions as well. To access His presence and abide there where His nature ensconces everything else is to be consumed with not just receiving but imparting His love. That first encounter of His love was overwhelming, but how wonderful it is to know that every progressive encounter of Him and His love comes with hope for further overwhelming and transformation. It is always leading to a place of perfection from the old nature and worldly influence. Running into His Name and the separation from the world found there is also submitting to an inevitable reformation of everything. Where there is no evidence of this, there is question of its legitimacy. To truly believe, though, is to have tell-tell signs of this in righteousness and Spirit-fruit, the first of which is love.
In the moment of decision when the flesh would like to get the nod over the Spirit, there is a Word of wisdom to be gained in His presence that will defeat that leaning with a well-effected passion for pleasing the Father. How good it is to live this reality in believing, emulating and displaying the very nature and likeness of the Father in humble holiness.