1 John Chapter Three

Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God (1 John 3:1a KJV)

That is an incredible statement — to think the creator of the Universe calls us sons.

therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not. (1 John 3:1b KJV)

We should not be surprised when people don’t understand Christians. After all, they didn’t understand Jesus either (and still don’t), so why should we be any different? The first chapter of John’s gospel has the great tragedy of the world.

He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name:. (John 1:11-12 NKJV)

God himself came to His own, and they didn’t recognize Him. But to those who do He gives a unique blessing: to be called God’s children. Quite a statement. But we shouldn’t be too hard on the Jews, after all the Jews had a false impression of the Gospel and the Messiah. They were waiting for a political ruler to come on the scene and free them from the bondage of Roman rule; when Jesus appears on the scene and doesn’t do that, it didn’t fit with their preconceived ideas.

The problem of preconceived ideas about Jesus persists today. People today miss Jesus’ claims of deity — at least the Pharisees understood what Jesus claimed to be. That’s much better than today’s Jesus Seminar who believe they can vote on what Jesus really said and did. The Gospel is simple, and Paul tells us what it is — “Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the scriptures (1 Corinthians 15:3-4)”. No mention of His miracles, or His teaching. Of course He was a great teacher and did many miracles — even the Pharisees admitted to that. But the Gospel is simply He paid for our sins — nothing more.

Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. (1 John 3:2 KJV)

This is a wild claim, and you can’t really understand it without a small diversion. Jesus’ resurrected body had unique characteristics; He could get inside locked rooms without passing through the walls. Recall in the Gospels the disciples were huddled in the upper room behind locked doors (for fear of the Jews), 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.

So if Jesus exists in more than four dimensions, He can appear inside a locked room without passing through any of the walls! It’s amazing that even in such a point as Jesus appearing to the disciples after the resurrection the Bible is scientifically accurate. We know more dimensions exist than we are able to experience — but how would the disciples have known that?

God is WAY beyond our thoughts. Perhaps you recall the passage saying no one has seen God at any time. Did you ever wonder why not? You don’t have the right dimensionality (John gives us a clue about our resurrected body — it will inhabit more than four dimensions!). And it must in order to see Jesus as He really is. You can’t experience a higher dimensional being unless you also inhabit those same dimensions. What God has waiting for us is far beyond our understanding. That’s our hope, but not a hope as a student would say I hope I passed that test (wishful); the Bible speaks of hope as the confident expectation of future events. God keeps His word.

And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure. (1 John 3:3 KJV)

God won’t let us down. So if you are confident of all that God promises, what next?

Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. (2 Corinthians 7:1 NKJV)

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. And that’s John’s next topic: sin.

Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law. And ye know that he was manifested to take away our sins; and in him is no sin. (1 John 3:4-5 KJV)

This should be fairly obvious — see also John 1:29, Hebrews 9:26.

For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. (2 Corinthians 5:21 NKJV)

That statement isn’t obvious. Jesus was made sin for us? We have no capacity to understand that. It’s incomprehensible to imagine a sinless being coming down to our level and taking the penalty we should pay. As Jesus sweated drops of blood in the garden the night before He was crucified, I don’t think what bothered Him was the physical elements (as bad as they were — they ripped out his beard). What was disturbing was for the first time in all of eternity, He was separated from the Father. Again, we don’t have the slightest idea what that was like.

But in spite of all that, 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.

Whosoever abideth in him sinneth not: whosoever sinneth hath not seen him, neither known him. (1 John 3:6 KJV)

If you are abiding in Christ, you don’t sin anymore. Pretty clear, huh? Not exactly. “Sins” is in the present indicative active tense. Here the King James Version doesn’t quite render the idea correctly. The NIV reads “No one who lives in him keeps on sinning. No one who continues to sin has either seen him or known him” which more accurately portrays the meaning and tense of the verbs.

John’s message is a Christian can not continue living in habitual sin. If 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.

And as a sidenote, in this verse the NIV is more accurate than the KJV. I have little patience for people who want to play the “Bible version” game — putting down people who don’t use their particular translation. Reasons exist to use different translations, but it’s nothing to fight and argue about. Splitting a church over a translation is not a good idea. Remember all translations have their problems; none are perfect. Differences exist in them to be sure; it’s important to understand the problems in your particular translation — some are more literal, some are more paraphrased. At times you may want one or the other, but to argue over them? Not good. (For those who are interested, I generally use the KJV/NKJV, but usually quote the KJV due to copyright issues. I actually own most of the major translations and will refer to them all. If you’re “King James Only”, please don’t bother me with e-mail explaining the error of my ways — I’ve heard it all already and neither of us is likely to change positions. For more on this subject see our article on Bible Translation.)

Little children, let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous. He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil. (1 John 3:7-8 KJV)

Another warning about deception. Remember 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. Hogwash. God has given us His complete revelation (Jude 3-4). If someone teaches something contradicting the Bible, it’s the teacher in error, not the Bible.

Satan lost at Calvary — it was Jesus’ mission. Jesus was not caught up in the moment — he controlled it. A myth exists Jesus didn’t know what was happening (today we call it the “Messiah complex”), 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.

Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God. (1 John 3:9 KJV)

The Gnostics taught the body was evil and didn’t count. But John calls us to personal holiness and integrity. Perhaps no better example exists of this than Daniel six. Most people know the story of Daniel and the lion’s den. But why was Daniel in the lion’s den to begin with? Because he was praying. That’s it? Yep. You see, a law was passed that whoever petition a god or man for thirty days should be cast into a den of lions (Daniel 6:7).

A strange law to be sure, so you’ve got to understand the background. Daniel had made some enemies as a governor for the king. And just like today’s political arena, political enemies are dangerous. Normally you just send out your people and dig up some dirt. But that didn’t work with Daniel — he didn’t have any dirt to dig up. So these guys know they can only get Daniel if it involves his God (Daniel 6:5). That’s were the law came from — it was a political maneuver directly aimed at Daniel to get him out of the way. Of course, Daniel held strong, as he had already decided while he was in captivity he would continue to serve God and not defile himself (Daniel 1:8).

And that, as Paul Harvey says, is the rest of the story.

Now John shifts gears a little, moving into a section to answer critical questions

• How do I know I’m saved?
• How do I identify false Christians?

In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother. For this is the message that ye heard from the beginning, that we should love one another. Not as Cain, who was of that wicked one, and slew his brother. And wherefore slew he him? Because his own works were evil, and his brother’s righteous. (1 John 3:10-12 KJV)

John is the apostle of love, and thus love will be a focus. Jesus Himself pointed to love as the definitive characteristic of the Christian in John 13:35, saying everyone will know the disciples as followers of Jesus because of their love for one another. Nothing has changed today, the same idea is true — people can identify you because of love. And as Paul said, “Let love be without hypocrisy (Romans 12:9)”.

Cain of course 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 choose 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.

This is NOT a theoretical issue, but practical — how do you identify Christians? How do you know you’re saved? No list put forth is entirely satisfactory — no checklist exists. However, the following chart provides some clues, and is a good starting point.

The character of Genuine Saving Faith^[1]

Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?; unless indeed you are disqualified. (2 Corinthians 13:5 NKJV)

Evidences that neither prove nor disprove one’s faith

A. Visible Morality:	Matt 19:16-21, 23:27
B. Intellectual Knowledge:	Rom 1:21, 2:17ff
C. Religious Involvement	Matt 25:1-10
D. Active Ministry	Matt 7:21-24
E. Conviction of sin	Acts 24:25
F. Assurance	Mat 23
G. Time of Decision	Luke 8:13.14
(Either outward signs or personal feelings — unreliable)

The Fruit / proofs of authentic / true Christianity

A. Love for God:	Ps 42:1ff, 73:25; Luke 10:27; Rom 8:7
B. Repentance from Sin	Ps 32:5; Prov 28:13; Rom 7:14ff; 2 cor 7:10; 1 john 1:8-10
C. Genuine Humility	Ps 51:17; Matt 5:1-12; James 4:6,9ff
D. Devotion to God’s Glory:	Ps 105:3, 115:1; Is 43:7, 48:10ff; Jer 9:23,24; 1 cor 10:31
E. Continual Prayer:	Luke 18:1; Eph 6:18ff; Phil 4:6ff; 1 Tim 2:1-4; James 5:16-18
F. Selfless Love:	1 John 2:9ff, 3:14, 4:7ff
G. Separation from the World:	1 Cor 2:12; James 4:4ff; 1 John 2:15-17, 5:5
H. Spiritual Growth	Luke 8:15; John 15:1-6; Eph 4:12-16
I. Obedient Living:	Mat 7:21; John 15:14ff; Rom 16:26; 1 Peter 1:2,22; 1 John 2:3-5

John will expand on the idea of love in a minute, but he interjects the following thought:

Marvel not, my brethren, if the world hate you. (1 John 3:13 KJV)

Perhaps John was still thinking of Cain and Abel. But this idea is critical to remember. It’s a popular idea to teach the church will slowly take over the world until everyone believes in Christ. But it’s not true. The world in general (and some groups in particular) have an extreme hatred for all things pertaining to Jesus. Just mention the name of Jesus and you’re in a controversy. You can name Buddha, Mohammed, or some new-age guru — but at the mention of Jesus people get angry. John says don’t be surprised by this.

We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death. Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him. (1 John 3:14-15 KJV)

“We know” — not we guess or hope we’ve done enough. John’s point is you can be sure you are saved. It’s not a gray area; some outward signs do exist of that salvation, yet they must be consistent in order to be accepted as proof of salvation. It’s easy to say Amen in church, but what is your attitude out in the parking lot? Do you get anxious at your brother who is waiting a little too long to turn left? This is a practical example of love as the defining characteristic of a Christian — how do you treat your brother?

Remember the definition of murder in Matthew 5:21-22. Simply being angry at your brother or calling him an empty head is enough. Don’t get trapped into believing you make the grade simply because you’ve never done the physical act.

Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. (1 John 3:16 KJV)

John speaks of Jesus as the example to follow. Paul expands on this in Romans 5:6-8 as he speaks of Jesus giving His life for us while we were still sinners. Paul points out some people would give their life for the President, but how about the skid row bum? Any volunteers? Yet the gulf between Jesus and us is much greater than the difference between the President and a drunken bum; Jesus gave His life for the lowest people imaginable, and that’s our example to follow.

Now we have the example, we need to get practical.

But whoso hath this world’s good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him? (1 John 3:17 KJV)

“I’ll pray for you”, we say as we rush out of Sunday service. But sometimes people need money, or time, or help with something around the house, and we neglect them. Many people exist whom we need to help — single parents, the poor and less fortunate the we are. Everyone at some point needs help. Words don’t count — we need to use our resources! He who gives to the poor will not lack, But he who hides his eyes will have many curses (Proverbs 28:27 NKJV). It comes down to love. You either have it or you don’t.

If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, and one of you says to them, “Depart in peace, be warmed and filled,” but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit? (James 2:15-16 NKJV)

John neatly summarizes the idea in the following verse.

My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth. (1 John 3:18 KJV)

In summary — walk the talk. Anyone can claim anything they want — but are they prepared to back it up?

And hereby we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before him. (1 John 3:19 KJV)

“And” is a conjunction and links the topic of love previously discussed. Practical expressions of love are one way to know you are saved.

For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things. (1 John 3:20 KJV)

If you are saved (previous verses) there is NO condemnation (Romans 8:1). God can’t learn — which means he can’t be disappointed when we blow it. We must understand the difference between condemnation and conviction. Satan will condemn you; the Holy Spirit will convict you. What’s the difference? Easy. Condemnation will push you away from God. Satan says why bother praying, God won’t listen to you anymore, after all, look what you’ve done. The Holy Spirit draws you closer to God, prompting you to ask for forgiveness. If you’re being pushed away from God that’s the result of satans’s condemnation. Resist. Draw near to God and he will draw near to you (James 4:8).

Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God. (1 John 3:21 KJV)

If you’re not under condemnation, you have confidence; Paul in Hebrews tells us what the result of confidence is.

Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. (Hebrews 4:16 NKJV)

Condemnation results in timidity, conviction results in repentance and restoration of fellowship — we come boldly!

And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight. (1 John 3:22 KJV)

This is not a blank check or a genie in a bottle. John deals with this more in chapter 5:14-15 so we’ll forestall our discussion until then. Just be aware God is not your personal genie; you can’t rub the bottle and have three wishes.

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. (1 John 3:23 KJV)

Everyone wants to know what God requires of them. This is it — believe on Jesus. It’s simple. You don’t have to do anything else — there are no works you can add. Paul reminds us in Ephesians 2:8-9 we are so weak even our faith is a gift from God. Left to ourselves, we can’t even muster up the faith in Jesus required, let alone do enough good works to qualify for heaven.

And he that keepeth his commandments dwelleth in him, and he in him. And hereby we know that he abideth in us, by the Spirit which he hath given us. (1 John 3:24 KJV)

God gives us His Holy spirit — this is another way of verifying your salvation. But what does John mean? Paul gives us a clue in Romans.

The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, (Romans 8:16 NKJV)

How can I know I have His spirit? Several ways, but a simple one is to answer one question: What do you think of the Bible? Is it God’s inspired, inerrant word or not? You may say, that’s a stupid question, of course the Bible is God’s word. But why do you believe that? Because His spirit is in you and testifying to you of truth. Don’t take this for granted! The world at large rejects the Bible — if you don’t it’s because you have his spirit.

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^[1] McArthur, John “The McArthur Study Bible” page 2191

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For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them. (Ephesians 2:8-10 KJV)