A true child of God will prove his spiritual birth by being obedient to God’s Word

Posted under Uncategorized on January 11th, 2012 by with no responses 

(1 John 3)

We move now into the second half of the letter, which deals with sonship. The word “fellowship” is not found in this section at all. Instead, John emphasizes being “born of God” (see 1 John 3:9; 1 John 4:7; 1 John 5:4). This passage ties in with John 3 and emphasizes the theme “God is love” (1 John 4:8,16). In this chapter, John states that a true child of God will prove his spiritual birth by being obedient to God’s Word. He gives five motives for obedience:

I. God’s Wonderful Love (1 John 3:1)

“Behold, what foreign-kind of love” is literally what John writes. Paul had this idea in mind when he wrote Rom. 5:6-10. Love is the greatest motive in the world, and if we understand God’s love, we will obey His Word. “If you love me, keep My commandments” (John 14:15). Of course, the world has no understanding of this love, and the world hates us. But the world does not know Christ, so it cannot know Christ’s own.

II. Christ’s Promised Return (1 John 3:2-3)

What we are now is wonderful; but what we shall be is even more wonderful! “We shall be like Him.” This means inheriting a glorified body like His body (Phil. 3:20-21) and sharing in His eternal glory (John 17:24). But the saint who really expects Christ to return will obey His Word and keep his life clean. We shall see Him “as He is,” but we must also “walk as He walked” (see 1 John 2:6) and “be righteous even as He is” (1 John 3:7). Saints are expected to purify themselves, that is, keep their hearts clean (2 Cor. 7:1).

III. Christ’s Death on the Cross (1 John 3:4-8)

John gives several reasons why Christ was made manifest: (1) to reveal the Father and enable us to fellowship with Him, 1 John 1:2-3; (2) to take away our sins, 1 John 3:4-5; (3) to destroy (annul) the works of the devil, 1 John 3:8; and (4) to reveal God’s love and bestow God’s life, 1 John 4:9. The fact that sin resulted in Christ’s suffering and death ought to be reason enough for the Christian to hate sin and flee from it. John defines sin as transgressing the law. The Christian who abides in Christ (this is the fellowship of chaps. 1-2) will not deliberately break God’s law. Every Christian sins, perhaps without knowing it (Ps. 19:12); but no true Christian will deliberately and repeatedly defy God’s Word and disobey Him. Verse 6 ought to read, “Whosoever abides in Him does not habitually sin.” Ephesians 2:1-3 makes it clear that the unsaved sin constantly because they live in the flesh and for the devil. But the Christian has a new nature within and is no longer Satan’s slave.

Wiersbe, W. W. (1997). Wiersbe’s expository outlines on the New Testament (771-772). Wheaton, Ill.: Victor Books.

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