These are the original teaching notes from this passage.
I John 3:7-15
Review…
- The Division – THREE sections…
- Section 1 – God is LIGHT [mention 6 times] – I John 1-2
- Section 2 – God is LOVE [mentioned 57 times] – I John 3-4
- Section 3 – God is LIFE [mentioned 7 times] – I John 5
- Love of the Father…
- What KIND of LOVE does the Father give – AGAPE – He calls us His Children…
- A LOVE that TRANSFORMS us – when we see Jesus we will be LIKE Him – mind and body…
- A LOVE that gives us VICTORY over SIN – as we ABIDE in Jesus…
- Because ANYONE who ABIDES – has VICTORY over SIN!
- The test for Love…
- Which brings us to the SECOND section regarding God is LOVE…
- How do we KNOW we have received the LOVE of the Father – that we are the BELOVED…
- John is going to give us the TEST – the EVIDENCE – and RESULTS that prove we have His LOVE!
The test for LOVE…
- 1st – The TEST… vs. 7-9
- 1st – Do not be deceived… vs. 7
- Little children – let no one deceive you!
- Little Children [τεκνίον] – 7x in this letter – those who are disciples – John 13:33
- Let [imperative] no one DECEIVE – [πλανάω] – the idea of DRIFTING away!
- I might THINK that I am a great student in school – TOP of my class…
- But it is possible I am WRONG – I have deceived myself – and it is NOT true…
- The only way to KNOW – is for me to be TESTED!
- In the same way – we might think we have the LOVE of the FATHER – when we do NOT…
- Since the outcome of this CHOICE dictates our ETERNITY – we do NOT want to be DECEIVED…
- We do not want to hear Jesus tell us on Judgement Day – I NEVER know you – Matthew 7:23
- Therefore we must TEST ourselves – to see if the LOVE of the Father is in us!
- II Corinthians 13:5 – “Examine yourselves to see if your faith is genuine. Test yourselves.” [NLT]
- 2nd – The righteous… vs. 7
- He who practices righteousness is righteous. Just as He is righteous!
- The FIRST test – is those who practice [ποιέω] RIGHTEOUS…
- RIGHTEOUS [δίκαιος] – someone who LIVES the LAW of God…
- Referring to the 613 command of the LAW – 248 positive – and 365 negative!
- Do NOT misunderstand – this does NOT mean we are saved by obeying the LAW…
- The LAW cannot save us – the LAW can only SHOW us we are sinners!
- Romans 7:7 – “I would not have known sin except through the law.”
- Living the LAW…
- But the LAW is the standard of God – defining what it means to be GOOD – Romans 7:12
- So when we say someone is GOOD – what we are saying is they follow the LAW!
- That does NOT mean once saved – we MUST obey the LAW…
- It means those who are RIGHTEOUS – will LIVE the LAW of God…
- It is the FRUIT that comes from our LIVES as a RESULT of the LOVE of the Father in us…
- He TRANSFORMS our desires – so we WANT to do what is GOOD!
- Romans 8:4 – “The righteous[ness]… of the law [is] fulfilled in us who do not walk [in our strength] but according to the Spirit.”
- Like the FATHER…
- The person who LIVES [present] a RIGHTEOUS life – proves they have the LOVE of God…
- Because they are LIVING like their RIGHTEOUS God – showing they are His CHILDREN!
- How we do KNOW we passed the TEST to prove we have the LOVE of the Father…
- We go back to the simple TRUTH – we are KNOWN by our good FRUIT!
- Luke 6:45 – “A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good.”
- 3rd – The devil… vs. 8
- He who sins…
- The SECOND test – is to see if we are SINNING…
- SINNING [ἁμαρτία] – 43x in NT – not living by the LAW!
- This is NOT talking about making the OCCASIONAL mistake…
- It is speaking of a LIFESTYLE [present] of habitual sin!
- Is of the devil – for the devil has sinned from the beginning!
- Those who LIVE in SIN – are just like the DEVIL [διάβολος]…
- Because the DEVIL has been a SINNER from the very beginning!
- We often speak of the FIRST sin being Adam and Eve – but it was not…
- The FIRST sin was when LUCIFER rebelled against the LORD – Isaiah 14:12
- And the DEVIL has been sinning ever since – he NEVER stopped!
- Therefore anyone who is living a LIFESTYLE of SIN – is living like the DEVIL…
- It means we have FAILED the TEST – and proves we are NOT in the LOVE of the Father!
- For this purpose the Son of God was manifested – that He might destroy the works of the devil!
- Jesus was REVEALED – came the first time – to DESTROY the power of the DEVIL…
- DESTROY [λύω] – to release someone from BONDAGE!
- We did not used to CHOSE to SIN – we were SLAVES to sin – in BONDAGE to the DEVIL…
- But Jesus came to BREAK those BONDS – to set us FREE…
- If we are STRUGGLING with continual SIN in our lives – Jesus is the ANSWER…
- The DEVIL no longer has any control over us – we can have VICTORY!
- John 8:36 – “If the Son makes you free – you shall be free indeed.”
- 4th – Born of God… vs. 9
- Whoever has been born of God does not sin – for His seed remains in him!
- The THIRD test – is to STOP sinning…
- ANYONE [πᾶς] – who has been BORN [perfect] of God – does NOT have SIN [noun]
- Because the SEED – a reference to Jesus – ABIDES [μένω] in him!
- When Nicodemus came to speak with Jesus at night – John 3:3
- The Lord explained that in order to be saved – we must be BORN twice…
- BORN of water – referring to physical birth – our birthday…
- And BORN from ABOVE – referring to our spiritual birth!
- When by FAITH we receive the LOVE of the Father – and Jesus comes to LIVE in us…
- We are BORN again – giving us a NEW life – that is free from SIN!
- John 14:23 – “If anyone loves Me – he will keep My word – and My Father will love him – and We will come to him and make Our home with him.”
- And he cannot sin – because he has been born of God!
- Not only do we have no SIN [noun] – forgiven through Jesus – Hebrews 10:17
- Because we are BORN again – we have no POWER [δύναμαι] to LIVE in SIN [verb]
- I love how this is worded – we are NOT told we have the POWER not to SIN [present]
- Being BORN again – means we no longer have the POWER to SIN [present]
- Because we have Jesus LIVING in us – and He will NOT let us LIVE [present] in sin…
- He CONVICTS us – proving we passed the TEST – we have the LOVE of the Father!
- 1st – Do not be deceived… vs. 7
- 2nd – The evidence… vs. 10-13
- 1st – Whose CHILD… vs. 10
- In this the children of God and the children of the devil are manifest!
- The TEST – has one of TWO outcomes…
- It is a PASS – FAIL kind of test – there is no MIDDLE ground!
- Matthew 12:30 – “He who is not with Me is against Me.”
- Either we are the CHILDREN of God – because we are LIVING a RIGHTEOUS life…
- And we are given the promise of inheriting His Kingdom – Luke 12:32
- Or we are the CHILDREN of the DEVIL – because we are LIVING a SINFUL life…
- And will share in his FATE – of eternal separation – Matthew 25:41
- Defining Sin…
- Obviously it is BAD to be a CHILD of the Devil…
- What we want is to be a CHILD of God – by living a RIGHTEOUS life…
- John goes on to give us the EVIDENCE of what marks us as RIGHTEOUS!
- 2nd – No LOVE… vs. 10
- Whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God – nor he who does not love his brother!
- ANYONE [πᾶς] who does not practice [ποιέω] RIGHTEOUSNESS – is NOT from God…
- What is the EVIDENCE of someone who is NOT righteous – no LOVE…
- LOVE [ἀγαπάω] – to have perfect – UNCONDITIONAL love towards one another!
- People who do NOT know Jesus – might still LOVE others – but it is CONDITIONAL…
- They LOVE those who LOVE them back – but will stop LOVING those who hurt them…
- But those who LOVE conditionally – show they do NOT belong to God…
- Because God LOVES us unconditionally – no matter what we do – He never forsakes us…
- And only when we LOVE like Him – do we show the EVIDENCE we are a CHILD of God!
- Luke 6:35 – “Love [ἀγαπάω] your enemies… and you will be [the CHILD] of the Most High. For He is kind to the unthankful and evil.”
- 3rd – Command to LOVE… vs. 11
- For this is the message that you heard from the beginning – that we should love one another!
- We heard [aorist] this MESSAGE from the BEGINNING [ἀρχή]
- We SHOULD [subjunctive] LOVE [ἀγαπάω] EVERYONE!
- Going all the way back to the BEGINNING [when the Law was given] – LOVE is not NEW…
- It has always been the MARK of someone who was a CHILD of God!
- Leviticus 19:18 – “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
- Why LOVE…
- Being RIGHTEOUS – means LIVING by the LAW of God…
- While there are 613 COMMANDS in the LAW – LOVE is the greatest!
- When Jesus was asked which COMMAND was the GREATEST…
- FIRST – LOVE the LORD with all your heart – soul – mind – Deuteronomy 6:5
- SECOND – LOVE your neighbor as yourself – Leviticus 19:18
- Matthew 22:40 – “On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”
- If we LOVE someone – we are NOT going to LIE to them…
- If we LOVE someone – we are NOT going to STEAL from them…
- We can go right down the LIST – LOVE motivates us to do ALL the RIGHT things…
- And keeps us from doing all the WRONG ones…
- Therefore – LOVE is the EVIDENCE that shows we are a CHILD of God!
- I John 4:7 – “Beloved – let us love one another – for love is of God – and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God.”
- 4th – No Hatred… vs. 12-13
- 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 brothers righteous.
- To ILLUSTRATE the TWO outcomes – we are given TWO brothers:
- After the fall of Adam and Eve – they had TWO sons – Cain md Abel – Genesis 4:3
- Both came to offer a SACRIFICE to the LORD – but only Abel was accepted…
- There are those who say this is because of WHAT they TWO brothers offered…
- God ONLY accepted an offering of an animal [blood] – not of the fruit of the soil [cursed]
- But both kinds of sacrifice are included in the LAW – Leviticus 1:3-9 / 2:1-3
- The problem was WHO gave the offering – the problem was Cain!
- Hebrews 11:4 – “By FAITH Abel offered to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain.”
- Evil WORKS…
- While Abel was RIGHTEOUS – and was likely trying to encourage Cain to REPENT…
- The WORKS of Cain showed he was of the WICKED [πονηρός] one – the DEVIL…
- He went into the field with Abel – where he thought no one would see…
- And with premeditated intent – to silence his brother – he murdered him!
- Those who LIVE in SIN – do not want to be around those who LIVE for God…
- Like a LIGHT shining into the DARK – they do not want to be EXPOSED…
- So they TEAR down and ATTACK those who are LIVING for the LORD…
- Their LACK of LOVE – is the EVIDENCE of who they are – NOT children of God!
- Do not marvel – my brethren – if the world hates you!
- Do not MARVEL [imperative] – it must not be a SURPRISE…
- SINCE [indicative] the WORLD does hate us!
- Have you ever felt REJECTED – and you cannot find a REASON…
- We do our best to LOVE others – and yet they respond to us with HATE…
- Do NOT marvel when this happens – we are to EXPECT it!
- If we LIVED like the WORLD – then they would LOVE us…
- The world would embrace us – because are joining in with them – justifying them…
- But when we LIVE for Jesus – we will feel the brunt of the HATE of the world…
- Not because of WHO we are – but because of WHO is in us…
- It is another EVIDENCE that we are the CHILDREN of God!
- John 15:18 – “If the world hates you – you know that it hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world – the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world – but I chose you out of the world – therefore the world hates you.”
- 1st – Whose CHILD… vs. 10
- 3rd – The Results… vs. 14-15
- 1st – From death to life… vs. 14
- We know that we have passed from death to life – because we love the brethren!
- We KNOW [εἴδω] – we can always [perfect] SEE…
- When we continually [present] LOVE [ἀγαπάω] others…
- We have PASSED [perfect] – meaning to transfer from one place to another…
- From DEATH – being a child of the devil – to LIFE – being a child of God!
- People have a LOT of ideas about the PROOF they can give they are SAVED…
- It might be how many BIBLE verses they can quote – KNOWLEDGE…
- How much MONEY they have given to help the poor – WEALTH…
- How many PEOPLE they have told about Jesus – SACRIFICE!
- I Corinthians 13:2-3 – “Though I… understand all mysteries and ALL knowledge… and though I [give] ALL my goods to feed the poor – and though I give my BODY to be burned – but have not LOVE [ἀγαπάω] – it [means] nothing!”
- Do NOT miss this – being a CHILD of God – is something that we can SEE…
- And there is only ONE thing we SEE that matters – LOVING [ἀγαπάω] others…
- It comes as a RESULT of Jesus ABIDING in us – the LOVE of the Father flowing from us!
- John 13:35 – “By this all will know that you are My disciples – if you have love for one another.”
- 2nd – Abiding in death… vs. 14
- He who does not love his brother abides in death!
- The one who does not LOVE [ἀγαπάω] others – ABIDES [μένω] in death…
- We have mentioned before John loves the word ABIDE – 68x in his FIVE books…
- But here he uses it in a NEGATIVE context – CLINGING to DEATH!
- One of the most difficult jobs has to be working in a mortuary…
- To be DAILY surrounded by DEATH – to see the constant sorrow and loss!
- Yet that is the CHOICE we make when we do NOT live in LOVE…
- We chose a life that is surrounded by DEATH – because apart from Jesus there is NO life!
- 3rd – Eternal life… vs. 15
- Whoever hates his brother is a murderer.
- ANYONE [πᾶς] who HATES [present] – is a MURDER…
- John is recalling the teaching of Jesus from the Sermon on the Mount – Matthew 5:21-26
- When He said anyone who HATES another – is ANGRY with them – is guilty of MURDER…
- Because they have wanted them DEAD in their HEART!
- Do NOT miss this – LOVE is not just about our ACTIONS…
- It is also what we think about others in our HEARTS!
- And you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him!
- We KNOW [εἴδω] – we can SEE [perfect]
- No MURDER – 3x in NT – 2x in this verse – to kill a man [ἄνθρωπος]
- The only other use of this word is by Jesus when he talked about the Devil…
- John 8:44 – “You are of your father the devil… he was a murderer from the beginning.”
- Anyone with HATRED in their heart – does NOT have Jesus ABIDING [μένω] in them…
- They are a MURDERER – and will NOT inherit ETERNAL life – Galatians 5:21
- When we are HURT by someone – and do not FORGIVE – it opens the door to HATE…
- And HATE is the opposite of LOVE – which is why we MUST FORGIVE…
- No matter what ANYONE has do to us – we will RESPOND with the LOVE of Jesus…
- Not because we have to – it is the RESULT of the LOVE of the Father in us…
- Which gives us the confidence – we passed the TEST – have the EVIDENCE of His LOVE…
- And we SEE we have passed from DEATH into LIFE – through Jesus!
- 1st – From death to life… vs. 14