1 John 3

1 John 3 is written to help the believer see their place as a child of God. John is trying to articulate the new relationship that a believer has in the Father as compared to the relationships we have in this world. He starts the chapter right straightaway by highlighting the greatness of the love of our Father. Verse 2 is always compelling to me because it reminds me of how important I am to Him even though I am so insignificant in the world.

Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is (1 John 3:2, ESV).

I am God’s child NOW. This isn’t a future or past tense point of view. Some Scripture point out that God knew me from before time existed. Other Scripture points out how I will be His for eternity. These are both wonderful promises and I cling to them on a daily basis. What is wonderful about this verse is the present tense. I am His NOW. He is my Dad. He is with me. He cares for me. He is shaping me and guiding me today. Oh, and one day, when He appears, I will be like Him. If that doesn’t get your blood flowing, I am not sure what will… what a great promise!

John spends the majority of the chapter talking about two key elements of our relationship with God:

Righteousness

If we have a relationship with our Father, we will not keep on living in our sin. We will despise it. We will want to flee from it. We will want to turn from our sins and towards Him. John goes so far as to say:

• No one who abides in Him keeps on sinning (1 John 3:6a, ESV).
• This is a pretty direct point. In verse 8, he puts a strong point on it:
• Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil (1 John 3:8a, ESV).

Jesus Christ came and took away our sins and there is no sin in Him (v5). He was the Perfect. He provided a way for us to not sin. He helped us to turn from the devil and turn towards God. If we have a relationship with the Lord, we will search after righteousness. He will want to live a life of righteousness… and love.

Love

Late in verse 10, John transitions from righteousness to love. Verse 11 hits the nail on the head:

For this is the message that you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another (1 John 3:11, ESV).

Anytime I talk to people about Jesus, the Bible, God… I always try to go to this verse (or John 13:35). Christians aren’t to be known by the fact that they go to church on Sunday morning, that they drive cars with an Ichthys (fish symbol) or can sing the latest worship songs. We are to be known by our love. Our love to our brothers and our love to non-believers. We should stand out. People would be confused by our kindness, our forgiveness, our caring, our sacrifice. Why? Because that is what Jesus did for each and every one of us.

John goes on to tell us that we shouldn’t be surprised when the world HATES us. This may seem a bit strong but we are different (or at least supposed to be). We are supposed to oppose the “selfishness” of the world. We should oppose the things that Satan has relished in and promoted in this world. When we do that, people aren’t going to like us. We are going to contradict their view of self.

By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our loves for the brothers (1 John 3:16, ESV).

Are you willing to lay down your life for your brother? Are you willing to make the ultimate sacrifice for your brothers and sisters in Christ? Jesus did. He wouldn’t call you to anything less. Jesus doesn’t want just a part of our lives. He doesn’t want just a portion of our time, our money, our priorities. He wants it all. After all, isn’t He worth it?

Father God, thank you for loving me when I didn’t love you. Thank you for bringing me into the light when I lived in the darkness. While I don’t deserve the forgiveness and sacrifice of Jesus, I thank you for His blood — spilled for me. Help me to see people the way You see them. Help me to love people the way You love them. Help me to love You more and more every day Lord. In Jesus Name, Amen.

JASON WORTHEN | Elder

Jason and Larissa were part of the founding members of Hutto Bible Church in 2007. Previously, they attended Hill County Bible Church Pflugerville for nearly six years. They have been married for 16 years and have three daughters: Elisabeth, Sarah and Rebekah. Jason is employed by General Motors and Larissa is a stay-at-home mom who works three times as hard. Jason put his trust in Christ in 2003 when he was attending Bible Study Fellowship in Austin. Both Jason and Larissa have served in Children’s Ministry, Student Ministry and in an elder capacity.