1 John 3
Big idea: The Father's love has made believers his children now — a present reality with a future consummation (we will be like him). That identity has moral traction: those born of God do not make a practice of sin, because Christ came to take away sin and destroy the devil's works, and God's seed abides in them. John sorts humanity into children of God and children of the devil by two visible marks — doing righteousness and loving one's brother. Love is then defined by the cross (he laid down his life) and demanded in deed and truth, not word only, yielding a confident heart before God.
The 'born of him' of 2:29 blossoms into the children-of-God theme. The love command (2:7–11) is deepened here into self-giving love modeled on Christ's death (3:16). The assurance of 3:19–24 ('by this we know') and the mention of the Spirit set up the spirit-testing of chapter 4.
3:1–3 — Children of God now
An exclamation of wonder at the Father's love: he has made us his children — which is why the world, not knowing him, does not know us. That status is real now, though what we will be is not yet revealed; but we know that when he appears we will be like him, seeing him as he is. And everyone who holds this hope purifies himself, as he is pure.
1 See how great a love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God! For this cause the world doesn’t know us, because it didn’t know him. 2 Beloved, now we are children of God. It is not yet revealed what we will be; but we know that when he is revealed, we will be like him, for we will see him just as he is. 3 Everyone who has this hope set on him purifies himself, even as he is pure.
3:4–10 — Children of God and of the devil
Sin is lawlessness; Christ appeared to take sins away, and in him is no sin. So whoever abides in him does not keep on sinning; the persistent sinner has not truly seen or known him. John warns against deception: the one who does righteousness is righteous, like Christ, while the one who keeps sinning is of the devil, whose works Christ came to destroy. The one born of God does not practice sin, because God's seed abides in him. By this the children of God and of the devil are made evident: whoever does not do righteousness or love his brother is not of God.
4 Everyone who sins also commits lawlessness. Sin is lawlessness. 5 You know that he was revealed to take away our sins, and no sin is in him. 6 Whoever remains in him doesn’t sin. Whoever sins hasn’t seen him and doesn’t know him. 7 Little children, let no one lead you astray. He who does righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous. 8 He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. To this end the Son of God was revealed: that he might destroy the works of the devil. 9 Whoever is born of God doesn’t commit sin, because his seed remains in him, and he can’t sin, because he is born of God. 10 In this the children of God are revealed, and the children of the devil. Whoever doesn’t do righteousness is not of God, neither is he who doesn’t love his brother.
3:11–15 — Love, not like Cain
The message from the beginning: love one another — unlike Cain, who was of the evil one and murdered his brother because his own deeds were evil and his brother's righteous. So do not be surprised when the world hates you. Love is the sign that we have passed from death to life; the one who does not love remains in death. Indeed, whoever hates his brother is a murderer, and no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.
11 For this is the message which you heard from the beginning, that we should love one another— 12 unlike Cain, who was of the evil one and killed his brother. Why did he kill him? Because his deeds were evil, and his brother’s righteous. 13 Don’t be surprised, my brothers, if the world hates you. 14 We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers. He who doesn’t love his brother remains in death. 15 Whoever hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life remaining in him.
3:16–18 — Love in deed and truth
Love is defined by the cross: we know love because Christ laid down his life for us — and so we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. The test then becomes concrete: whoever has the world's goods, sees a brother in need, and shuts off compassion — how does God's love abide in him? Therefore love not in word or speech only, but in deed and truth.
16 By this we know love, because he laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. 17 But whoever has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, then closes his heart of compassion against him, how does God’s love remain in him? 18 My little children, let’s not love in word only, or with the tongue only, but in deed and truth.
3:19–24 — Assurance before God
Loving in deed reassures our hearts before God: even when our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart and knows everything. If our heart does not condemn us, we have boldness before God and receive whatever we ask, because we keep his commandments and please him. And his commandment is this: believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another. Whoever keeps his commandments abides in God, and God in him — and we know he abides in us by the Spirit he gave.
19 And by this we know that we are of the truth and persuade our hearts before him, 20 because if our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and knows all things. 21 Beloved, if our hearts don’t condemn us, we have boldness toward God; 22 so whatever we ask, we receive from him, because we keep his commandments and do the things that are pleasing in his sight. 23 This is his commandment, that we should believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and love one another, even as he commanded. 24 He who keeps his commandments remains in him, and he in him. By this we know that he remains in us, by the Spirit which he gave us.
Scripture text: World English Bible (public domain).