3:1 See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him. 2 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. 3 And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.
4 Everyone who makes a practice of sinning also practices lawlessness; sin is lawlessness. 5 You know that he appeared to take away sins, and in him there is no sin. 6 No one who abides in him keeps on sinning; no one who keeps on sinning has either seen him or known him. 7 Little children, let no one deceive you. Whoever practices righteousness is righteous, as he is righteous. 8 Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil. 9 No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God’s seed abides in him, and he cannot keep on sinning because he has been born of God. 10 By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother.
Love One Another
11 For this is the message that you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another. 12 We should not be like Cain, who was of the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own deeds were evil and his brother’s righteous. 13 Do not be surprised, brothers, that the world hates you. 14 We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers. Whoever does not love abides in death. 15 Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.
16 By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. 17 But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him? 18 Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.
19 By this we shall know that we are of the truth and reassure our heart before him; 20 for whenever our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and he knows everything. 21 Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God; 22 and whatever we ask we receive from him, because we keep his commandments and do what pleases him. 23 And this is his commandment, that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us. 24 Whoever keeps his commandments abides in God, and God in him. And by this we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit whom he has given us. (ESV)
ELLO… I read
I like verse 6,”No one who abides in him keeps on sinning; no one who keeps on sinning has either seen him or known him.”
I like this verse because it separates GOD’s people from the Devils people. GOD’s people are trying to please GOD while people of the world or of the devil are trying to please themselves. I need to makes sure I follow JESUS’s example and stay serving HIM so I do not get mixed with the Devil’s people but instead I shine for JESUS.
CYA
2 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.
Mmmm such a encouraging verse! We are God’s children and we will be like him when He comes back to the earth. We will even be like Him when he appears how exciting and what a amazing thing to look forward to!!!
In the second part of this chapter it talks about loving our brothers (and sisters too) As christians we need to constantly be loving one another and growing closer to each other and bringing our brothers and sisters closer to God as well, just like proverbs 27:17 says, Iron sharpens Iron, and one man sharpens another
So this week I am going to pray that I will have the love of Christ in me constantly and love my brothers and sisters! As well as be praying maranatha!!!!
3:1 See what kind of love the Father has given to us. i need to work on being more loving like God.
True :)
12 We should not be like Cain, who was of the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own deeds were evil and his brother’s righteous.
I looooove Bible Lit class and I am SO thankful that I am going to a private Christian college where I can learn more! :) In Bible lit, we’ve been learning about the major themes of the Bible, just by reading Genesis. One major theme that we found from the Cain and Able event was jealousy. Cain was jealous that Able was favored in the eyes of the Lord and he had come to hatred. God calls me to love my brothers, not hate them or be jealous of them. At my school…(yes, me and my friends are weird), we have a Hate Hannah Day. Everyday is Hate Hannah Day. We’re always joking around and she thinks it’s hilarious…but then my beautiful friend, Vinessa Scott, was like “How bout we have a love day”. haha I think she’s tired of hearing us say these random things that don’t make sense on a reason to hate her. XD Anyways, this chapter reminded me of that. I am going to boycott Hate Hannah Day now and choose to love her more than I have before. XD She’ll be extremely surprised. Let God’s love shine through me! MARANATHA! :)
It’s weird how we can end up doing hurtful things when that is not our intention. It is great God has brought this to your heart–especially on the heels of our Street Cred sermon on loving our brothers and sisters. Bobby didn’t mean to get Ben in the eye, but he did so, because he wasn’t looking OUT for him. We need to look out for one another. Thanks for sharing this with us…what a great catalyst for us to check OUR hearts, and see where we are doing the same thing in OUR lives…
Whoever practices righteousness is righteous, as he is righteous. 8 Whoever makes a practice
notice the word practice –take note that santification is a diligent process and just like in all our human endeavors it takes practice to become good so too will it require effort to become more and more like Christ.
Hmmmmm…. Another feast of the word to start the day! Thanks Glenn!
2 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
This verse gives us two awesome things to look forward to about heaven, when we see Christ! The first that this verse gives is that we will be made like Him, we will be perfect! As Christians on this earth we are in a process of what is called sanctification. God is transforming us to Christ’s image. As He works in us and bears more and more fruits in our lives, we become more and more holy. But unfortunately in this life we will never be perfect. We still have our fallen bodies and our sinful flesh. But when we see Christ and we get our new, heavenly bodies, we will be SIN FREE! I am so pumped for that!
The second thing that this verse tells us we have to look forward to about Christ’s return in when we see Him as He is, face to face! It is like seeing a family member after they have been gone for a long time. Except this is Jesus Christ, the Lord of lords who died on the cross for me! I am so excited to see Him! And it will be like that awesome worship night we had two weeks ago, and we will all fall face down in front of God’s glory and His holiness! This verse has really encouraged me! No matter what happens today, I still will have the hope of seeing my Lord, whether He returns or calls me home. I pray that today specifically I am living in the “Maranatha Mindset”
FANTASTIC COMMENT! God has blessed True North with your knowledge and encouragement to be shared with everyone else through Scripture of the Day!
Good Morning!!
verse 20
“for whenever our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and he knows everything.”
I like this verse because it repeats again how powerful our God is. I love that about Him. Another plus is that it is repeated again and again throught the Bible.
What a great letter to live by!
John is writing to explain how true Christians should look/act. Christians are different from the rest of the world because they were born into sin but we were born-again in God. John continues with the idea that because we are God’s children let us act like God’s children. And what does that look like? Well, we should practice righteousness just like our Father. I love the logic in this part. It states that if you practice righteousness you are righteous. Many people today try to separate the deeds from the man. Ghandi once said, “Hate the sin, not the sinner” But if we do that aren’t we just separating the deeds for the man? How can you only hate their actions? Actions are what make a man. The author also tackles the question why strive for holiness if we are going to become holy anyway? He answers that question by saying that all who hope in Jesus are purified because Jesus is pure. Also, we should love one another for Jesus loved us first. Love! What is love? It is not a feeling or something contingent on another person’s characteristic. Loving is having a genuine care for a person based on nothing. I love a person because I have experienced true love first. Jesus died for me, and to show that I love others I must lay down my life for them. Maybe not literally, but I must put them higher than myself. A true mark of love is humility that’s why Jesus talks about it so much. We humble our self to show our love for one another and God. First verse that comes to my mind is Romans 12:9 “Let your love be genuine, abhor what is evil, and hold fast to what is good” I don’t think my words could beat the good and perfect words of God’s Holy Words. So I leave you with that.
Great comment Jonny :)
I pray that I can grow to be more loving and humble through Christ!
This whole chapter, in my opinion, has TONS to say and every single verse in there is special. But in particular, the one that stood out to me was verse 13.
’13 Do not be surprised, brothers, that the world hates you.’
Do not be surprised that the world hates you. Wow. I knew that we would be stuck with being mocked by non-christians etc etc, and I’m ok with that, but this really reminded me. Non-Christians really do hate Christians. Sometimes I like to think that the world goes on harmoniously and that everything is ok and people get along. But this verse really reminds me that living for God, means being hated by man. I just need to remember that that is my goal. Not to make everyone hate me, but to live my best for God, regardless of the consequences.
7 Little children, let no one deceive you. Whoever practices righteousness is righteous, as he is righteous. 8a Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning.
1 John continues to express with clarity the truth that Christians’ lives reflect the inner change that was made in their hearts by outward changes in their attitudes and actions. Verse 7 says, “let no one deceive you” about who is saved and who isn’t. John connects the dots clearly that those who claim to be Christians and live lives full of righteous habits are, but that those who claim to be in Christ but continue in the same patterns of sin are not. This leads to a few important questions,”What patterns of righteousness have you seen grow in your life since your conversion?What old habits of sin do you see decreasing?” We should all take time today to search our hearts for these answers. Perhaps making an OLD and NEW list. On one side of a sheet of paper labeled “OLD” write down all the things that characterized your life before your conversion. On the other side of the paper write “NEW” and make a list of all the fruit you now see in your life. This is very helpful and will allow you to pinpoint if there has been a difference in your life since you became a believer. If there is no difference, then it is time to get real and realize that NOW is the time to turn from your sin and trust in God. If you notice a difference, then take time today to praise God for the work of sanctification He is helping to do in your life.
hmm I’ve never thought of that. I really like the idea of making a new/old list. I’m gong to praise God for His sanctification in my life!
1 John 3:5-7 You know that he appeared to take away sins, and in him there is no sin. No one who abides in him keeps on sinning; no one who keeps on sinning has either seen him or known him. Little children, let no one deceive you. Whoever practices righteousness is righteous, as he is righteous.
Jesus lived the life we couldn’t live: perfect! This makes Him the onnly sacrifice for all sin. Now, how does He want us to live? Be holy because HE is holy! And don’t be deceived: anyone who says they are a Christian and continues to live according to their own rules isn’t a Christian. Just listen to the adults who testified on Sunday about “I thought I was a Christian…” and then were convicted by the word of God and were converted by God later in life.
Lord, thank You for salvation and the Spirit to make us more like You every day. And please come soon!
18 Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.
God wants Christians to actually love each other, not just being all talk. A while back Bobby was talking about how we should genuinely love each other, and mean it when we say it. We’re all brohters and sisters in Christ, why wouldn’t we care about each other? Instead of being selfish, i can show others that i truly care about them by putting their needs above and before my own.
18 Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.
In our southern California culture, it can often be easy for us to look the part and play the role of a good, conservative, neighbor-loving Christian. But more often than we probably care to admit, the reality is, we (as a culture) have grown incredibly well at deceiving ourselves and one another with the facades we front. This verse strikes me with its last three words: “AND IN TRUTH.” It isn’t just deed that warrants love, but the truth that propels us. Whose truth propels us this morning? Our own? Our friend’s? Our parents’? Our teacher’s? Or is it GOD’S…?
We can be sure of God’s truth by searching, discerning, and applying His Word. It’s all RIGHT HERE, UNDER OUR FINGERTIPS AND NOSES. Let not any person, including ourSELVES, intercept His truth.
2 Beloved, we are God’s children now
everyone who is a christian is a child of God! that really makes me feel comforted
c u all later
1 John 3:16 By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers.
Christ unselfishly laid down His life for us, so that we can have the chance to live with Him forever! After coming down from perfection to living life on the earth as a man, to being crucified for our sins, we need to honor and obey His commands for us! We are told to love our brothers, and just like Christ laid down His life, we need to have this Godly love for one another! This is way deeper than the mushy gushy love that many people have on this earth.
18 Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.
It is easy yo love in word. One can say that he is full of love and he can go around to all these different people and tell them that he loves them. Yet many times, with people like this, the way that they act towards the people they have just said they love contradict their words. And we find that the old time saying is true: “Actions speak louder than words.” There are plenty of hypocrites in the world. They say one thing, yet their actions are the opposite. People may say they have love, yet their envy their neighbor’s belongings and treat that one kid at school with contempt and anger. The example for how a Christian should love is Jesus Christ. He set the ultimate example; he demonstrated the largest act of love, that undeserving he handed himself over to hang on a cross for those fully deserving of the punishment. This is sacrificial love, and it is one aspect of love that we can be implementing into our relationships with others.
I need to strive to love others as I have been loved by God. I have been loved perfectly, without fault, so I won’t be the perfect reflection, but I need to strive as much as I can. And like the love Jesus has for me, I need to be sacrificial in my love for others. It isn’t about me and what I can get. It’s not about serving others as long as this works out for me. Instead, it is me giving up what I have or what I have to do so I can show my love to another person. I need to show my love in action. It is easy to tell people that I love them, but it is another thing to show that by the way that I live. My love needs to be shown in both deed in truth, that I am putting it into action in my life, and that it is true love, such as the love shown to me by God. As I live my life and interact with others, love needs to be bursting at the seems!
10 By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother.
This verse pretty much says that if your heart is in the wrong place, you will practice sinning and hate your brother, then you know if you are a child of the devil. As Christians and children of the Lord, we should be practicing righteousness and loving our brothers and sisters. We need to be shunning evil doings and welcoming righteous character. Personally, being righteous is one of the hardest things to do as a Christian because the world around you is saying the complete opposite of what God is commanding us to do. Being righteous requires us always thinking the right things and doing them as God would do. I need to be a righteous person and be a representation of God everyday on this earth!
11 For this is the message that you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another.
we should always ALWAYS love each other if we are having a bad day.
Hey brother Lucas I hope to see you at True North United this Wed. at Compass Church.
9 No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God’s seed abides in him, and he cannot keep on sinning because he has been born of God.
This is a great determining factor on whether you or someone you know is a Christian. Do they/I make a pattern of sinning with no plans to reverse it? Do they/I care that they/I have a pattern of sin in their/my life? Sometimes I try and just assume that certain friends of mine are Christians because I don’t want to try and evangelize to them and ruin our friendship. The truth is that I have an easy way of recognizing whether they are truly God’s child. I see patterns of sin in their life. They either have no want to reverse it, or they say that they can’t reverse it. I am so thankful for the power of God to take away the patterns of sin in my life, and I need to share the news of His power and love with my friends!
13 Do not be surprised, brothers, that the world hates you.
This is also true. The world does not like Christians and they never will. This is another part of persecution you are going to face through hard trials like being made fun of or people not liking you because of what you believe. Yesterday I was reading the practice of Godliness (great great book by the way) and it says “God allows trials in order to develop perseverance in us to cause us to fix our hopes on the the glory that is yet to be revealed”. To me this is so motivating and awesome. It also said that “our faith and perseverance can grow only under the pain of trial”. So when people are making fun of you because of your faith be thankful and praise God because you are only Going to get stronger as a Christian. God is putting them in your life for a reason; to be a light. So let it shine!!!
18 Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.
What a great verse. I know for me it is so easy to read these verses on love and understand it but unless we are showing love to others and living it out we are not truly loving. I pray that I could daily encourage others so that it is evident that I do really care and love them as my fellow brothers and sisters in the Lord.
17 But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him?
We need to prove our love by our actions. If we see a practical need we can meet for a brother or sister in Christ, we need to find a way to meet that need. That is part of loving each other as Christ asked us to. Today I want to love others more like Christ…and find practical ways to demonstrate that love.
23 And this is his commandment, that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us. 24 Whoever keeps his commandments abides in God, and God in him. And by this we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit whom he has given us.
1 John was the first major teaching series that I did at True North. When we got to this passage we talked about something called the Assurance Triangle. In 1 John there are three main themes #1 Fellowship with God through Jesus #2 Loving others #3 Obeying commands
If someone can say with confidence that these three things are the constant practice of their life then these two verses say that person is a Christian. They can have assurance. But, if we cannot say we are doing even one of these things then there is reason to question where we are really at. The goal of 1 John is that we would be confident Christians, assured of our salvation and encouraged all the more to live for Christ!
I am thankful today for the confidence I will be with God forever and look forward to serving him all day long!
2 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.
This verse was just super encouraging to me this morning. It reminded me of the hope that I have in Christ Jesus. Nothing can separate me from his love. I am his. I’m ready to go home!!
6 No one who abides in him keeps on sinning; no one who keeps on sinning has either seen him or known him
Verse 6 stood out to me too because I know a lot of people that say they’re “christians” yet are completely living in sin. And it doesn’t make sense. Once you repent of those sins and that lifestyle, you TURN from there and no longer want anything to do with them. Yes we still sin because we are living in our fleshly bodies, but the point is that we try every day to sin less, and live in obedience.
18 Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.
19 By this we shall know that we are of the truth and reassure our heart before him;
Love = doing something.
One of the greatest commands Jesus gives us is to love each other. Through out 1 John he explains that this is done with action. The evidence that some one is a christian is that they will have good works in their life. John explains that we dont love with just words but in action. And as we are obedient to love in action we will know that we have the truth and this will reassure our hearts.
I think that the command love each other has become some what mundane in the christian life. We all know that we are to love eachother, but do we really show that in our actions. I am sooooo convicted of this whole chapter in that I know I say I love others but do I have a trac record to look back on and prove it. When a friend is in need do I walk past and say I am sorry but keep going or do I stop and do what I can to help that person. Our love for Christ will compel us to love each other. How much we love each other shows how much we love Christ.
Jesus, I pray that my words would match my actions when it comes to others. That I would be carrying the burdens of those around me not just focusing on my self and my issues. Help me to love people the way you loved them.
Feels good to get out of school at 10:50, thanks Sophmores. You feel this seniors :p
1 John 3:14-16 “We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers. Whoever does not love abides in death. Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him. By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers.”
1 John is intense!
(v.14) says that we know we are Christians (know that we have passed out of death into life) if we love each other.
(v.15) I remember reading that for the first time. It left me speechless, it really suprised me and convicted me a couple of years ago. I remember before I was a Christian in 8th grade, I hated literally everyone. When I became a Christian, the anger was gone. That was the by far the most significant change I’ve seen in my life since 8th grade, it’s like unreal.
(v.16) What is love? Love is when Christ died for us! That’s the ultimate act of love, the Gospel is the greatest thing that has ever happened. Think about the gosepel for 5 minutes. The power of the Gospel is so unbelieveable! I’ve been thinking about the Gospel’s power lately. I just can’t wait to celebrate Easter, I’ve never been so ready!
Rep Christ til I die!
KJ
16 By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. 17 But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him? 18 Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.
Christ laid down his life for us, so we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters in Christ. I need to put others before myself, but still put Jesus first. I always think of the acrostic for the word “Joy”–Jesus, others, yourself…In that order:) I need to always love others in deed and truth as well. Most importantly, I need to share the truth of the gospel with people. A lot of people pretend to be Christians or say things that give a false illusion, but actions show a person’s true character and if God’s love in really in him or her. Therefore, I need to purify my actions and my words so they both reflect God’s love and my relationship with Christ=)
24 Whoever keeps his commandments abides in God, and God in him. And by this we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit whom he has given us.
Those who keep God’s commandments prove that they love him by obeying him. A Christian needs to continually have the Spirit of God shown through their actions, which should be pure and good. This reminds me of the question, “If you were to die, would there be enough evidence to convict you as a Christian?” Hopefully the answer is yes, because otherwise it means you didn’t live your life loud enough through your actions in a Christ-like way. We should be proclaiming Jesus’s name and sharing the Gospel with others so that they may know we are Christians and so that we can help save souls :)
16 By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers.
mhmm I really like this verse. Only a Christian can truly love because we have experienced God’s sacrifice for us. It reminds me of one time I was on fb and one of my friends posted a status on “What is love?” The different responses were so different. The world knows love in such a different way. there were comments like love is licking off another person’s ice cream cone (?) or seeing an imperfect person perfectly and looking past their faults (?) Really interesting replies on what OC teens thought love is.That is nothing compared to Christ’s sacrifice for my sins I told her love was 1 Corinthians 13. And because I have experienced his love, then I know how to love others. Laying down my life for a “good” person is hard but imagine how Jesus laid down His life for a sinner like me. I need to work on thanking God more for His love for us and setting the perfect example of it. Which reminds me of the song by Phil Wickham called True love.
16 By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. 17 But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him? 18 Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.
Love is a really tricky word and really hard for me to carry out sometimes. But John gives a simple definition of love: Christ’s sacrifice for us. Christ, a perfect God-man, humbled himself to become a man, and suffered on a cross so that we, sinners, could live forever even though we rebelled against God and rejected Christ. That is such an amazing act of steadfast love, and makes me think what my excuse for not loving others is. Some people annoy me, and some people make fun of me for being a Christian. But I should be able to love them no problem if Christ could love completely the people whose sins put Him on the cross. Christ’s love is so amazing, and I will be forever thankful because I don’t deserve it!
18 Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.
I am so convicted by this verse. I find that ill tell my close friends “i love you” like 20 times a day whether it be in person, on the phone, or especially on facebook. “I love you” is such a misused expression now-a-days. Instead of just telling others i love them, i need to be expressing it through actions. That means i need to be thinking of others above myself. As we already know, Jesus Christ displayed the greatest gift of love ever- He died for us. The least i could do is show someone how much i love them through a card or some sort of action. I want to share Gods love to my siblings in Christ! And even to non christians by expressing my love for Christ to draw them closer to God for His glory!Love is a verb. It should be expressed to our brothers and sisters in Christ often! I pray that Ill have more of a loving spirit towards others and that Ill put others above myself so that i can really show that i do mean it when i say i love you. Plus, verse 23 says that we are commanded to love one another! Im going to start displaying my love through my actions!!
Maranatha!
Oh my goodness this passage is convicting!! There are always times in my week when I will get so frustrated with a certain sister in Christ (possibly literally…) that it takes over the words of my mouth and my actions, and no longer comes from the Lord, but from my sinful self. I believe I will memorize 1 John 3:14 this week to help me!! :D
16 By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers.
This is a good verse because we should be doing our best to imimtae the way Christ lived, and here is the example of sacrificing. Even though it wouldnt be as big as giving ur life for someone, it still could be a minor sacrifice.
16 By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers.
Because of the unconditional love Christ showed on the cross, We should love one another just as christ had loved us! Christians can only truly love because of the gospel and because of Christ’s suffering that he went through. The true definition of love is Jesus Christ. He loved us while we were still sinners and he is such a just and forgiving God! Knowing that I am a sinner who deserves hell, yet because of God’s grace and mercy, along with repentance and faith I am saved is unbelievable. Jesus is the ultimate Savior! We are commanded to love our brothers and sisters in Christ, and even the unjust! I pray that I will put others before myself and to love people just as Christ loves me!
16 By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers.
Like Derek said, this is a huge challenge coming from John. Jesus DIED for us because he truley loved us. Now we are called to love each other (as christians), and we are supposed to die for each other, so I’m going to keep this in mind even when i can only show love in a little way.
I read…
Verse 6… “No one who abides in him keeps on sinning; no one who keeps on sinning has either seen him or known him.”
We can tell the position of a person in God’s eyes by their fruit. The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. If these characteristics are not in a person, they are definately not a Christian. So let us be praying for those who claim to be in the light but a clearly not.
17 But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him? 18 Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.
This chapter was so good! Really convicting too.
Basically, God is love.
And love needs to be shown by actions
You can’t just go around saying that you love someone, but never do anything to prove it.
As it says in verse 17, how can we close our hearts to brothers in need?
If we say we love our brothers and sisters in Christ, why are so many idle about showing actions to prove they love them?
Christ loved everyone. He loved even the lowest of the low.
I believe He did that because He wanted to show the people who got the least amount of love from everyone else that they were loved and that they had hope.
Love is the pathway straight to hope, right?
I know that when I have someones love and support goin for me, like someones got my back, I get a little more hope and confidence for my current situation.
So love is the key to open many doors.
I’m going to work on being more loving to everyone, in hopes that they might see the love of Christ shining through me, and maybe be a little more encouraged in any ordeals they’re going through by that :)
14 We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers. Whoever does not love abides in death. 15 Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.
It seems that a lot of us Chrisitans do not take love seriously anymore. Not only to we not take love seriously, but we do not take hatred seriously. We do not necessarily put hatred and murder together regularly but he in God’s word it specifically says that to hate is to murder in your mind and heart. We all say, “oh I hate her,” or “I hate him,” for reasons that seem legitament but in reality are probably stupid. We need to love everyone no matter how the act towards us and treat us. The best way to help the situation is to show them God’s love, not turn them away with ur hatred.
2 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.
This verse totally pumps me up! I cannot wait until Jesus comes back because 1, I will meet my Savior face to face, and 2, because I will become like him, meaning that I will be perfect! What an awesome day that will be! Even though as this verse says, that we are now children of God, we are still are not yet fully like Christ because of our sinful nature and the fact that we cannot attain holiness while in it. But when we meet Christ, we will be renewed and will become like Christ! I am so looking forward to this day! MARANATHA!
amen to that summer!!!!!
18 Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.
It seems like so many people just want to put on this act of kindness without the true love behind it. What is my main goal in loving one another? Is it to get others to think I am nice? Sure I would want that, but its for others to see Gods love through me. Before I was a Christian I would look at someone who was nice to everyone and would never slander anyone else. Why would they do that? It was because they had Gods love in them. I know I can still find myself just saying kind things without truly meaning it. My kindness and love needs to be genuine to everyone. I need to be truly loving one another just as Christ has loved me. His love was more genuine then anyother and we have experienced that love, and its time to show it to others. I pray that God will teach me to love one another with a true heart and not just with my words.
Amazing comment! This is so encouraging Kelsey, and is so true in our world today, how people out on this front of kindness and love! I also need to be showing everyone that i have the love of Christ in my heart. I need to shine for Christ at my campus all the time! Great reminder and comment kelsey! (:
p.s. we got baptized together!!!!!!!!!! (: haha
The Love of Christ
16 By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers.
When dwelling on the love of Christ, that he sacrificed himself on the cross, giving up not only his divinity to be a man, but to die in my place, causes me to think…
A few months ago I read a book on the crucifixion of Christ. The process was absolutely gruesome! Being beaten and ridiculed I can only imagine the pain Jesus endured, being killed for sinful people, by sinful people, and he himself was without sin!
Jesus was willing to endure intense suffering for me. Therefore I will endure suffering and pain for him. I will take up my cross and follow him by being bold for his name, even if people oppose me.
God is very loving :) Thankyou for the Cross!
Great comment (:
10 By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother.
I chose this verse because it seemed very straight forward. It says, if you are truly a christian you will act like one yet, if you are non-christian you will also act like one. This brings me back to the whole sermon about hypocrites. I see people everyday that say they are christians but totally dont act like it. A couple weeks ago this girl and I were talking about God in my science class. I was totally in awe when she said she was a really strong christian because she cusses so MUCH!!! I was shocked!!! I would have never in my life guessed she was a christian! It made me think, what if people found out I was a christian but were shocked? I made myself think of everything in my life that people could call me out on, such as complaining, gossiping, ect. Its scary to think that people would be shocked if they herd any of us were christians! We need to be true christians and like I always say, stand up and stand out for God!!!
13 Do not be surprised, brothers, that the world hates you.
This verse also stood out to me because a lot of times I can feel so rejected from the world. But, like it states in the verse I should not be surprised! The world is the opposite of christianity! There would be something wrong if they liked us. But many of us dont like the world hating us, and sometimes satan uses that weakness in others to make them want to fit in. We need to constantly be praying that in every way, to not be apart of this world. Because this is not our home, home is in heaven! :D
I really like this chapter. Jesus diedfir our sins therefore we should notlive in sin. The purpose of Jesus dying was for sins. I pretty he didn’t die so we can say oh he died for my sins so it’s ok to sin. No that’s not the right answer. He knows we are not perfect and it’s true that we are going to stumble and maybe lie, but it’s up to us to learn from that mistake and take to someone and repent and turn away from that sin. Lastly I also like how this chapter talks about our love for one another. Knowing that your own brother will due for you is something special. Also you do the sane thing for them is great also. I remember pastor Bobby talking abot this awhile back. It’s great to know that we all have eachothers back
13 Do not be surprised, brothers, that the world hates you. 14 We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers. Whoever does not love abides in death. 15 Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.
This is a great verse for all of us who are persecuted in GOD’s name. When we are persecuted, we know that GOD is with us and that is a great thing. When we suffer for GOD’s name, it is so good.
5 You know that he appeared to take away sins, and in him there is no sin. 6 No one who abides in him keeps on sinning; no one who keeps on sinning has either seen him or known him.
Jesus died on the cross for US not HIM. He wasn’t doing anything for himself but for us, and we didn’t even deserve it, nor did we give him anything in return. We know that if someone abides god, they do not sin, if you claim to abide god, but sin, you are lieng. but someone who keeps sinning, shall not know him nor ever see him, until you are fully submitted, and have full trust in him.
I know i have made mistakes, and I recognize them asking for forgivness from god. I think I need to work on following gods commandments fully through out each day, and put god first in my mind when saying or making actions that could or could not be godly like, because sometimes i feel like i push it aside when GOD should be my first priority, always, and I will make that happen, always.
10 By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother
i love how the Bible is so black and white. This verse does NOT say that if you practice sin you are PROBABLY not a christian. it says if you practice sin you are NOT a christian. Simple as that!
18 Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.
i love this verse! so many people “talk the talk but do NOT walk the walk”
If you say you love someone, and you do not act like it, then you cleary do not love them. Jesus SHOWED us he loves us by dying on the cross for our sins! We need to show him we love him by following him and obeying his commandments!
10 By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother.
In the words of the Great Ice Cube, Check Yourself Before You Wreck Yourself. You can claim all you want to be a Christian but unless you got the goods to back it up, it’ll be evident you’re not. Just as I can claim to be a Chainsaw Juggler but unless I can actually do it, it means nothing. But if you’re not actually a Christian, it’s gonna hurt a lot more then Chainsaws when it counts.
3:1 See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him. 2 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.
So true, cuz when i “thought” i was a christain…i still didnt know Jesus..
and i was of this world,
but im not of this world anymore(:
and i need to keep on remebering that
10 By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil; whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother.
Loving my neighbor has always been a challenge for me. When someone irks me so greatly, I find it hard to continue to love them and serve them. However, I need to remember that Jesus even loved those who deliberately said they didn’t believe he was the Son of God. If he could do that, I can certainly love my neighbors. I pray that God will fill my heart with love!
Great comment! I will pray for you (:
I will also be praying! Great comment (:
7 Little children, let no one deceive you. Whoever practices righteousness is righteous, as he is righteous.
I think that this is a verse that I defently need to apply in my life. I am going out of my Christian school next year and I must not let anyone deceive me. I must be pluged into God’s word so that I dont fall away and get deceived. Also this verse shows us that if I practices righteousness I will be righteous just like God. That verse makes me want to strive to be a righteous man.
9 No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God’s seed abides in him, and he cannot keep on sinning because he has been born of God.
This verse makes a good point to me. Basically, people born of God won’t constantly sin because they’re born of the most pure being God himself. It gives us an indication of when we’re more “devil’s children” and kind of tells us to stop sinning if you want to really be a child of God. We all know God wouldn’t sin so we–his children–must learn from example and follow his way just as we did with Jesus Christ.
6 By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers.
Jesus Christ laid down his own life for US and paid OUR debt! That is huge and shows true love! THis verse reminds me when God says if we do not know him, we do not love because God is love! It also brings me back to winter revival when we talked about loving others as ourselves. I have a Jonathan in my life and i would be willing to die for that person and i am so grateful i have that person in my life (: So just as Christ laid down his life for me, i must be willing to lay down my life for my brothers!
he knows everything. 21 Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God; 22 and whatever we ask we receive from him, because we keep his commandments and do what pleases him.
I love these verses. Like what we talked about in christian club today, God knows everything and has prepared everything for me. There is no need for me to worry or be anxious because God has a plan for me and he knows exactly what i will do with my life, now i must pray that he shows me his will so that i can carry it out and live my life GOds way! I am confident in God that he will lead me in the right direction and i trust in Him! I mean, he did die for my sake, why shouldnt i be confident in Him! He promises us that if we keep his commands and follow his example, he will give us whatever we ask! Praise the Lord for being such a fair, just, loving God(:
Praise the Lord indeed!
And I will pray that you will be able to find God’s way for you!
AMEN SISTER!!! This is so unbelievably encouraging! To think that you were only saved this summer, and are on fire for the Lord each and every day (: To get baptized together…that is just awesome. I am so blessed to have you in my life, and to continue to watch you grow ing the spirit each and every day!
Love you!
15 Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.
Great chapter! Today I had the dude read it to me as I read along and His voice is sort of funny/strange. But it worked :]
I liked this verse because it shows that we(I) need to love everyone. I shouldn’t be hatting(looks like its spelled wrong :/) fellow bros and sis but showing love and encouraging them. But I also shouldn’t be hatting nonbelievers also. God showed love to all and that is EXACTLY what I need to do! :]
The following verse is a great example of love! :]
16 By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers.
***SHARE THE LOVE!!!***
I already posted today with Dominicccc!! What happened?! : o
Well… I guess it couldn’t hurt to meditate on it again!!!
“16 By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. 17 But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him?”
In the same way God has loved us, we are to love our brothers and sisters!–in a sacrificial, selfless way! d:- ) We have to love them as we love ourselves (and even more!) and truly care for and support them. Why else has God given them to us as friends?
13 Do not be surprised, brothers, that the world hates you. 14 We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers.—If I am really a Christian and I’m reppin’ the Lord, then I know I will get persecuted! I want to be making sure that I am fully living my life out for God so people will know the truth! And I know that what Jesus did for me and that I have been made new, is true so I can have complete confidence in my faith so when people do evil against me, I can just remember what Jesus would want me to do. I need to be showing love for those who hate me so that they can’t say anything bad about me, and if they want to, it won’t slow me down. :)
MARANATHA!!!!
15 Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.
This is a frightening idea: a hater is as bad as a murderer in God’s eyes. We need to be aware of this and be sure to obey God’s greatest commandments which is to love Him with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength, and also to love others deeply.
6 No one who abides in him keeps on sinning; no one who keeps on sinning has either seen him or known him.
As a Christian my life should not be characterized by the sin I commit. Sin should not be my lifestyle. I will obviously stumble at times but people should not be able to point out persistent sin in my life. I need to be living above reproach so that nobody may be able to say that I am not a Christian.
2 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.
Mmmmmmm this verse gets me excited! MARANATHA!!!!!!!!!!!! I can’t wait to be in Heaven with my God! There will be nothing to worry about and we will have been made perfect. This just gets me really excited to be in Heaven! I know it might sound weird but still, it will be better than anything this world has to offer.
18 Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.
I want to do more than just talk about loving other people, because it is what God commands. I need to DO it. It is much easier to say something than to actually do it – the latter takes effort. I need to put in some serious effort to loving others like Jesus has loved me.
No lip service! Lets be doers of the word! Great comment Jackson!
2 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.
mmmmmm (: I cannot wait till the day I will be like Jesus!!! I am his child and he has saved me by shedding his blood! We cannot even comprehend what is going to happen or what it will be like, but when Christ comes back, we will be PERFECT! Just as Jesus was perfect! MARANATHA!!!
16 By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. 17 But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him? 18 Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.
I love these verses :) We should all love each other because Jesus loved us enough to die for us :) i think that’s awesome
16 By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers.
This is such an amazing verse! We need to realize the significance of Jesus laying His life down on our behalf! We as Christians need to be ready to live our lives for God and lay down our lives for Him in any situation! As Christ gave up his life on earth for us we need to do the same for our brothers and sisters in Christ!
Jordan Anderson: 1 John is just full of so many things that we need to take and apply. I found this verse encouraging, “10 By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother.” It tells us very clearly here that we are to be righteous, and we will be doing the righteous deeds that the Lord has called us to do if we are on God’s team! I just love how this verse lays it out, that you are either on one team or the other, of God or of the devil. I also love how it says in the last verse that he has given us his spirit. This is so awesome to me, to know that i am filled with the Spirit each and everyday, that the Lord has given me the spirit to guide me, a strengthened Godly conscience to help me live for Christ in my daily life.
Summer Reames: 18 Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.
I love this verse. it is so convicting to me because i throw around the word “love” like its no big deal when i should really be showing it through my actions. We need to show Him we love Him by following Him and obeying his commandments! i will be praying that i can show others and God love not only through my words but also through my actions. I also need to mean what i say and let my “yes” be yes and my “no” be no.
Oh yes! Great comment girls! I wrote the same line as you summer! The word love is thrown around a lot these days….and it loses meaning!
10 By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother.
Although the bible makes it sooo plain and simple (there are the twwo sides; the good guys are on god’s and those who sin and are bad are on the devil’s), it is so hard to live in this world and follow his simple commandments. I pray that the Lord will help me to follow his wishes and commandments with a happiness and loving!
18 Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.
For such a small line, this verse says so much to me!!! We need not be Christians of words, but Christians of actions!! We need to follow through with what we say and promise! If we say we love God, we need to show it in other ways, not just yell it to anyone who will listen!
16 By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers.
The ultimate sacrifice. Jesus loves us so much that he layed his life down for us! How can he prove his love by any other way? There is no better way to show love for someone than being willing to lay down your life for someone else. This is what Christ did for us. Christ commands us to lay down our lives for our brothers (or sisters). This doesnt mean to look for any possible way to die for someone else. But when we say that we love someone….do we really mean it? Are we seriously meaning that we would die for that other person? The word LOVE is thrown around so easily that it has begun to lose meaning…. I hope the next time you say that you love someone, you acctually mean it! (Read verse 16 again.)
I read . . .
1 John 3 . . .
“16 By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. 17 But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him? 18 Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.”
These verses were already highlighted in my bible . . . wonder why? jk
They stood out to me alot! Some Christians might get this fact, showing others Christ’s love, a bit confused. They might think we should love others because the bible says so. BUT, we should love others because Christ first loved us. Because Jesus laid down His life for us and was sacrificed, we should be doing the same for our fellow brothers and sisters. We should put ourself at risk for them in a way of showing them love. To others, that may seem like a craaazy idea. But in God’s eyes, it’s not.
In verse 17, it’s saying that if one has the ability to help a fellow brother out, DO IT. Don’t just sit back and watch the brother suffer. Lend a helping Godly hand and assist that suffering brother. Wether it be in doing something physically, like driving them somewhere, or wether it be praying. This verse also goes the other way. If there is a suffering brother yet one does not reach out to help him, then how is Christ’s love shown? It’s NOT!
The last verse is finally saying, don’t just help others by saying that your going to do it. But ACTUALLY put it into action. I can defintly improve on helping a fellow sister or brother out when their in a time of need. I shouldn’t just stand from the side lines and watch them suffer.
I NEED TO TAKE ACTION! :)
~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~M.A.R.A.N.A.T.H.A~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~
~ Ariana Mishreki ~ :)
2 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. 3 And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.
this is so exciting! when i am taken up to hevean i will be like Jesus! this is such and amazing thing to be thankful for! also this mekes me so excited to live for Christ on earth
MARANATHA!!!!!!!!!!!!
9 No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God’s seed abides in him, and he cannot keep on sinning because he has been born of God.
Sin cannot be the pattern of my life. I will never be sinless but I will sin less. I need to examine my life and identify the areas where I am tempted and the areas where I sin the most and make sure that I work to sin less. The only way I can do this is through Christ’s power. I cannot do this on my own.
God gav Moses the ten commandments for all of us Christians to abide by. God wants us to love our brothers and love the nes we don’t like. In gods yes veryone is oubrothers so in that case we should love his children. God also wants us tohave rightousness in the kigdom of heaven so that we may love our brothers I. Christ andfollow all of the ten ommandments.
5 You know that he appeared to take away sins, and in him there is no sin.
Jesus did no sin. No sin. My finite brain can hardly wrap my mind around this because I am constantly struggling against sin. But Christ was perfect and it is only through Jesus’ death on the cross, the death of a perfect man, that He was able to to take away our sins. This reminds me of 2 Cor. 5:21 “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” Jesus knew no sin, and died on the cross that we might be saved. As this day closes I am rejoicing in my salvation!
As pastor Bobby preached two weekends ago, we are not saved BY good deeds/obedience to God’s commands (which no one can perfectly keep), but rather FOR good deeds/righteousness/obedience to His commands. This is CRITICAL. You can conform your life to a “Christian” set of moral rules and still be lost. . . You can obey God’s commandments walking straight down the highway to hell if you don’t have confidence and hope in Jesus Christ! Through Him ALONE can any and all sinners be justified before the holy, just God of all things. Praise the Lord for sending His Son!
16 By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers.
In John 3:16 God sent His Son, and here in 1 John 3:16 the Son laid down His life for us–sinners! What an awesome verse. And notice John’s immediate response to the ultimate demonstration of real love: love for our brothers. In reply to God’s incredible love for us, “we ought to lay down our LIVES for the brothers.” God, please give me a mind–and a whole life–focused on Jesus Christ, and let me overflow with love as a result.
comment will follow tomorrow. sorry ;) just letting u kno i read.
“You know that he appeared to take away sins, and in him there is no sin. No one who abides in him keeps sinning; no one who keeps on sinning has either seen him or known him.”
This verse is awesome because it emphasizes the fact that it’s not enough to just “say sorry” for sins. We have to actually stop. The line “no one who keeps on sinning has either seen him or known him” is a perfect thing to reflect on. It makes us ask ourselves “Am I still doing the same sins even after I repent of them? And if so, have I really repented of them at all? Do I even really know Christ?”
Verse 8- “Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.” This is defiantly a personal favorite of mine now. All too often we judge ourselves on what we say to people rather than what we do for or to them. It reminds us that good actions speak for themselves, while good and truthful words only hold meaning if they have actions to back them up.
Verse 19-20 “by this we shall know that we are of the truth and reassure our hearts before him; for whenever our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and he knows everything.”
This verse hit home for me. Lately I have felt like heartache is gonna totally consume me, but just reading the verse calms me down. It’s so comforting to know even if I can’t handle something, the Lord can handle anything, he is more powerful than anything, and no matter what we are going through if we trust in him and have faith in his strength we can always make it through.
3:1 See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are.
This is such an awesome thought that I have been thinking about today! What kind of love is this!?!?!? It’s crazy. I was once an enemy of God. Because of my actions I hated him! But he adopted me and has made me his son! This love is one of those things that seems too good to be true but it is true!
Psyched to worship at True North United tomorrow night!
11 For this is the message that you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another.
This chapter makes it clear that love is much more than just something you profess; it is something you live out! This passage was talking specifically about love for other Christians, and it motivated me to reexamine my life. Do I go out of my way to demonstrate my love for my fellow believers in Christ by serving them? THis verse motivated me to step up my encouragement during the week and my attitude of service on the weekends, so that I can show my love for my Christian brothers by my actions!
3:16 By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers.
Christ showed the ultimate love to us through his death on the cross and we are called to show the same sacrificial love to our brothers and sisters in Christ. I’m pretty sure there’s room for drastic improvement here. We have problems just going up to a new person in True North and making them feel welcome, let alone showing our brothers this same sacrificial love of Christ! I need to step up my loving of my fellow brothers and sisters. I pray that God would enable me to love as Christ loved me!
6 No one who abides in him keeps on sinning; no one who keeps on sinning has either seen him or known him.
Once we become Christians our lives our transformed and we should no longer intentionally sin!! We will sin, no doubt about that but it no longer becomes an intentionall act!!
MARANATHA!!!!!!!!!!!!!
1 John 3
5 You know that he appeared to take away sins, and in him there is no sin. 6 No one who abides in him keeps on sinning; no one who keeps on sinning has either seen him or known him.
8 Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil.
10 By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother.
This chapter is crystal clear when it comes to sin and Christianity. Those who sin and practice lawlessness are not on God’s team but are controlled by evil. When pattern sin is master over our lives than God’s Spirit is far from us. The Christian life is evidenced by righteousness which comes from God. If we abide in God we cannot keep sinning over and over against him. If we lack the conviction of the Holy Spirit over our sin than His light is not in us. As we can see in these verses it is very clear who are of the light and who are of darkness. God wants his children to enjoy his full blessing for those who walk in righteousness with a clear conscience. Lord thank you for freedom from the bondage of sin that is found in your Son Jesus Christ.
6 No one who abides in him keeps on sinning; no one who keeps on sinning has either seen him or known him.
The good thing about the bible is it teaches us how to see if we ourselves are truly saved. It also helps give us confidence to stand firm in the faith and not stop standing for him. The bible greatly teaches us and prepares us on how to live our lives. What would we do without the bible? I lived a life of deceit and sin and had no idea i wasnt a Christian. Now i couldnt live without it! Thank God for the work he’s done in my life!
10 By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother.
Actions speak louder than words, even *instead of* words.
17 But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him? 18 Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.
These two verses directly tie into verse 10, above, talking about how people who have God’s love should and should not act. Really, I could *say* anything I want and it might sound good and righteous, but it could really be only words. I need to act on them and be helping fellow Christians in any way I can so that I am loving in my actions, not just words. Words are empty without actions to follow. This also reminds me of a point Pastor Bobby made in his sermon a few weeks a go that even if I don’t *mean* to hurt my friends, I *will* hurt them if I’m not actively *helping* or looking out for them.
16 By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers
This is so perfect to think about how we should love our brothers and sisters in Christ. I need to make sure that my fellow Christians always come first and that I am serving them whenever I can.