I John 3 (NIV)

Summary:

Children of God
Verses 1-10

"How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!  And that is what we are!" (Verse 1a)

The world doesn't know us because it didn't know Him.  Now we are God's children; we don't know what we will be in the future.  But, when He appears, we'll be like Him because we'll see Him as He is.  Everyone who has this hope in Him purifies themself, as He is pure.

Sin is breaking the law.  It is lawlessness.  Christ appeared to remove our sin.  In Him there is no sin.  If we live in Him, we stop sinning.  If we continue to sin, we neither have seen or known Him.  Don't let anyone lead you astray.  If you do right, you are righteous, as He is righteous.  Those that sin are of the devil because the devil has been sinning since the beginning.

"The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil's work." (Verse 8b)

No one born of God continues to sin, because God's seed remains in them.

"This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not a child of God; nor is anyone who does not love [their] brother [or sister]." (Verse 10)

Love One Another
Verses 11-24

The message we've heard from the beginning is this: we should love one another.  Don't be like Cain, who belonged to the evil one.  He murdered his brother, because his actions were evil and Abel's were righteous.  Don't be surprised if the world hates you.  We know we've passed from death into life, because we love others.  If we do not love, we remain in death.  Anyone that hates others is a murderer; no murderer has eternal life in Him.

"This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down His life for us.  And we ought to lay down our lives for [others]." (Verse 16)

If we have material possessions and see another in need, but have no pity on them, how can we have God's love?

"...let us not love with words...but with actions and in truth." (Verse 18)

This is how we know we belong to the truth and how our hearts are at rest in His presence whenever our hearts condemn us.  God is greater than our hearts and He knows all.  If our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God and receive anything we ask, because we obey and please Him.

"And this is His command: to believe in the name of His Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as He commanded us." (Verse 23)

If we obey His commands, we live in Him and Him in us.  We know He lives in us by the Spirit He gave us.

Lori's Thoughts:

If we stop to think about verse 1, we will be humbled.  We deserve to die, because we are wretched.  But, God deeply loves us.  I think once we truly understand this, we'll stop competing with each other and start seeing others as God does.  We're His children.

John says that once we see Him, when He returns, we will be like Him.  When Moses was given glimpses of God, his face was changed.  No one could look him directly in the face, so he wore a veil until the glory of God faded from him.  One day, we will see God and become a reflection of His glory forever.  If we were made in His image, before there was sin, maybe sin disfigured us.  When we will be in His presence, sin will be completely eradicated.  Thus, we will be refigured into what He had originally planned for us.  I'm definitely looking forward to no more pain.  My spine won't be crooked, my big toe won't be deformed, my wrists will no longer develop cysts...  But, while I'm waiting, I will lean on the Lord.  He will sustain me.

When it comes to the plan of salvation, there are only two sides.  Even if you do not choose the devil's side, if you fail to choose God's, you will automatically be on the devil's side.  There's no pretty way to say this.  You may have been deterred from following God because of someone's misrepresentation of Him.  Look at the Catholic priests you keep hearing about on the news.  My father, a devout Adventist, went to prison for domestic violence.  Neither the priests nor my father are God!  I ran from God for a few years.  Then I was inspired to discover Him for myself.  I believe that the priests and my father were religious in practice, but had no relationship with God.  Why?  Because they did not do right.  Those of us that know God, for real, naturally do right and love each other.

Let me rewrite this verse: "...let us not love with words...but with actions and in truth." (Verse 18)  True Christians spend less time talking and more time helping you with your broken down car, lending you money so you can pay for tuition, giving you their coat because you were cold, asking you if you're okay because you look sad today...  We live in a competitive world and everyone wants to feel like they matter.  But, if we stop trying to be number one and we start taking care of each other... if every person takes care of one other person, then everyone will know that they matter.  If God's love truly lives in you, you won't keep it to yourself.  You'll be so excited over this treasure that you found and want everyone else to experience it as well.  But, then you'll hit a brick wall when you realize that the world hates you and refuses to hear what you have to say about God.  It sucks.  If only they knew that He is the only answer for the weight of the world on their shoulders.  We can't tell people about God if they don't want to listen.  However, we can show them God's love by what we do.  And people are powerless against our prayers for them.  This is what John means when he tells us to lay down our lives for others.  We are no longer first.  Self-love is never as fulfilling as love for others.  Even if you only ever get loved back from one other person, that's double the love you will ever experience from loving just yourself.