1 John 3:1-23

1 John 3:1. Behold,

For there is no greater wonder out of heaven than this: «Behold,»

1 John 3:1. What manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth it not, because it knew him not.

As we are called the sons of God, we are to be made like his only-begotten Son; and here is the beginning of the likeness, that, as the world did not know him, and therefore crucified him, so it does not know the other sons of God, and therefore spends its malice upon them whenever it can. Yet what a marvellous thing is this, what a wonder of divine condescension, that we who were the slaves of Satan, the children of disobedience, the heirs of wrath, should be called the sons of God! We can well accept the consequence of such a position without any very great sorrow: «Therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not.»

1 John 3:2. Beloved, now are we the sons of God,

Not merely in heaven, or when we come to die, but now, in this place, in our pain, in our sorrow, ay, notwithstanding our imperfections and infirmities, «Beloved, now are we the sons of God,»

1 John 3:2. And it doth not yet appear what we shall, be:

We are made like unto Christ; but when he was here, it did not then appear what he should be. If you had seen the lowly Nazarene, who was «despised and rejected of men,» could you have guessed what he will be in his glory when it shall please God to judge the world by Jesus Christ? So, in like manner, «it doth not yet appear what we shall be.»

1 John 3:2. But we know that, when he shall appear, we shall he like him; for we shall see him as he is.

Every spiritual sight of him is transforming. Our looking at him here makes us what we are, our looking at him at the last shall make us like what he is. Oh! what joy to know that the medicine for our souls is taken in at the eyes of faith, and by the sight of Christ we are healed!

1 John 3:3. And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure. The great object of the Christian's hope is perfect purification.

If we expect to be like Christ, we look for it in the putting away of sin, and in the girding on of all manner of excellence, and holiness, and loveliness, for therein will lie our likeness to Christ. Oh, that God would give us more and more of this Christ-likeness!

1 John 3:4. Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law. And ye know that he was manifested to take away our sins;

Not to let us live in them at ease, not to make sin become a pardonable matter, so that we might indulge in it, and yet hope to escape from its consequences. Oh, no! «He was manifested to take away our sins.»

1 John 3:5. And in him is no sin.

Whatever he does, it does not contribute to sin, but is the deadly antagonist of sin,

1 John 3:6. Whosoever abideth in him sinneth not: whosoever sinneth hath not seen him, neither known him.

The man who dwells in Christ is the holy man; but the man who lives in sin is no child of God, for he proves by his evil conduct that he has no vital union with Christ. The fruit of Christianity is holiness; and if thy life be a sinful one, if that be the main run and tenor of thy life, thou art none of his.

1 John 3:7. Little children, let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous.

He is practically righteous, he is truly righteous; but let no man talk about being righteous before God while he is willfully indulging in sin. This cannot be; thou must be divorced from sin, or thou canst not be married to Christ. The gospel demands and also creates holiness of character; and wherever it works effectively upon the heart and conscience, it produces purity in the life.

1 John 3:8. He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.

He did not come to make us easy while under the devil's sway, but to fetch us out from the tyrant's dominion, and lead us to live a godly, sober, righteous, pure life unto his praise and glory.

1 John 3:9. Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin;

That is to say, he does not live in it, it is not the tenor of his life. He is not outwardly so that others could convict him of it, or inwardly so that his own conscience could chide him with it, a man who loves sin.

1 John 3:9. For his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin because he is born of God.

Immortal principles forbid the child of God to sin; the new-born life within us keeps us holy. We have our imperfections and infirmities over which we mourn; but no child of God can live in sin, and love it. He hates it; he is like a sheep that may fall into the mire, but he will not wallow in it, as the swine do. As soon as possible, he is up again out of the mud and the filth. He goes sorrowing, with broken bones, when he perceives that he has grieved his God. His life as a whole is a holy life.

1 John 3:10. In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother.

An unlovely spirit is also self-condemnatory as being an unholy spirit; in fact, want of love is want of righteousness. There are some who profess to be so righteous that they condemn everybody else, and they have no bowels of compassion for those who are suffering in consequence of their fault. But oh, beloved, it is one thing to hate sin, and it is another thing to hate the sinner! Let your indignation burn against everything that is evil; but still, towards him who has done the wrong have ever the gentle thought of pity, and for him present the prayer that he may leave his sin, and turn unto his gracious God. It may be difficult to reach this point; but there should always be just that happy mixture in the mind and heart of the child of God, love to the sinner and hatred of his sin.

1 John 3:11. For this is the message that ye heard from the beginning, that we should love one another. Not as Cain, who was of that wicked one, and slew his brother. And wherefore slew he him? Because his own works were evil, and his brother's righteous.

And there is no hate like that, the hate of a bad man towards a good one, not for doing him any wrong, but simply for rebuking him by the silent eloquence of his holy life. Men who love sin cannot endure the sight of virtue; and if they cannot kill the good man, they will try to kill his reputation. They sneer, and say, «Ah, he is as bad as others, no doubt, if you could only find him out!» That is exactly the spirit of Cain, «who was of that wicked one, and slew his brother.»

1 John 3:13. Marvel not, my brethren, if the world hate you. We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death. Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him. Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. But whoso hath this world's good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?

Perhaps he will do it on what he calls «principle.» He thinks it is wrong to help his needy brother, so he says; but however he may put it, the Holy Spirit asks this searching question, «Whose hath this world's good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?»

1 John 3:18. My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth. And hereby we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before him.

Full assurance comes very much this way, by a practical carrying out of the law of love.

1 John 3:20. For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things.

Which we do not; and, therefore, our condemnation can never be so heavy as the condemnation which God will bring upon us. Let the man, whose own conscience accuses him, question himself as to how he will stand in the presence of the all-seeing God.

1 John 3:21. Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God.

If we can feel in our own bosoms that, by divine grace, we have been led to be honest, and upright, and true, before the Lord, «then have we confidence toward God.»

1 John 3:22. And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight.

Notice those conditions of answered prayer; we cannot expect God to grant us our wishes if we do not conform to his will. Holiness has a great deal to do with power in prayer. It is not every man who prays who shall have whatever he asks for; but it is put so here, and it is notable that it is so put, «Whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight.» This is not mere legality, this is not a matter of work-mongering. When we become God's children, he treats us as a father treats his child. You know what you do with a boy who is disobedient; he asks you for something that he wants, and you say, «No, I cannot grant you that; your conduct is such that I cannot let you have the pleasures that otherwise I would be pleased to give you.» But you have another boy, who is very careful in all things to do his father's will; and you have marked the anxiety of his heart to be obedient to you, and you say, «Yes, my dear child, you may have whatever you want. I know that you would not have asked for it if you had not thought that it would be agreeable to my mind; and as you have asked that which is suitable for me to give, you may have it, and I am glad to give it to you.» So is it in the fatherly discipline of the house of God; if we do those things which are pleasing in his sight, we shall have power to prevail with him in prayer.

1 John 3:23. And this is his commandment, That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave us commandment. And he that keepeth his commandments dwelleth in him, and he in him.

That is a great mystery, for us to dwell in God, and for God to dwell in us. It is even so, but only he who knows it can understand it. Experience alone can explain our dwelling in God and God dwelling in us.

1 John 3:24. And hereby we know that he abideth in us, by the Spirit which he hath given us.

Holy Spirit, dwell in me, and teach me the meaning of this precious Word, for Christ's sake! Amen.