1st Letter of John 3
3.1-2 We are children of God
Here John explains that God loves us like a father loves his children.
1 God the Father loves us very much.
That is why God says:
You are my children.
In truth, we are children of God.
The people of this world do not understand this.
Why?
Because the people of this world do not know our Father God.
2 My friends, we are already children of God.
In truth, we do not know what we will be like in the future.
One day, Jesus will come again.
That day
- we will see all the glory and power of Jesus,
- Jesus will change us, and
- we will be like him.
3.3-10 The children of God do not keep on sinning
Here John explains that we must be holy, like Jesus, and stop sinning.
3 Jesus is holy and never sinned.
The person who wants to be like Jesus should not sin anymore.
4 What is sin?
Ignoring God’s laws.
The person who keeps on sinning ignores God’s laws.
5 Why did Jesus come into the world?
To cleanse all people from sin.
Jesus never sinned.
You already know that.
6 Some people do not keep on sinning.
Those people are friends of Jesus.
Other people keep on sinning.
Those people do not understand who Jesus is and don’t know him.
7 Don’t let anyone deceive you.
The person who obeys God is holy, just like Jesus.
8 Since the very beginning the devil always sinned.
People who keep on sinning are children of the devil.
Why did Jesus, the Son of God, come into the world as a human?
To destroy all the evil things the devil has done.
9 What happens when a person decides to love God?
1. God says: “that person is my child.”
2. God gives new life to him.
3. That person cannot keep on sinning.
Why?
Because now he is a child of God.
10 How do we know who is a child of God and who is a child of the devil?
God’s children do good things and love other believers.
The devil’s children do bad things and hate believers.
3.11-18 We must love one another
Here John explains that when you hate other people, you are spiritually dead.
11 You must love one another.
This is one of the first teachings you heard.
12 Cain and Abel were brothers.
But Cain killed Abel.
Why?
Because Abel did good deeds and Cain did bad deeds.
Cain was a son of the devil.
You must not be like Cain.
13 The people of the world will hate you.
You already know that.
14 In the past our spirit was dead.
But now our spirit is alive.
We know that.
Why?
Because now we love other people.
If you do not love other people, then you are spiritually dead.
15 Hating another person is the same as killing him.
If you kill other people, then you do not have eternal life.
You already know that.
16 Jesus sacrificed his own life and died for us.
This is an example of true love.
We must do the same for other people.
17 I have an example.
A person from the church
- is rich and
- can buy all the things he needs.
Another person from the church
- is poor and
- cannot buy the things he needs.
If the rich person doesn’t help the poor person, it shows that this rich person doesn’t really have God’s love in his heart.
18 Some people show love only with words.
That is not right!
We must also show love with real actions.
What does this mean?
We must help other people.
3.19-22 Don’t be afraid of God
Here John explains that God forgave our sins, and therefore we should not be afraid of him.
19-22 How can we be sure that we know God and are not afraid in his presence?
Maybe we think:
I am bad.
God must punish me.
But God knows everything.
He is bigger than our thoughts.
That is why we should think:
God has already forgotten my sins.
Because of that, we are no longer afraid of God.
In fact, we can be close to God and ask him for anything.
God will give us what we ask for.
Why?
Because
- we obey God and
- God is happy with us.
3.23-24 We must believe, love, and obey
23 God wants us to do these 2 things.
1. We must believe in Jesus Christ, his Son.
2. We must love one another just like Jesus taught us.
24 The person who obeys God is connected to God.
God is connected to that person.
How do we know that God is connected to us?
Because God gave the Holy Spirit to us.