https://youtu.be/eR7ABqxPcgk Verse 5: God is Light 5 This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light, and there is absolutely no darkness in him. John’s first epistle is all about “life”: “the word of Life” (v.1), “the life” (v.2), and “the eternal life” (v.2). Therefore, John begins by …
Theological Reflections: 1st John 2:28 – 3:10
1 John 2:28–3:10 (CSB) — 28 So now, little children, remain in him so that when he appears we may have confidence and not be ashamed before him at his coming. 29 If you know that he is righteous, you know this as well: Everyone who does what is right has been born of him. …
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Our Supernatural Rebirth: Titus 3:4-5
Titus 3:4–5 (CSB) — 4 But when the kindness of God our Savior and his love for mankind appeared, 5 he saved us—not by works of righteousness that we had done, but according to his mercy—through the washing of regeneration and renewal by the Holy Spirit. Salvation is a supernatural experience that cannot be accomplished …
The Children of God vs. The Children of the Devil: 1st John 3:10
This is how God’s children and the devil’s children become obvious. Whoever does not do what is right is not of God, especially the one who does not love his brother or sister. This introduces us to the concept that conduct exposes certain spiritual realities, and prepares us for John’s discourse on the supreme spiritual …
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Who is Born of God? 1st John 3:9
Everyone who has been fathered by God does not practice sin, because God’s seed resides in him, and thus he is not able to sin, because he has been fathered by God. John unapologetically repeats his assertion that the nature of God is the foundation of Christian life and experience. We display the nature of …
Who is of the Devil? 1st John 3:8
The one who practices sin is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was revealed: to destroy the works of the devil. John now contrasts the one who practices righteousness and is of Christ with the one who does what is sinful and …
Who is Righteous? 1st John 3:7
Children, let no one deceive you. The one who does what is right is righteous, just as he is righteous. John’s tender affection for his readers causes him to remind them of the peril of their situation and to be on guard against those who want to lead them astray by convincing them that the …
No Sin in Christ: 1st John 3:6
No one who abides in him keeps on sinning; no one who keeps on sinning has either seen him or known him. This verse is the natural deduction of the previous proposition regarding Christ’s mission and sinless nature. John has already talked about God’s Word abiding in his readers (1st John 2:14) and their need …
His Mission and Nature: 1st John 3:5
You know that he was revealed so that he might take away sins, and there is no sin in him. This sentence is composed of a compound οἴδατε ὅτι (“you know that”) clause asserting two truths about Jesus: the mission and personal nature of Jesus Christ revealed in this verse is the foundation for the …
Sin and Lawlessness: 1st John 3:4b
Everyone who practices sin also practices lawlessness; indeed, sin is lawlessness. John refutes the gnostic notion that one can be innocent of sin while practicing lawlessness by connecting sin and lawlessness together and showing that they are one and the same. And this doctrine is particularly relevant to the Church today as many pulpits teach …