Bible Version: New International Version (NIV)
Application Notes: Life Application Study Bible (NIV)
1 JOHN 3
1 See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. 2 Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. 3 All who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure.
4 Everyone who sins breaks the law; in fact, sin is lawlessness. 5 But you know that he appeared so that he might take away our sins. And in him is no sin. 6 No one who lives in him keeps on sinning. No one who continues to sin has either seen him or known him.
7 Dear children, do not let anyone lead you astray. The one who does what is right is righteous, just as he is righteous. 8 The one who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work. 9 No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God’s seed remains in them; they cannot go on sinning, because they have been born of God. 10 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 God’s child, nor is anyone who does not love their brother and sister.
More on Love and Hatred
11 For this is the message you heard from the beginning: We should love one another. 12 Do not be like Cain, who belonged to the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own actions were evil and his brother’s were righteous. 13 Do not be surprised, my brothers and sisters, if the world hates you. 14 We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love each other. Anyone who does not love remains in death. 15 Anyone who hates a brother or sister is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life residing in him.
16 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 our brothers and sisters. 17If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person? 18 Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.
19This is how we know that we belong to the truth and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence: 20 If our hearts condemn us, we know that God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything. 21 Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God 22 and receive from him anything we ask, because we keep his commands and do what pleases him. 23 And this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us. 24 The one who keeps God’s commands lives in him, and he in them. And this is how we know that he lives in us: We know it by the Spirit he gave us.
Application Notes
3:1-24 First John 3:1 tells us who we are-members of God's family, "children of God." The next verse tells us who we are becomingreflections of God. The rest of the chapter tells us what we have as we become more like Jesus: (1) victory over sin (3:4-9), (2) love for others (3:10-18), and (3) confidence before God (3:19-24).
3:1 As believers, our self-worth comes from the fact that God loves us and calls us his children. W are his children now, not just sometime in the distant future. Knowing that we are God's children should encourage us to live as Jesus did. (For more on being part of God's family, see Romans 8:14-17; Galatians 3:26-27; 4:6-7.)
3:2-3 Believing in Christ begins the process of becoming more and more like him (see Romans 8:29). This process continues until we see Christ face-to-face (1 Corinthians 13:12; Philippians 3:21). We don't know exactly how we'll be like him, but we do know that we will have eternal resurrected bodies. We will be free from sin and pain, and we will have much more understanding than we do now on earth. Knowing our ultimate destiny motivates us to keep morally pure and free from the corruption of sin. It also gives us hope as we struggle with sin because we know that one day we will be totally sinless like Jesus. God purifies us, but we must also take steps to remain pure (see 1 Timothy 5:22; James 4:8; 1 Peter 1:22). Every time we resist a temptation or turn from sin, we become more like Jesus.
3:4-9 There is a difference between committing a sin and continuing to sin. Even the most faithful believers sin, but they do not cherish a particular sin or continually choose to commit it. A believer who commits a sin can repent, confess it, and find forgiveness. A person who deliberately continues to sin, by contrast, is not sorry for what he or she is doing and does not repent of it. Thus, this person never confesses!e1r sin and never receives forgiveness. Such a person stands in opposition to God, regardless of his or her religious claims.
3:5 Under the Old Testament sacrifice system, a lamb without blemish would be offered as a sacrifice for sin. Jesus is "the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world" (John 1:29). Because Jesus lived a perfect life and sacrificed himself for our sins, we can be completely forgiven (1 John 2:2). We can look back to his death for us and know that we need never suffer eternal death (1 Peter 1:18-20).
3:8-9 We all have areas where temptation is strong and habits are hard to conquer. These weaknesses give the devil a foothold, so we must deal with our areas of vulnerability. If we are struggling with a particular sin, however, these verses are not directed at us, even if for the present, we seem to keep on sinning. John is not talking about people whose victories are still incomplete; he is talking about people who make a practice of sinning and look for ways to justify it.
Three steps are necessary to find victory over prevailing sin: (1) Seek the power of the Holy Spirit and God's Word; (2) stay away from tempting situations; and (3) seek the help of the body of Christ, being open to their willingness to hold you accountable and to pray for you.
3:9 "No one who is born of God will continue to sin" means that true believers do not carelessly or purposely continue to sin, nor do they become indifferent to God's moral law. All believers still sin, but they are working consciously to gain victory over sin. That "God's seed remains in them" means that true believers do not make a practice of sinning, because God's new life has been born into them.
3:9 We are "born of God" when the Holy Spirit lives in us and gives us Jesus' new life. Being born again is more than just having a fresh start; we experience rebirth and receive a new family name based on Christ's death for us. When this happens, God forgives us and totally accepts us, and the Holy Spirit gives us new minds and hearts, lives in us, and begins helping us become like Christ. Our perspective changes, too, because the Holy Spirit renew our mind day by day (see Romans 12:2; Ephesians 4:22-24). Because of this, we will begin to think and act differently. (For more on being born again, see John 3:1-21.)
3:12-13 Cain killed his brother, Abel, when God accepted Abel's offering and not his (Genesis 4:1-16). Abel's offering showed that Cain was not giving his best to God, and Cain's jealous anger drove him to murder. The lives of people who are godly contrast with those who are not. That exposure often angers those who are sinning because they can see their own shortcomings in sharp relief. If we live for God, the world will often hate us, because we make them painfully aware of their sin. Jesus warned his disciples about this kind of hostility (John 15:18-19).
3:15 John echoes Jesus' teaching that whoever hates another person commits murder in his or her heart (Matthew 5:21-22). Following Christ must bring change deep in the heart; outward compliance to good practices alone falls short. Bitterness against someone who has wronged you works like an evil cancer within you and will eventually destroy you if you let it remain. Don't let a "bitter root" (Hebrews 12:15) grow in you, your family, your community, or your church.
3:16 Real love leads to action, not just feelings. It produces selfless, sacrificial giving. The greatest act of love is giving oneself for others. How can we "lay down our lives"? By serving others with no thought of receiving anything in return. To say we'll die for others can be easier than truly living for them. Doing so involves putting their desires first. Jesus taught this same principle of love in John 15:13.
3:17-18 These verses give an example of how to "lay down our lives· for others--helping those in need. This is strikingly similar to James·s teaching (James 2:14-17). Both James and John witnessed Jesus practicing this throughout his ministry and in his sacrifice on the cross for all who trust in him. How clearly do your actions say you really love others? Are you as generous as God wants you to be with your money, possessions, and time?
3:19-20 Many are afraid that they don't love others as they should. They feel guilty because they think they are not doing enough to show proper love to Christ. Their consciences bother them. John has these people in mind in this letter. How do we overcome the gnawing accusations of our consciences? Not by ignoring them or rationalising our behaviour, but by letting God's love calm our hearts and quiet our overactive consciences. When we feel guilty, we should remind ourselves that God knows our motives as well as our actions. His voice of assurance is stronger than the accusing voice of our consciences, which is often activated by Satan. If we are in Christ, he will not condemn us; that is what Satan does (Romans 8:1; Hebrews 9:14-15). So if you love the Lord but feel that you are not living up to his expectations, don't let your guilt overwhelm you. Focus on the Father's deep love for you. Ask him to rule over your feelings.
3:21-22 If your conscience is clear, you can come to God without fear, confident that he will hear your requests. John reaffirms Jesus' promise that whatever we ask for will be given to us (Matthew 7:7; also see Matthew 21:22; John 9:31; 15:7). You will receive what you ask for if you obey and do what pleases God because you will be asking in line with his will. He will help you desire only what he wants. Of course, this does not mean that you can have anything you want, like instant riches. If you are truly seeking God's will, there are some requests you will not make.
3:23-24 This mutual relationship, living in Christ as he lives in us, shows itself in Christians who keep these three essential commands: (1) Believe in Christ, (2) love others. and (3) live obedient lives in close fellowship with God. The Spirit's presence is not only spiritual and mystical but also practical. Our conduct verifies his presence.
3:23 In biblical times, a person's name often stood for his or her character. It represented who that person really was. We are to believe not only in Jesus' words but also in his essential nature and who he is as the Son of God. Moreover, to believe "in the name" means to pattern your life after Christ's, to become more like him by uniting with him in his love for everyone. As we live like Christ, we will love one another.
Taken from Life Application Study Bible - Third Edition - (NIV)