Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed. (John 20:29)
The love of God is beyond human understanding. We are unable to fully comprehend the height and depth of such love. It is bestowed upon us daily, continually, and despite our acceptance of it or of God. Yes, even those who do not believe in God reap the benefits of His love for His creation. We will find in this lesson that the apostle John defends that love, defines sin, and teaches the believers (little children of God) to beware the temptation of men to change the simplicity of the plan of salvation. Some of the problems addressed are active in the world today. Many attempt to draw men away from the love of Jesus. They cast doubts about His loving kindness and long-suffering toward us. Renew your mind and confidence in the love of God as we study. Renew and revive in the joy and peace of knowing that your creator loves you.
Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not.
The word behold is in the Scriptures 1,298 times. Each time, it is there to cause us to pause, to consider, and to look more closely at a truth that may easily slip past unnoticed. Behold! John is talking to the church. Being born into the family of God creates an intimate and loving relationship.
And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father. Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ. (Galatians 4:6-7).
Abba is the familiar and intimate name given to a father. We are invited to be close to our heavenly Father. John says that the world will not understand us, those who don’t know Him simply can’t understand the security and joy found in His children. But rather seek ye the kingdom of God; and all these things shall be added unto you. Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom. (Luke 12:31-32).
Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.
We are God’s children, born again by the Spirit of God, and things born naturally grow. Our end state is beyond what we can imagine. I don’t know what we will look like in Heaven. There is a mystery that surrounds what lies beyond this life. But we will be His children when we die, and we will be like our Father. Our bodies now look the same, but the work of the Holy Spirit is to change us daily from the inside.
What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's. (1 Corinthians 6: 19-20).
Many people worry about what we will become after death. Will we have a body? Will we look the same? Jesus did a wonderful thing for us in His written word. He appeared to many after His resurrection (in His resurrected body) and the New Testament writers documented it. John reminds us that the disciples saw him, touched him, and ate with him. In fact, John repeats this three times in the first chapter. Why? Because there were people of that day that had already tried to change the story of Jesus. They were known as Gnostics. They believed there was a God but that Jesus could not have been both man and God. That idea still circulates today. Though we do not know the specifics of what we shall be, we know what the scriptures say of Jesus’ resurrected body. We will be like Him, and we will be able to stand in His presence and speak with Him face to face in our new body.
And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure. 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; and in him is no sin.
In previous verses, John discussed the sinful nature of man and that if any man said he had not sin, he was a liar. No one overcomes sin without the power of the Holy Spirit, and as we grow in Christ, our sin loses its draw more and more, and pleasing our Father becomes the earnest desire of our hearts. We’re here to learn what we need to know to live in eternity with God.
If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man's religion is vain. Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world. (James 1:25-26).
We are peculiar people. Wwe are taught not to render evil for evil, to love those that are hard to love, to be wise as a serpent and harmless as a dove, and much more that separates us from the world and what modern culture says we should do. Jesus came in love to be the sinless sacrifice that would take away our sin and restore us back to God, and when He ascended to the Father, He left a Comforter whose job it is to teach us, correct us, and guide us in the ways of God.
Whosoever abideth in him sinneth not: whosoever sinneth hath not seen him, neither known him.
It would be foolish to think this verse is saying that once you believe, you are incapable of sin. Do not be deceived. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us. (1 John 1:8-10).
However, you either live for God, or you live as a servant to your own sin. A believer can not abide in sin, they are continually leaving it behind. Part of becoming a believer is the repentance of sin, followed by submission to God and acceptance of the atonement of Jesus’ death and the new life demonstrated by His resurrection. Living in the love of God changes a person from the inside out. Abiding in this new relationship, a believer is not going to continue unchanged, making the same life choices they made in the past. They seek to please God and keep His commandments. John is saying actions speak louder than words. If there is no change, if there is no sign of new life, then they do not yet know God.
Little children, let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous.
Back in the day, there was a commercial about a little boy and his father. Whatever the father did, the son tried to do exactly the same way. That is the way it is with God. We act in the right ways because we imitate the way our Father acts. We represent Him. False teachers make excuses for men and women to continue unrepentant in their sins because God loves them. John makes clear that a loving God wants something better for His children, do not be deceived by what false teachers say, it matters what you do. A godly life is a repentant life; growth can be hard and even frustrating, but it is for our eternal good.
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.
The most well-known Bible verse about God’s love is in the gospel of John. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. (John 3: 16-17).
The whole purpose of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection was to obey His Father and bring Glory to Him by providing a rescue plan for the creation that He loved. Satan hates the authority and purpose of God and seeks to kill, steal, and destroy. The believer follows Christ to turn away from the works of evil that separate us from the father, and turns toward the immense and overwhelming love of God.
Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.
When a Christian is born, he has the precious gift of the Holy Spirit. It dwells within us, guiding, leading, and teaching us. We are His family. Our desires are changed by our connection to the Father. Our thinking changes. Our relationships change. We are no longer slaves to sin. Still, there is a battle that wars between our human nature and our spiritual nature. John reminds us that when we fall short, transgress, and sin, we have an advocate, a big brother, to speak on our behalf and to take our sins upon himself.
My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world. ( 1 John 2: 1-2).
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.
Let’s live a life that makes it clear who we belong to. Those abiding in Christ will love as He loves. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8: 37-39).
Is your relationship with God more formal than personal?
Can you speak to God as Abba Father - knowing that you are accepted and loved? Do you tell him everything and surrender your will to His?
How do your actions reflect the love of God to those around you in an obvious way?
Thank you for studying with us! God bless!
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