1 John 3 - No one who is born of God will continue to sin (verse 6-9)
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,[a] 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.
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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,[b] 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.
17 If 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.
19 This 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.
Footnotes:
- 1 John 3:2 Or when it is made known
- 1 John 3:13 The Greek word for brothers and sisters (adelphoi) refers here to believers, both men and women, as part of God’s family; also in verse 16.
Observation Questions
What has the father lavished on us? (verse 1)
Why Doesn't the world know us? (verse 1)
When shall we be like Christ? (verse 2)
What do those who have this hope do? (verse 3)
What is sin? (verse 4)
Is there any lawlessness in Christ? (verse 4-5)
If someone continues to sin, have they seen God or know God? (verse 6)
What is the one who does what is right? (verse 7)
Who is of the devil? (verse 8)
Why did the Son of God appear? (verse 8)
Why will no one who is born of God continue to sin? (verse 9)
How do we know who the children of God are? (verse 10)
How do we know who the children of the devil are? (verse 10)
Who's child does what is right and loves their brother and sister? (verse 10)
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What is the message we have heard from the beginning? (verse 11)
Why did Cain murder Abel? (verse 12)
Are we to be surprised if the world hates us? (verse 13)
How do we know that we have passed from death to life? (verse 14)
Who remains in death? (verse 14)
Does any murderer have eternal life residing in him? (verse 15)
How do we know what love is? (verse 16)
Ought we to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters? (verse 16)
What is an indicator of love in verse 17?
How are we to love? (verse 18)
How do we know that we belong to the truth? (verse 19-24)
How do we see our hearts at rest in his presence? (verse 19-24)
Does God know everything? (verse 20)
If our hearts do not condemn us, what do we have before God? (verse 21)
Why do we receive from the Father anything we ask? (verse 22-24)
What is God's command? (verse 23)
Who lives in God? (verse 24)
How do we know God lives in us? (verse 24)
Interpretation Questions
Describe what a child of God is.
What is the connection between verse 2 and 3?
What does verse 17 mean practically?
Is receiving from our Father anything we ask an indicator that we keep his commands and do what pleases him?
Thoughts
If 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?
Dear children,
let us not love with words or speech
but with actions and in truth. - verse 18
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