Three Realities for the Children of God That Empower Shameless Living | 1 John 2:28–3:3

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John introduction

As we get back into 1 John we can reorient ourselves again with the overall context and refresh on two key concepts before diving into our text:
Collin Kruse writes:
There is a group from the church body who had separated and spread confusion amongst the church body
Collin Kruse:
As a result of the confusion, these believers began to question whether they really knew God, whether they really were experiencing eternal life, and whether they were really in the truth. The author of 1 John wrote to bolster the assurance of such people by providing them with criteria they could use to evaluate the claims being made by the secessionists and with which they could reassure themselves that they were in the truth
The Letters of John Major Theological Themes

The readers’ assurance is to be grounded on God’s testimony about his Son, their own godly living, loving action and concern for fellow believers, their obedience to the love command, and the Spirit’s testimony to Christ

The book as a whole force’s us to have Assurance/Eternal Security in mind. Therefore it may be helpful to pause and describe both very briefly:
Eternal Security is the Objective hope that comes from God in that the true believer cannot be lost by Christ and will endure in their faith in Christ into eternity with God because of Christ’ power to finish what he started.Rom 8:38-39, Phil 1:6, Eph 1:13
“All genuine Christians persevere, but not all of them have assurance—and some non-Christians have false assurance. If you have assurance, you are convinced that you have eternal life—that you are a born-again Christian "- Andrew Naselli No Quick Fix
Assurance is, the reinforcement or confidence after examining your life against God’s truth, you are confident you are in Christ and have nothing to be ashamed of at His Return.
John’s letter is written with these two concepts in mind writing to believers and providing clarity for who is actually a believer or who can have assurance and discern that of others who may be straying.
We now pick up the Main statement leading into our text.
1 John 2:28–3:3 (NASB95PARA):
28a Now, little children, abide in Him, Main Statement
The “Now” draws our attention to the present! What do we do with the writings and clarity John has given up to this point.
Who is the little children
John 13:33–35 (NASB 95)
33 Little children, ....35 By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”
The disciples of Christ, those who have love for one another and follow the faith handed down from Christ.
What is abiding but to Remain in Christ- this is to continue in Christ teaching as handed down. The teaching that God is light and all that it encompasses as we live among the temptations of the world.
Following the description as disciples, the believer is to stay in the teaching and discipleship handed down from Christ. Here we can drop our two concepts from above: We are commanded to abide in Christ and to the extend that we do so is the extend of our assurance. When we stumble we may lean on our eternal security but we must realign and repent in order to regain assurance.
28b so that when He appears, Temporal 28c
How long is John exhorted this church to remain in Christ? All the way until Christ appears! Judging by the fact that we are all still here and He has not returned yet, this means that right here and now those believers and all believers of today are called to abide. Our hope is always in Christ but the evidence of that hope but go beyond one moment of human strength in a single proclamation but to a life dependence on Christ in sanctification and the daily fight putting off the flesh and putting on Christ righteousness.
28c [so that]we may have confidence Purpose 28a
The motivation for abiding? Why do the lifetime of fighting?
Confidence is the motive here for this abiding. Not a confidence in self but a confidence that our dependence on Christ is genuine and will be accepted by Him when he returns.
John Parallel’s this motive with the alternative to be ashamed.
Stated in the negative we can read the alternative: rather than rejoicing in Christ’ return, the one not abiding would be struck with shame and trying to hide. Like and Adam and Even who thought that could hide from the all knowing and all seeing God.
28d and not shrink away from Him, in shame at His coming. Parallel 28c
coinciding with this lack on confidence in Christ is a retreat from Christ. What would cause this shame to someone who is not abiding?
some examples of Scripture of what this time will look like and some exhortations for what that implies for right now.
To bring the weight of this moment fresh in our minds we can reflect three additional descriptive passages in Scripture.
Rev 6:15-17 The kings and great men of the earth will flee to the caves and mountains asking for death rather than face the glory of God and the wrath that comes with it. Christ return will overpower the greatest leaders and rulers of the earth.
1 Thess 5:2-11 reminds us that this moment will happen quickly! It is described like a woman going into labor. Once it begins you do not have time to pack now and prepare. This is something you must remain expectant for. Paul compares it to a thief as well. The idea is this is not something to live in the back of your mind. It will happen while the world is saying Peace and Safety! Then the chance to prepare will be gone and the wrath of the Lamb will be upon all mankind.
Matt 25: 1-13 This same sentiment is shared by Jesus himself in his parable of the 10 Virgins who were unprepared to meet the bridegroom. You cannot use someone’s else’ readiness in this moment.
What a picture John is calling us too. To recall our expectant hope in the return of Christ and upon reflecting on our lives either stand confidently abiding in Christ or to try and hide because we did not give any real thought to our current living presuming “today would not be the day”.
After John has reminded these believers of these truth’s a believer may respond wrong or right:
a believer may have an insecure confidence that leads to a deep despair at the reality of one’s own sin. Striving to attain assurance without a proper understanding of eternal security will lead to despair.
One cannot have confidence at Christ coming relying soley on eternal security. Shameless living is necessary to have assurance looking forward to Christ coming.
In light of this exhortation to abide in Christ and prevent these responses. John calls us to recall the following 3 realities of the children of God to empower shameless living

Three realities for the children of God that empowers shameless living

Read: 29 - the first reality:

29 If you know that He is righteous, you know that everyone also who practices righteousness is born of Him.

The Present Reality of the children of God that empowers shameless living vv 2:29

29a If you know that He is righteous, Conditional 29b
29b you know that everyone also….. is born of Him Explanation 28a
29c ……who practices righteousness.... Relative 29b
Being Born of God and knowing he is righteous empower’s shameless living
The foundation to shameless is recognizing the need for a the new birth that only the Father can provide and seeing the righteousness of Christ. This clarity prevents the despair response knowing it is God’s work at the new birth and the practice of righteousness is a response to the illumination of Christ’ righteousness.
This present reality empowers shameless living by fighting the temptation for a sinful complacency leading to a false confidence before Christ by bringing in the natural response to these truths in a practice of righteousness.
He is righteous and he will be pleased with righteousness. This is what it means to be born again. To be a new creation with new desire’s bent towards pleasing God.
the present reality of Christ righteousness and the new birth empowers shameless living by grounding the believer in the truth’s of our dependence on God simultaneously with sobering the believer in an evaluation of their life.
pursuit of christlikeness is not a secondary matter to a profession of faith, it is an essential piece as John highlights. A natural condition of those who are born again.
John is telling us Shameless living is not something that we can turn on and off when we feel like it but must be an abiding characteristic of our lives. Let us not be like the virgins who fell asleep and then hope to “borrow” someone else’ righteousness from our neighbor.
As we fall short of Christ he remains our standard regardless of humanities standard. to be ready for Christ return and ensure we are confident before him , we must presently look to Jesus and his righteousness as our hope and confidence. We must also presently look to Jesus as our example of present practice. This will require a lifetime of repentance keeping our sights set on Christ’ righteousness and not on man’s. Let us not be found with unrepentant sin in our hearts!
It is in this present state that we must remain in. The present reality of Christ righteousness character and the new birth that empowers shameless living.
Read 3:1 Our next reality
1 John 3:1 “1 See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we would be called children of God; and such we are. For this reason the world does not know us, because it did not know Him.”

The Imparted Reality of the children of God that empowers shameless living vv 3:1

1a See how great a love Main Statement
In light of the present reality above, John pauses on the imparted gift that empowers shameless living. The love of God.
to read it literally has the Father imparted to us (NASB provides for us the Great). John tells us “what sort of Love” / “what kind of Love” / “What manner of Love” . This emphasis is that this love is to be pondered and dwelled upon! As we set our sights on the Love of God we come to the the imparted reality that empowers shameless living.
1b the Father has bestowed on us, Explanatory 1a
After assessing our present lives above, John provides the hopeful truth and reflection on the Love from the Father. The Father is the one with the power to Judge and yet he is the one who has bestowed this Love on us. Christ is doing the work of the Father and they are in unison. The trinity as a whole and all the power of God is behind the Love of God to empower those who are born again.
What is the imparted reality from the Father?
1c that we would be called children of God; and such we are. Result 1a
We can be confident before God to live shamelessly by remembering the gift of God and loving action toward us. That he has adopted us as His children.
The previous verse solidifies the need for shameless living for assurance while this verse grounds us in the security of the Father to prevent despair.
To read the flow verse it could be said that this imparted reality:
Stir’s up gratefulness on supreme quality of the Fathers Love
Stir’s up dependence on the Father as the giver of this Love
Set’s us apart from the world as the receiver’s of this Love.
READ 2X
this distinction is addressed further in the next verse
1d For this reason the world does not know us, Causal 1c
Having a right expectation for life in this world is essential for shameless living. Having the Father’s live and being born of Him will cause separation and distance from those who don’t:
Knowing a life reborn and practicing righteousness will be foreign to the sinful humanity bent towards self and against God. John picks this up just a bit later in the book in 3:13 saying do not be surprised if the world hates you
this expectation is necessary and its importance may be seen today in many who have gone astray today.
The specific circumstances may have changed but the truth’s here affected the believers John is writing too the same as us. Today there is a temptation to assume shameless living is wrong because of how it makes others feel. The source of hate from the world is misdiagnosed.
This passage puts the cause of this unfamiliar distancing as the specific Love of God given to some and not others. This truth reminds us of the dividing the wheat from the Tare’s when Christ returns. To remain in the truth as revealed in Christ to have confidence and not the newest truth from the world.
The newest truth from the world tries to explain the source of this unfamiliar distancing as a lack of the general Love of God that was given to all.
Looking at this from the opposite is to be known by the world and therefore familiar with the practices of the world in fellowship. Because the World does not see the great love of God, the world’s great hope is to live in unrighteousness now and risk the shame in the future. Particularly prevalent in our day is the fear of shame of anything! John call’s believer’s to be shamed by the world in light of the ultimate shame before Christ. When Christ returns and the great shame is felt in the presence of the perfect God that is Light in the darkness, the world’s deeds will be exposed and they would rather desire for rocks to crush them!
Instead we are called to live shameless through the imparting of God’s Love to us as children of God even if it is shameful to the world. vs 28 reminds us that our end focus is not on the present audience but the future presence of Christ.
1e because it did not know Him. Causal 1d
In light of facing separation and distance from the world, john reminds the believers that they are in good company. The world does not know the Father either!
The Cause of this hate for you will be because of a hate for Christ. The world is blind to this great love! The world only knows the perceived reality and this should stir up pity in our hearts. We may we be like Christ in our mercy to the world patiently bringing Christ truth to bear and praying for its eyes to be opened. Being a child of God is a contrasting feature that marks you out separate from the world
Shameless living empowered by the imparted status of child of God will cause us to bring the truth to bear with a merciful disposition and persevering spirit regardless of the treatment by the world! The believer will hear the true voice of God and know it. The believer as a child of God will be able to know God with clarity and will be distinguishable from the shameful living of the day.
To empower the shameless living as children abiding in Christ, the present reality of the rebirth, the imparted reality as a child of God, and now we come to the future reality.
1 John 3:2 “2 Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is.”

The Future Reality of the children of God that empowers shameless living vv 3:2

2a Beloved, now we are children of God, Main Statement
2b and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. Parallel 2a
The sense of “already” and “not yet” in this verse drives us back the command to abide. He acknowledges the right now status (eternal security) and leaves the door open to uncertainty (assurance) in the future. It has not happened yet and therefore this truth must motivate us to remain in Christ. The real Christ and his righteousness. Time will tell when eternal security and assurance cross paths at the coming of Christ!
This warning drives a consistent faithfulness to finish the race as Paul said. To keep our sites set on things above
2c We know that…. we will be like Him Condition 2b
Our Future reality as children of God that empower’s shameless living is the simple fact that being like Christ is our future trajectory. This reality will cause us to pause and asses what direction we are going in with our life. It not only stirs us up to examine ourselves now but also calls us to faith in this truth as a promise! This faith will motive us to abide, when we are in need of repentance we find our hope in Christ and status before the Father. Our hope is in the work of God in our lives and not ourselves.
There is an innevitability that we will finally be made like Christ at glorification. This is bound up in our eternal security with God.
Looking to future John again turns us back to the inevatable “when” that any true believer is longing for!
2d …..when He appears, Temporal 2c
The reality of Christ appearance brings to mind a clarity and a weight for these believers.
The weight comes in the form of a warning to those who would shrink back. It is this warning that does not allow us to retreat back into shameful living with the lie that grace will abound all the more if we decide to stop fighting and retreat into a life where sin abounds! Jesus Christ himself will physically appear in all his glory and be power fully revealed.
We must remain in Christ until the end. He once again reminds us that we cannot sporadically be ready for Christ and presume upon his gracious patience! Our time is not complete until Christ returns. What he doesn't do in this is tell us when exactly he will appear but simply what will happen when he does. Because we do not know there is enormous risk to presume upon his patience and timing!
2e because we will see Him just as He is. Causal 2d
This passage describes how we become like Christ- It is caused by our clear sight of Him. How does seeing Christ as he is give us confidence that we will be like him?
It is good for us to dwell on the moment that we stand face to face with Christ. That moment will expose everything in His perfect Light. Clarity of Christ could be said to lead to clarity of living. Our perfect example will be right before us
3a And everyone… purifies himself, Parallel 2c
At this moment is when the believer is fully dependent on glorification! Sanctification and the work of Christ is made complete!
3b … who has this hope fixed on Relative 3a
Who is able to purify themselves? Only those who’s hope is unwavering in Christ! This hope for purity and Christlikeness is found in the promises of God. It is attained by the one who has that hope fixed or maintaines that faith until the end. Those who have this future status have this hope. The trust that Christ who started his work in you will complete it. This fixed hope is a hope that is expected. Not a “I hope this happens” but something that we are living in light of. Something that affects us!
3c just as He is pure. Comparison 3a
Our Future reality that empowers shameless living is the end hope of glorification. It is fixed and secure. All the fighting will be worth it and done. Alongside our promise of Assurance we have this eternal security if we are in Christ. Praise God for this future reality of the children of God that empower’s shameless living.

Summary Application

We may keep our eyes on the future but until the Lord returns we are presently accountable to abide in Christ. We must stay balanced in our thinking:
on one hand we must not fall into the trap of self pity by neglecting our imparted reality as children of God and our present reality of being born of God and God’s promise of our future reality of glorification with Christ.
On the other hand we must not fall in the trap of complacency with sin that would cause us to shrink back from Christ in shame. We must remember the present reality that because Christ is rightoutous those born of God practice righteousness, the imparted reality that distinguishes our life from the world, and the future reality that until the race is complete it has not appeared as yet what we will be.
These truths remind us that our life must match our faith.
They protect us from the common trap that Justification at Salvation is all that matters and sanctification is an optional choice saved only for those moments that we feel most spiritual and ready to “recommit our life to Christ”
What a great peace and joy the moment will be when believers stand in confidence at the return of Christ. To not be ashamed of our lives when giving Him an account, recounting how we were abiding in Christ longing for this day continually leaning on His mercy and striving in the hope of the cross to help us when we wanted to stop fighting. When we get to see Him in all His glory. What motivating realities to fear for those who have no fear of His coming. To imagine wanting to be crushed by rock like those John describes in Rev rather than welcomed into the presence of our Lord and Savior.
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