Children of God

1 John 2:28–3:10 ESV

28 And now, little children, abide in him, so that when he appears we may have confidence and not shrink from him in shame at his coming. 29 If you know that he is righteous, you may be sure that everyone who practices righteousness has been born of him. 1 See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him. 2 Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. 3 And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure. 4 Everyone who makes a practice of sinning also practices lawlessness; sin is lawlessness. 5 You know that he appeared in order to take away sins, and in him there is no sin. 6 No one who abides in him keeps on sinning; no one who keeps on sinning has either seen him or known him. 7 Little children, let no one deceive you. Whoever practices righteousness is righteous, as he is righteous. 8 Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil. 9 No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God’s seed abides in him; and he cannot keep on sinning, because he has been born of God. 10 By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother.

Today, we will focus on what being a child of God means. This phrase is used by many to reflect all of humanity. In a sense, that is correct. However, throughout most scripture, this phrase is used only by those who know Christ as Lord and Savior. Those who are outside of a relationship with Christ are referred to as “enemies of God” because they live in rebellion against God. This is not because God does not love them. It is because those who refuse Christ are refusing to live in obedience to God and make a mockery of his name.

‌Those who are called children of God live differently than the rest of the world. We live reflecting who Christ is. This morning, we are going to dive into what John means when he talks about us being children of God and living the resurrected life in Christ.

1. We must live ready for Jesus’ return. (vs. 2:28-3:3)

Christlike living is foundational in our relationship with Christ and one another. This past week, we saw millions caught up in end-time prophecy with the eclipse. You had people like John Hagee and others reading through passages in Isaiah and Matthew 24 talking about how the eclipse was a sign of judgment on America. There were videos of pastors who were saying that because the path of totality passed over towns called Nineveh, and the place where the path of totality crosses with the path from the 2017 eclipse was a small town in Indiana called Rapture, it meant that the rapture was going to happen at that time.

‌This kind of sensationalism is contrary to God’s word and is a false teaching. You cannot use a platform where millions of people trust what you say and spout this kind of garbage. It leads people astray and hurts their faith. I did not hear any of them repent for their false predictions either. This is what Jesus spoke against. We should not look for every little thing that happens in the heavens or on earth and say that the end is coming. I’m sure there will be some, including folks like John Hagee and others, who will be spewing this same kind of thing today because Iran attacked Israel.

‌Instead of trying to predict the coming of Jesus, the apostle encourages us always to be ready for Jesus’ coming. We don’t need to worry about the signs of the times. Instead, our concern should be living a holy life and obeying Christ. We are to show the world, not “88 reasons the rapture will happen in 1988.” We are to be people who show the love of Christ every day and live as children of God so that the world can see him alive in us.

‌When Jesus appears, we shall be like him. Indeed, this is a reference to our spiritual bodies when Christ returns. However, the language that John uses here also points to the kind of holiness that we will be living when he returns. We are to live a life that reflects his life - a life that is in perfect love of God and neighbor. Christians are to be transformed spiritually while awaiting the return of Christ, just as we will be transformed bodily when he appears. We live as if Jesus will return at any moment because he could. In 1 Thessalonians 5:5–6, Paul says, “For you are all children of light, children of the day. We are not of the night or of the darkness. So then let us not sleep, as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober.” Paul is saying that we are to be awake to Jesus’ return, but we are to live as children of the light as we wait for his coming again. We are to be transformed into people the world sees as strange and peculiar.

2. The sinning Christian is an oxymoron. (vs. 3:4-8)

To willingly sin as a Christian is an oxymoron. This does not mean that we will not sin. It means the transforming power of the Holy Spirit will give us a desire, not willfully, to sin against God. The apostle is clear that there is a fundamental incompatibility with knowing God and living an ungodly life. We must demonstrate Christlike character to one another and the world. We want it both ways at the same time. Our nature is still to want to live in our sin while we are claiming Christ as Lord and Savior. That is spiritually impossible. We cannot serve two gods. Our loyalties cannot be divided.

‌For John, sin did not include mistakes or blunders. John describes sin as “lawlessness.” For him, sin is the inclination, the attitude, the conscious, rebellious determination to do what is wrong. It is this kind of rebellious sin for which there is clear and complete deliverance in this life. We do not need to live a lifetime with the heart of a rebel. As Jesus said in John 8:36, “So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.”

‌You may ask, “How is this done in my life?” Simply put, it begins with our total surrender to God. This is the beginning of the journey of sanctification. We leave behind a rebellious attitude and replace it with a deep and abiding desire for what God wants in our lives. One of the ways that this change happens is through the means of grace, particularly what Wesley called the works of piety. This includes regular attendance in worship, scripture reading, prayer, daily worship, and partaking of the sacrament regularly. In other words, the power of sin is slain in us as we go about doing the regular work of a Christian and taking that work seriously as we draw closer to Christ. It is what Eugene Peterson called the “long obedience.” He said the Christian life is one of long obedience taken one step at a time. We don’t wake up one day sanctified. It takes a long time, but we must be willing to surrender our lives to Jesus so that sanctification can occur in us.

3. We are born again through the Holy Spirit. (vs. 3:9-10)

​ John is evident: the norm for those born again does not keep on sinning. Jesus tells Nicodemus in John 3:3, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” This statement initially confuses Nicodemus until Jesus explains what he means. Jesus is pointing to the transformative work of the Holy Spirit in those who believe in him. This scene is in the background of our last two verses today. With that, I want to refer to John's three phrases here to describe this transformation for the Christian. We are born of God. We are God’s seed. And we cannot go on sinning. These three phrases are interlocking and identify a significant piece of the doctrine of holiness.

‌To be born of God means that a spiritual regeneration takes place. A person is brought to life in Christ after being dead in sin. All who believe in the name of Jesus have this happen. This new birth means that we are now God’s seed. In Genesis, we are told that we are born of a woman, which Paul translates for us in Romans, that we are born into sin with a sinful nature. We are the seed of Adam. But in Christ, we are born anew and are now children of God. We continue to grow in this new relationship with God that Christ has given us.

‌John points out that because we are born of God and are children, we cannot go on sinning. Does this mean that we are now incapable of sinning, or does it mean that we are not permitted to sin? If we follow John’s logic, the answer fits most securely about sin being lawlessness or a spirit of rebellion. This means that we are not to willfully or deliberately sin as Christians. There is a cessation in habitual sinning. Sin is possible, but it is no longer acceptable. We may be susceptible to it, but now we live in victory over it.

‌It becomes evident to the world that we are children of God because we practice righteousness and love our brothers and sisters in Christ. There is a radical turn in our hearts toward Christlikeness as we walk in obedience and faith. Our lives are no longer our’s but God’s. When we completely surrender our lives to Christ and walk in obedience to him, there is freedom and victory over the power of sin and Satan. We are no longer controlled by the desires of the flesh and enslaved to our will, which leads to destruction. We are enslaved to Christ and live lives that reflect him as we live righteously and love others as Christ has loved us. This is what it means to be a child of God. This is the life that we are called to live.