Righteousness,Love and Faith 2:28-4:6

Last week we Learned about Practicing Righteousness or Living righteous, Gods Love for us, and that we are Sons of God through Faith in Jesus.

The world does not know us, because it did not know him

If the world rejects God, we know they will rejects us also.

As Followers of Jesus their should be a distinction between us and the world. We are to be in the world, but not of the world.

As believers ,we are to live set apart from this world.

As we continue to through 1 John 2:28-4:6 we will continue to focus on The three requirements of Fellowship with God:

Righteousness

Love

Faith

1 John 1:7 “But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.”

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.

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.

John is expounding on what he wrote in :

1 John 2:28 “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.”

The word abide is used 24 times in 1 john As we abide in Jesus we can have confidence at Jesus return; (3:2 )says and what we will be has not yet appeared :

1 Corinthians 13:12 “For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.”

For now we see in a mirror dimly:

The illustration Paul is giving is like looking in to a mirror, in ancient times they didn't have mirrors like we do now. they would take metals surfaces and polish them tell they would see their reflections,which were distorted and blurry.

So in the same way we dont see clearly now we just see in part.

in Romans 8:29 “For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.”

As we continue to Abide in Jesus we will be being transformed into the image of Jesus.

2 Corinthians 3:18 “And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.”

This transforming work does not come by human effort or our own will power ,but is done by the Spirit of God.

buy continuing Gods word and prayer and being in constant fellowship with God He will change us.

If God has started a work in Us we know He will complete it!

Philippians 1:6 “And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.”

3:2 but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is.

Our hope as followers of Jesus and Children of God is to be being conformed into His image now and when we see Him we will be like him.

Psalm 11:7 “For the Lord is righteous; he loves righteous deeds; the upright shall behold his face.”

Hebrews 12:14 “Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord.”

1 John 3:3 “And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.”

Jesus is our pattern His Life His Burial and His Resurrection . he is the motivation for our walking in purity so when we see him, we will be just like Him.

English Standard Version Chapter 3

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.

1 John 3:4–9 “Everyone who makes a practice of sinning also practices lawlessness; sin is lawlessness.

The breaking of Gods Law is lawlessness and Rebellion against God.

Deuteronomy 9:7 “Remember and do not forget how you provoked the Lord your God to wrath in the wilderness. From the day you came out of the land of Egypt until you came to this place, you have been rebellious against the Lord.”

The false teachers or antichrist were teaching its OK too practice sin.

Jesus had warned us about all theses things before He returns again.

Matthew 24:11 “And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray.” (it happened in Jesus day,its happening now).

Paul used similar language while speaking to the church in Thess.

2 Thessalonians 2:3 “Let no one deceive you in any way. For that day will not come, unless the rebellion comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction,”

1 Timothy 4:1 “Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons,”

so like in Jesus and Paul day and even now we see the same antichrist spirit trying to deceive many and turn us away from the truth.

5.You know that he appeared in order to take away sins, and in him there is no sin.

This is why Jesus came to take away our sins’

Matthew 1:21 “She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.””

John 1:29 “The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!”

Jesus was the sinless lamb,who shed His blood so that we could be reconciled to the father.

2 Corinthians 5:21 “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”

Jesus took on our sins and gave us his perfect righteousness. The father no longer see a believer sin but see only His sons righteousness.

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.

In the letter to the Ephesians the apostle paul uses similar language writting to the church:

Ephesians 4:17–24 “Now this I say and testify in the Lord, that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds. They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart. They have become callous and have given themselves up to sensuality, greedy to practice every kind of impurity. But that is not the way you learned Christ!— assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus, to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.”

As followers of Jesus we are no longer to walk in the patterns of our old life, we don't see Jesus living that way, its not what we learned about Jesus .

We are to put off are old self and are to be renewed in our minds (By The Word of God)

8.Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning.

The Devil has been tempting men to sin since the garden in Gen 3 but sins continually since his rebellion against God.

In the gospels jesus makes it clear what the devil has come to do.

John 10:10 “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.”

The Religious people in jesus day tried killing Jesus in multiple occasions :

John 8:41–45 “You are doing the works your father did.” They said to him, “We were not born of sexual immorality. We have one Father—even God.” Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and I am here. I came not of my own accord, but he sent me. Why do you not understand what I say? It is because you cannot bear to hear my word. You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies. But because I tell the truth, you do not believe me.”

9.The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil. 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.”

The first reason why jesus came john tells us in (3:5 to take away our sin”.

The second reason why Jesus came is to” destroy the work of the devil”

Jesus has done both on the cross he taken away our Sin,defeated death and the the power of sin in a believers life.

we are no longer to yield ourselves to sin:

Romans 6:11–14 “So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus. Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions. Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness. For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.”

for God’s seed abides in him;

Because the Holy spirit lives in Gods people we cannot continue practicing sin.

1 John 3:10 “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.”