1 John 3:10 - 15

This morning John is going to tell us how to identify a child of God and a child of the devil.

Read:

10 In this the children of God and the children of the devil are manifest: Whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is he who does not love his brother. 11 For this is the message that you heard from the beginning, that we should love one another, 12 not as Cain who was of the wicked one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his works were evil and his brother’s righteous.

13 Do not marvel, my brethren, if the world hates you. 14 We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love his brother abides in death. 15 Whoever hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.

Chapter 3 began with V 1 Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! (The NU adds, And that we are.)

But unfortunately not all that say they are, are. So John has been giving us all kinds of tests to help us sort out the have and the have nots.

Based on what we have been studying what is the best way to tell who is the genuine article (believer)? How the live, their character.

Let’s break it down in the Greek.

V 10 In this the children of God and the children of the devil are manifest: Whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is he who does not love his brother.

The Greek reads as follows - In this manner, are continuously manifested, the children of God and the children of the devil. We saw devil last time the Greek is diabolos.

the doctrine concerning the way in which man may attain a state approved of God

Have you ever thought that there are children of the devil as well as COG?

integrity, virtue, purity of life, rightness, correctness of thinking feeling, and acting

The key here is the verb “are” a form of “to be” in English. It is in the Present Active tense meaning to continuously be. This means that this is not a one off type of event but rather a matter of who an individual is inside.

The second half of verse 10 gives us the negative test for who is not a child of God. He gives two things, first, not practicing or doing or living righteously.

Secondly, he that does not love his brother.

The second half reads in Greek - anyone or whoever is not continuously living (practicing) righteousness is not a COG.

The word for righteousness is dikaiosynē, dē-kī-o-sü'-nā. It means:

in a broad sense: state of him who is as he ought to be, righteousness, the condition acceptable to God

the doctrine concerning the way in which man may attain a state approved of God

integrity, virtue, purity of life, rightness, correctness of thinking feeling, and acting

He then adds a second indicator - not loving (agapao) his brother.

Hand out

V 11 For this is the message that you heard from the beginning, that we should love one another,

We saw this back in and we saw that he was referring to “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another.

Beginning in Greek is archē, meaning the origin of Jesus Christ’s message to us; and that is that we ought or should be continuously loving or christian family.

V 12 not as Cain who was of the wicked one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his works were evil and his brother’s righteous.

Here we get John’s commentary on the story of Cain and Abel.

2 Then she bore again, this time his brother Abel. Now Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground. 3 And in the process of time it came to pass that Cain brought an offering of the fruit of the ground to the LORD. 4 Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat. And the LORD respected Abel and his offering, 5 but He did not respect Cain and his offering. And Cain was very angry, and his countenance fell.

6 So the LORD said to Cain, “Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen? 7 If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it.”

8 Now Cain talked with Abel his brother; and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother and killed him.

9 Then the LORD said to Cain, “Where is Abel your brother?”

He said, “I do not know. Am I my brother’s keeper?”

10 And He said, “What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood cries out to Me from the ground. 11 So now you are cursed from the earth, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand. 12 When you till the ground, it shall no longer yield its strength to you. A fugitive and a vagabond you shall be on the earth.”

Not as Cain: As a negative example, John presents Cain, who was not right with God (his works were evil) and who hated his brother. When there are two children of God who are both right with God, there will be love.

Who was of the wicked one: Cain is a good example of the failure to love.

i. We can presume that Cain had a godly upbringing that should have equipped him to love, but he chose not to.

ii. Cain’s disobedience came from a lack of faith () which resulted in first disobedience, then hatred.

iii. Cain’s disobedience and hatred was based in pride ().

iv. Cain’s disobedience and hatred made him miserable ().

v. Cain refused the warning God gave him, and gave into the sin of hatred ().

vi. Cain’s sin of hatred led to action against the one he hated ().

vii. Cain was evasive about his sin of hatred, and tried to hide it. But God found him out ().