Aug8-14: Living as Children of God

Teaching Points

1. Notice how 1 John 2 ends with "born of him" topic.

• 1 John 2:29 If ye know that he is righteous, ye know that every one that doeth righteousness is born of him.

OBSERVATION:

• John is introducing "born of God' topic here.

2. "Born of God" means "Sons of God"

• John 1:12, 13 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

OBSERVATION:

• See the differences between antichrists and those who are born of God. You will be able to conclude that antichrists are antichrists because they are not born of God yet they profess to be followers of Christ.

3. Observations from 1 John 3:1

• Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not.

OBSERVATION:

• "Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God"-God's great love is reveal through how sinners can be sons of God.
• "Therefore the world knoweth us not"- The world does not know the sons of God because the sons of God do not love the world.
• "Because it knew him not"-The world does not know God because the life of the lust and the pride is contrary to God.

4. Observations from 1 John 3:2

• Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.

OBSERVATION:

• "Beloved, now are we the sons of God"-We can become sons of God by faith today.
• "And it doth not yet appear what we shall be"-However we do not have the glorified and immortal body at this time.
• SOP: To have fellowship with the Father and His Son Jesus Christ is to be ennobled and elevated, and made a partaker of joys unspeakable and full of glory. ...Our lives should be hid with Christ in God; and although it "doth not yet appear what we shall be," "when Christ, who is our life, shall appear" (Col. 3:4), "we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is." {AG 341.5}
• "But we know that, when he shall appear"-But at the Second Coming of Christ.
• "We shall be like Him; for we shall see Him as He is" -We shall see Jesus in His glorified immortal human form and we shall be like Him with the same glorified immortal body.
• NOTE: Character transformation must take place before the Second Coming of Christ. The only transformation we are going to have at the Second Coming is the change from mortal body to immortal body.
• SOP: You must experience a death to self, and must live unto God. "If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God." Self is not to be consulted. Pride, self-love, selfishness, avarice, covetousness, love of the world, hatred, suspicion, jealousy, evil surmisings, must all be subdued and sacrificed forever. When Christ shall appear, it will not be to correct these evils and then give a moral fitness for His coming. This preparation must all be made before He comes. It should be a subject of thought, of study, and earnest inquiry, What shall we do to be saved? What shall be our conduct that we may show ourselves approved of God? {Mar 58.2}

5. Observations from 1 John 3:3

• And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.

OBSERVATION:

• "And every man that hath this hope in him"-If you have this hope of (resurrection) immortality. (Acts 23:6, 24:15, 1 Pet. 1:3)
• "Purifieth himself"- This purification means committing no sin. See the next text, verse 4. This purification is connected to confessing our sins (1 John 1:9), rejecting worldliness (1 John 2:15), and showing love to one another (1 John 1:7 and 1 John 2:8-11).
• "Even as He is pure"-We can be pure as Jesus if we walk "even as He walked" 1 John 2:5

6. Jesus was manifested to take away our sins and to destroy the works of the devil.

• 1 John 3:5 And ye know that he was manifested to take away our sins; and in him is no sin.
• 1 John 3:8 He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.

OBSERVATION:

• Jesus came to take away our sins(the guilt) through His sinless life. This is for our justification.
• Jesus came to destroy works of the devil(power of sin) through His obedient life. This is for our sanctification.
  

7. The deception is claiming justification without sanctification.

• 1 John 3:7 Little children, let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous.

OBSERVATION:

• Connect "let no man deceive you" with "I written unto you concerning them that seduce you"1 John 2:26. This is deception is connected to the antichrist.
• What is the deception here? The opposite to "he that doeth righteousness is righteous"Therefore the deception is claiming righteous without doing righteousness. Claiming righteous is justification and doing righteousness is sanctification. Therefore the deception here is claiming justification without sanctification.

8. Born of God means "His seed remain"in the heart.

• 1 John 3:9 Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.

OBSERVATION:

• Compare 1 John 3:3, 9 with 1 Peter 1:22-23 Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently: 23 Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.
• Victory over sin is possible if the word of God abides in our hearts.

CONCLUSION:

• We need to be born of God so that we can overcome sin, we are ready for immortal body, and we are not seduced by the deceptions of antichrist. Love of God is in direct conflict with the love of the world. Antichrists verses the sons of God.