Children of God

1 John 2:28 – 3:10

– The appearing of ‘antichrist’ (2:18-27) is contrasted by John with the future appearing of ‘Jesus Christ’

– Genuine Christians who have been born again by God’s Spirit enjoy new relationships: a new relationship with God and a new relationship with sin.

I. Our Relationship with the Father (2:28-3:3)

1. Confidence in His Appearing (vv. 28-29)
   • Confidence through ‘Abiding’
     1. Vine/ Branch metaphor from John 15
     2. Jesus’ invitation in Revelation 3:20
   • Shame
     1. John’s comment is directed primarily toward the false teachers
     2. Some disobedient believers will also be ashamed when Christ returns (1 Corinthians 3:12-15)
2. Confidence in His Love (v. 1)
   • John is overwhelmed by the truth that God has adopted and so too should we!
   • Sonship is not our right by birth – it is a gift of grace through the second birth
     1. We become children of God by ‘receiving’ Christ (John 1:12-13)
     2. Our identity as God’s children makes us co-heirs with Jesus Christ (Romans 8:17)
3.  Confidence for the Future (vv. 2-3)
   • We are becoming what we already are – tension between the ‘now’ and ‘not yet’
   • When Jesus returns we will see Him and will be made like Him

Application:

– Would you be confident or ashamed if Jesus were to return today??

“By far the best way to be ready for the coming of Christ is to live with Him every day. If we do that His coming will be no shock to us; it will simply be the entry into the nearer presence of one with whom we have lived for so long. The best way to prepare for the coming of Christ is never to forget the presence of Christ.”    – William Barclay

II. Our Relationship with Sin (3:4-10)

1. Definition of Sin: ‘lawlessness’ (v. 4)
   • Original ‘lawbreaker’ was Satan
   • All those who practice lawlessness follow the example of their father
2. Jesus’ Victory over Sin (vv. 5,8b)
   • Jesus came the first time as a sinless man in order to ‘take away sins’
   • Through the cross Jesus ‘destroyed the works of the devil’ (cf. Colossians 2:15)
3. Our Victory over Sin (vv. 6-10)
   • Jesus’ victory over sin is our victory, because His ‘seed abides in us’ (v. 9)
   • Genuine Christians exhibit victory over patterns of habitual sin
     1. John is not advocating a doctrine of ‘sinless perfection’ (recall 1:8-10)
     2. Verbs in vv. 8-9 are in the present continuous tense – not isolated sins but a habitual practice of sinning

Application:

– Have you made peace with your sin, or have you declared war on it?   To live comfortably in habitual sin is a contradiction of our new identity in Christ