“Sin is Lawlessness” and “the Devil Has Sinned from the Beginning” (3:4 and 8)
- John here defines what sin is.
- lawlessness: refers to a breaking of the law; refers to not having right standing with the law
- All sin is lawlessness. This also implies an attitude of rebellion against God, a rejection of the rules that God has set out in His word. He also explains where sin comes from: the one practicing sin is of the devil, for “the devil has been sinning from the beginning.”
“The Son of God was Manifested” (3:5 and 8)
- Jesus came to take away our sins (see also 1 John 2:1-2 and week 4).
- He also came to “destroy the works of the devil”. No longer are we held in captivity by and to the devil. Our citizenship has been transferred to a different kingdom. We serve a new master. We are free in Christ.
- Why was Jesus able to take away our sins? Because “in Him there is no sin”. He is righteous (2:29).
“For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” (2 Corinthians 5:21)
“Does Not Sin” vs “Sins” (3:6-7 and 9-10)
- John uses again the phrase “abides in Him” to refer to a follower of Jesus (see also (2:6, 2:24, 27, and 28 and John 15:1-7).
- “Does not sin” - cannot refer to never sinning. John has already addressed that in chapter 1 and the beginning of chapter 2 (weeks 3 and 4). John here is addressing a habitual practice. The one who habitually sins evidences that he has neither seen nor known Jesus. Here is another time where John is pointing to the fact that our habitual practice evidences the internal, spiritual life (or lack thereof). Apple trees that are alive must, at some point, actually bear fruit. And an apple tree will bear apples, not bananas. The fruit that is produced communicates what type of tree the tree is. Likewise, what we produce externally — our habits of speech, actions, how we spend our time and money and energy — points to what type of spiritual life we have (see James 2:26).
- Once again, this does not mean that practicing externals produces internal, spiritual life. Apples that are growing on a tree don’t cause the tree to be alive. They are evidence — or the product — of the life that the tree has. We need to make sure to not confuse the two.
- Why does the one who has been born of God not sin? Because he has been changed (both by the word of God and by the Holy Spirit), and his old man has been crucified with Christ (see Romans 6:1-14).
- Not only does this play out in our response to sin, it also plays out in our response to others. As John has emphasized repeatedly, the inward spiritual renewal that we have experienced will evidence itself in our outward actions. In this case, he emphasizes that those who are children of God love their brothers. He will expound on this more in the verses to follow.
How do we know someone (or we ourselves) is a follower of Jesus?
What fruit are we producing? Does it look like the fruit of the Spirit? Does it look like the characteristics that John has been discussing?
Are we abiding in Jesus?
Are we practicing righteousness?
Are we loving our brothers?
Key characteristic of a follower of Jesus: Following Jesus means practicing righteousness.
If you are looking to dig more into 1 John, here are some resources I recommend:
The Letters of John by Gary M. Burge
Letters of John by Colin Kruse
The Letters of John by John R. W. Stott
Calvin’s Commentary on 1 John 3 (online resource)
You can find other posts in this series here.
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