1 John 3 (part 2)

1 John 3
(Part 2 – verses 8 through 10)

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.

Ÿ He that practices righteousness is like Jesus, but he that practices sin is “of the devil.” The person who carries on a life of sin as the general practice of life has his origin in the devil. (See John 8:44). The Son of God was made visible for a definite purpose. Jesus came to undo all the devil has done to the human race. His coming was predicted in the twilight of time when God promised to overthrow the power of Satan through the “seed of the women,” which is Christ (Genesis 3:15). This purpose was fulfilled on Calvary when the devil “bruised the heel” of Christ by a bloody crucifixion, at the same time, Jesus dealt a crushing blow to “the head of the serpent” and rendered his authority useless against those who would trust in Christ. (Wayne Fussell)

Ÿ He that is a habitual sinner is one who follows the devil. He is just like the greyhounds at a racetrack chasing the phony rabbit. If they ever caught up to it, they would find no joy, because they would be unsatisfied and disappointed that they had been led astray. Jesus loosened the bonds of sin that the devil had on man. At the Second Coming of Christ, all the trouble the devil has caused will be completely destroyed and sin will no longer be in our path. (J.D.)

Ÿ {The devil ...} Any willful or continual commission of deeds which are contrary to the will of God reveals the sinner for what he is, a child of the devil. Significantly, John, like all of the holy apostles, accepted without question Jesus' teaching regarding the malignant ruler of this world's darkness. John's teaching here is clearly derived from Jesus' words in John 8:44, and is like Paul's denunciation of Elymas as, "Thou son of the devil." (Acts 13:10). It is a false view that explains away John's powerful words here as an "impression he received from the law of Moses," due to his Jewish background! As Plummer said, "For every single time the devil is mentioned in the Old Testament, he is spoken of twenty times in any gospel or epistle!"<17> Someone wrote a question to F. F. Bruce, asking, "How can a child of God be of the devil?" Bruce replied: "He cannot; that is the point John is making."<18> Of course, for a child of God who might commit a sin occasionally, John had already written of the provision that God has made for that contingency (1 John 2:1,2). Here again, "doeth sin" refers to deliberate choice and continuity in sin. [Coffman]

Ÿ Three steps are necessary to find victory over prevailing sin: (1) seek the power of the Holy Spirit and God's Word; (2) stay away from tempting situations; (3) seek the help of the body of Christ -- be open to their willingness to hold you accountable and to pray for you.

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.

Ÿ Thayer, commenting on the appearance of the word “beget” in this verse says that a peculiar quality in John’s Gospel and first epistle is the intimation that God confers on men the very “nature and disposition of His sons.” By His own holy power, he prompts and persuades “souls to put their faith in Christ and live a new life consecrated to himself.”

Ÿ “The seed is the Word of God.” - Luke 8:11, Jesus says. The word is the begetting seed in the new birth according to Peter: “Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.” (1 Peter 1:23). James reports that God “Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth...” (James 1:18). David says, “Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.” (Ps 119:11). Paul exhorts, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly...” (Col 3:16). The indwelling word is protection against a life of sin. “For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” (Heb 4:12) [Wayne Fussell]

Ÿ E. M. Zerr gives three examples of the word in which “cannot” does not mean that it is impossible (Matthew 5:14; Mark 2:19; Luke 11:7). He concludes, “And so the word in our verse does not mean that the child of God has come to a place where he is physically unable to do any wrong , but that he is morally restrained from it, just as a good man who is asked to join another in some crime would reply, “O no, I couldn’t do anything like that.” [284]

Ÿ “Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows.” - Heb 1:9

10 In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother.

Ÿ {In this the children of God are manifest ...} has the meaning that Christians may be identified by their conduct. Any and all transgressions of the law of Christ deny such transgressors any status whatever as children of God. Those who speak loudest about their "faith in Christ," but who do not display the type of behaviour set forth in the New Testament as Christian conduct, may in no sense establish by their profession a status which their unchristian lives deny. People who do not make a serious and consistent effort to do what the New Testament teaches that Christians should do are "the children of the devil.” [Coffman]

Ÿ A person is either a child of the devil or a child of God: there is no middle ground that exists between God’s people and Satan’s people. It is a clear sign that a person is not a true child of God when he does not practice righteousness as a consistent way of life. One who does not demonstrate continuing love for his brethren in Christ proves that he really belongs to the devil and is his child. (W. Fussell)

Ÿ Those who love the Father, love his children. Those who are in Christ are brothers and sisters and have a special bond. We as Christians have that seed of righteousness planted in us. We strive to do what is right and we love our brothers and sisters in Christ. If we say that we do not love our Christian siblings, then God does not dwell in us. And if God does not dwell in us, then we cannot do righteousness.

Ÿ {In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother.}

Ÿ This teaching about the devil is not at all agreeable to those who dwell exclusively upon the sunny aspects of the world and of life, and would shut their eyes to what is dark and terrible. They like to hear of a Being who is all gracious and loving ... "the devil ... ?" They wish to suppose that he belongs to the world's infancy, and disappears as we know more!<21>

Ÿ {Children of God ... children of the devil ...} This is the only place in the New Testament where these two expressions stand side by side"<22> and they correspond perfectly with the grand cleavage of humanity into two, and only two classes: the wheat and the chaff, the good and the bad, the sheep and the goats, those on the right hand and those on the left, the good fishes and the rejects, the builder on the rock and the builder on the sand, lovers of God and lovers of mammon, the wheat and the tares, the ready and the unready, the faithful and the unfaithful, the children of God and the children of the devil. It is easy to rationalize sin as "goodness" in the making, etc.; but it appears in the New Testament that these two classes are radical opposites and totally irreconcilable.

Ÿ {Neither he that loveth not his brother ...} This is cited as a particular instance of Christian character, and not as the sum total of it, much in the same manner that Paul often spoke of "faith in Christ."

Ÿ {His brother ...} Does this mean every man on earth, or does it have special reference to the Christian's brother in the faith? Despite learned opinion to the contrary, the conviction here is that it is the "brother in Christ" which is meant. Plummer said it means: "mankind at large,"<23> citing the example of the good Samaritan as Jesus' example of "who is my neighbor?" Macknight also stated that the passage, "signifies all mankind, who are all brethren by virtue of their common nature and their descent from Adam."<24> The brotherhood of man is, of course, a fact "in Adam"; but the particular viewpoint of the New Testament is that of the "brotherhood in Christ"; and there is a world of difference in these. Significantly, Paul did not go about among the churches raising a collection for the oppressed heathen in the ghettos of Rome, but for the "poor saints" in Jerusalem. Although, there is a true sense in which the Christian loves every man on earth, it can never be the same as that for the beloved "in Christ."

Ÿ Love of the world in general will issue in deeds, charities and benefits to "all people," to the extent that these may contribute to their redemption; but the apostolic restriction is sternly laid on this in the words, "As we have opportunity, let us work that which is good toward all men, and especially toward them that are of the household of faith" (Gal. 6:10). In this last clause, there is clearly a difference between the love of brethren and the love of the whole world. From these considerations, we believe that Blaney is correct in the view that, "Brother here means a brother Christian, as a representative of all Christians, rather than of all men."<25> The love of Christians is a mutual love (1 John 3:11), and no such love is possible for the world which hates Christians (1 John 3:13).

Ÿ ENDNOTES: <21> A. Plummer, op. cit., p. 73.

<22> Charles C. Ryrie, Wycliffe Bible Commentary, New Testament (Chicago: Moody Press, 1971), p. 1020.

<23> A. Plummer, op. cit., p. 73.

<24> James Macknight, op. cit., p. 72.

<25> Harvey J. S. Blaney, op. cit., p. 380.