◄ 1 John 3 Devotional Commentary ►
1 John 3:1
We are saved by the grace of God, and that grace proceeds from the Father-heart of divine love. It is the love of God that causes the Father to give His only begotten Son to die as the one and only perfect sacrifice for our sin. It is the love of God that caused the Lord Jesus to willingly stretch out His innocent hands and have them driven through with cruel nails. It is the love of God that sent the Holy Spirit to be our ever-present, indwelling heavenly read more...
1 John 3:2
I really do wonder whether we have even started to grasp the enormity of our position in Christ; the incredible love, the peculiar privilege, and the gracious gift that we have received from our Father in heaven "that we should be called His children."
Not only are we called His children and have been permanently adopted into His family, by grace through faith in Christ, but we are told what we shall be in the read more...
1 John 3:3
What incredible love God has shown to us that we should be called His children. Being born of the Spirit through faith in Christ and cleansed of our sin through His shed blood, demonstrates the incredible love and generous grace that the Father has lavished upon us - His children. God loved us so dearly that He not only sent Jesus to be our Saviour but He purposed to transform all who trust in Him into His image and likeness so that when we see Him, face to read more...
1 John 3:4
The Scriptures are a treasure-trove that most people do not want to recognise as authoritative, nor do they want to adhere to its instructions... and so it is regarded as an outdated storybook which is ridiculed and rejected by the majority, rather than being treated with reverence and respect.
Nevertheless, the Bible is the Word of the living God and should be accepted as the plumb-line for truth. It is God's inerrant instruction read more...
1 John 3:5
God's love for us is astonishing in that "while we were yet sinners Christ died for us." The whole glorious plan of salvation, which was purposed before the foundation of the world, is a testimony to the grace of our Heavenly Father and His amazing love for each one of us.
We who were dead in trespasses and sins and without hope in the world, have been covered with His love, forgiven of our sins, saved by grace through read more...
1 John 3:6
Every believer is placed in Christ - baptised into Christ's Body the moment they believe. Every Christian is put into union with Christ, by the Holy Spirit, the instance they believe on Him as Saviour. Nothing can alter this position of permanence - we are placed in Christ when we are saved, and we become part of His Body forever. From that point on, we have a new nature in Christ.
The old sin nature is placed on the Cross: read more...
1 John 3:8
The unfathomable depths of Satan's habitual sin, lies in contradistinction to the immeasurable heights of Christ's eternal righteousness. From the genesis of God's revelation of Himself to mankind, the devil is identified as the slimy source of sin and subtle instigator of all that is evil.
We are warned that the man or woman who commits sin is of the devil. He is the father of sin. He is the instigator of sin. He is one who read more...
1 John 3:9
This is a verse that is so often misunderstood, misinterpreted, and even mistranslated, but when understood in its context, adds a beautiful symmetry to the truth of Scripture.
Some erroneously think that this verse means that believers have sinless perfection when they are born of the Spirit, but this is a false teaching: "For if we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and we do not understand the truth." For read more...
1 John 3:10
One of the characteristics of the early Church is their love for one other and the fellowship that believers enjoyed together. Early writings about the Christian Church are reported to have said, "see how these Christians love one another." In John's first epistle to the saints of God, one of his main discussion points is about maintaining fellowship with the Lord and how to encourage Christian communion with one another.
The read more...
1 John 3:13
The Lord Jesus was sent to earth to redeem a fallen race of sinners who were dead in trespasses and sin, and enslaved by Satan, sin, death, and hell. Sin had alienated the entire human race from God and placed every one of us under His eternal condemnation. Man was without hope in the world, walking according to the ways of this world and under the power of Satan - the prince of the power of the air whose influence permeates every aspect of life around us.
read more...
1 John 3:14
Christ Jesus is the incarnate Son of God Who came to earth to reveal the love of the Father towards fallen man so that by grace through faith in His death, burial, and Resurrection we might be forgiven of our sins, be brought back into fellowship with our Heavenly Father, and be given God's life, light, love, and compassion in our heart as we abide in Him and He in us.
But His work on the Cross would also invalidate and destroy read more...
1 John 3:16
Many believers like to focus on the love of Jesus because they think that this will cause unbelievers to get saved but they prefer to allow Christ's death, burial and resurrection to be side-lined in a blurry background, in case it offends or puts the unbeliever off the Christian faith!
But the shed blood of the incarnate Son of God Who was born into His own creation, and the immutable love of the eternal Father are inseparably read more...
1 John 3:17
God is love, and the qualities of a Christian who is walking in spirit and truth and abiding in Christ, is a fervent love for God and a compassionate love for others. A profound love for the Lord and benevolence towards brothers and sisters in Christ is not a warm, fuzzy feeling or some romantic, emotional sensation, but an unselfish action that is quietly carried out in sprit, in truth, in reality, and in action.
God is also read more...
1 John 3:18
A godly character that reflects the likeness of Christ, is one that loves others as Christ loved us. The love about which the Bible speaks, is different from every other type of human love, and is uniquely imparted to the child of God from the indwelling Spirit of truth and love.
The Lord Jesus laid down His life for His friends... and for His enemies. He sacrificed His life for us and we are instructed to do the same for others. We are directed to lay read more...
1 John 3:19
Love is of God, and the fruit of the Spirit is love. It is as we obediently abide in Christ, on Whom we feed and through Whom we draw all we need for life and godliness, that we will know without a shadow of doubt, we are walking in spirit and truth. For as our heart is transparent before Him, so our inner, God-given conscience will not condemn us.
Love is the primary theme that weaves itself throughout this passage, and read more...
1 John 3:22
Many self-righteous Christians take this verse out of its Biblical context to mean that God has effectively signed a blank cheque, which allows His children to fill in a simple prayer request to ensure that they get whatever they want - in order to fulfil their fleshly lusts. This is not what the verse is teaching.
Nor is this verse teaching that God is obligated to respond to our own positive confession and fulfil our own fleshly read more...
1 John 3:23
When asked what was the greatest commandment during Christ's earthly, pre-Cross ministry, one scribe gave the perfect answer: "Love God with all your heart," and he added, "love Your neighbour as yourself." Jesus commended this scribe, for both the Law and the Prophets are dependent upon these two commands. Indeed, Paul reminds us that such godly love is the fulfilment of the Law. But John takes this truth and combines it into read more...
1 John 3:24
How important that the Bible is interpreted literally and in context. How vital that the Word of truth is rightly divided and that none of us shrink from declaring the whole purpose and council of God. And in the previous verse, John summarises Christ's command to New Testament believers: "This is His commandment, that 1) we believe in the name of His Son, Jesus Christ, and 2) love one another, just as He commanded read more...