1 John 3:11

“For this is the message that ye heard from the beginning, that we should love one another”. We often sing the song, “ love one another, thus saith the Savior, children obey the Father’s bless commands”. We have this command from our Father in heaven. We are to show love toward one another and the world, as God did us. John 3:16. There or only two ways to whom we can yield our members to. Romans 6:19, “I speak after the manner of men because of the infirmity of your flesh. For as ye have yielded your members servants to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity. Even so now yield your members servants to righteousness unto holiness”.

            John deals with this in 1 John 3:7-10. In verse 7, John states, “little children, let no man deceive you. He that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous”. (Read 1 John 2:29). The phrase, “let no man deceive you or lead you astray” appears often in John’s writing. This deception may come in the form, “once saved always saved” as taught by denominations. Saved by the grace of God, without works. But in this verse, John says, “he that doth righteousness, is righteous”. The word “doth is used in Verses 2, 7, 9, 10. The word means, “to perform an action, to execute, to bring anything to pass”. So in doing what is right in this verse, there are actions we are commanded to perform, by which we become righteous in God’s sight.

            Verse 8, is the opposite of Vs. 7, but still involves doing something, “he that committeth (doth willfully) sin (opposite of righteous) is of the devil”. Latter part of this verse, “for this reason the Son of God was manifested that he might destroy the works (something done) of the devil”. Read also John 8:44. Keep in mind what John states in Ch. 1:8. “if we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves”. We who strive to do right, at times fall. But, we have an “advocate” with the Father”. Ch.2:1. So, at times we stumble, sin, take on the character of Satan for a moment, but do not continually abide in a sin. We haven an “advocate” with the Father. The word “committeth” in this verse means “to practice. The thought is, a “continually practice”.

            Verse 9, “whosoever is born of God doth not commit. For his seed remaineth in him”. Keep in mind what John said in Ch. 1:8, “if we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves”. Committeth or practices in verse 8 means a continually living in sin, because Satan is your father (John 8:44), then those born of God in this verse is the opposite. When we sin, we do not ( or should not) continue in that sin. 1 John 2:1, “we have an advocate”. I John 2:2,” he is the propitiation for our sins”. Vs. 3, “we are to keep his commandments”. I John 1:9, “if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive our sins”. At times during our Christian journey, we sin and fall short of the glory of God. Thank God we have an advocate, that we can continue walking in light. I John 1:7, “if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin”.

            Verse 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”.  Manifest in this verse means to “to reveal. Those who is revealed in these verses are, “ who are the children of God and who are the children of the devil”. Whosoever doth righteousness is of God. He who doth unrighteousness, is of the devil. If claiming to be a child God, and doth not what is right, you exclude yourself from the family of God.

- CL Bruner