It's 1 John chapter 3, I hope you're ready, strap in, because we're getting into the meat
of the Word tonight.
This is probably, if you were going to look at a chapter of 1 John that's probably the
difficult chapter of questions that people have and heresies that people pull out of
it by misconstruing what it's saying, it's 1 John chapter 3.
And so I just want to dive into this thing, and again, I have a lot of notes because there's
a lot of stuff in this chapter, but I really want to hit the passages where you're just
like, what in the world is that saying?
How do you reconcile that?
Or the troubling passages, I guess.
And so a lot of that is at the beginning here, but the first two verses here is not really
that troubling, right?
This is just good news and awesome verses here.
But in 1 John chapter 3 verse 1 it says, Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed
upon us, that we should be called the sons of God.
Therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew Him not.
Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be, but
we know that when He shall appear we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.
Go to John chapter 1 because this is just straight out of John chapter 1 and what's
being said here.
The thing I want you to see, you know, when you're dealing with 1 John there is in verse
2 it says, Now are we the sons of God.
That's a good key to see is that this isn't something that we find out or we become children
of God after we die.
This is something that we're children of God now.
It's interesting because we're going to go to Romans chapter 8 and we're going to see
that there's the manifestation of the sons of God that we're waiting for and we're going
to see.
The big thing, if I was going to tell you something about this chapter, is talking about
the new man versus the old man, the inner man.
That's what we're dealing with a lot in this chapter is that sinless man that's inside
of us, that soul, that would be the child of God.
So it says, Now you're the sons of God.
In John chapter 1 and verse 10, John chapter 1, remember it said, Therefore the world knoweth
us not because it knew him not, and it says we are now the sons of God and he has called
us the sons of God.
Notice in John chapter 1 verse 10, He was in the world and the world was made by him
and the world knew him not.
He came unto his own and his own received him not, but as many as received him, to them
gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name, which were
born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
So that's exactly what we're talking about in 1 John chapter 3 is that he is, he called
us the sons of God, now are we the sons of God?
Why?
Because we believe.
It's those that believe on him that are given that power to become the sons of God and it
says that just as much as the world knew him not, the world doesn't know us.
And obviously we're talking spiritually speaking here because as soon as we were born of God,
therefore the world knoweth us not because it knew him not.
And so that's what that's talking about.
And so right now, and if you're just on the bottom shelf right now, our soul and spirit
are children of God.
Our body is not.
That's what you've got to understand when you're going into these passages.
And so when it talks about, when it's going off about you've neither seen him nor known
him, it's talking about the flesh.
Your body or your flesh has not been regenerated.
It hasn't been renewed.
All things are not become new with the body yet.
Now that will happen and that's what we're waiting for.
But when you see passages in here, what you have to realize is sometimes it's talking
about the old man and sometimes it's talking about the new man.
And it's basically saying if you're sinning, you're in the old man.
If you're not sinning, you're in the new man.
And so that's why it's going back and forth and that's why it's so black and white.
And that's what you're going to see in this chapter is it's black and white.
It's not like, well, you're not continuing in sin or you're sinning less or whatever.
No, it's either you're not sinning or you're sinning.
You're either a child of God or you're of the devil.
And obviously this isn't, just because you sin as your body is not a child of the devil,
but the devil is a sinner from the beginning, right?
He's alive from the beginning and that's what that's talking about is basically sin is coming
from the devil.
That's where it kind of started because the devil sinned and his angels sinned and then
Adam and Eve, he caused Adam and Eve to sin.
And so that's what it's talking about.
But anyway, we're going to get into that.
But 1 John chapter 3 and verse 3.
And this is just kind of a little, you may read this and not understand who it's talking
about or what is being said here.
It says, and every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself even as he is pure.
So let's break this down.
What's the hope?
The appearing of Jesus Christ, right?
That was what was just said.
When he shall appear, we shall be like him for we shall see him as he is.
And it's saying every man that hath this hope in him, okay, so you're basically hoping or
waiting for Christ.
And it says, will purify himself even as he is pure.
So who's the him?
The him is the person, the child, you know, the Christian, right?
Is going to purify himself, the Christian, even as he who?
Jesus Christ is pure.
This goes back, remember we were talking about in chapter 2 there, that last verse.
And well, the last two verses there says, and now little children abide in him that
when he shall appear, right?
So we're still talking about the same thought is the appearing of Jesus.
We may have confidence and not be ashamed before man is coming.
If you know that he is righteous, you know that everyone that doeth righteousness is
born of him.
So you're talking about the new man, when you're talking about that, everyone that doeth
righteousness is born of him.
So your body is sinful, and it obeys the law of sin.
So is your body born of him?
Not yet.
But your soul is, your soul has that earnest of the spirit, it's sealed into the day of
redemption, and there's nothing going to change that, and the body will be changed eventually.
But until that point, the body is not a child of God yet.
And so that's what this is talking about is that purifying himself.
So basically what this is saying is that if you had the hope of Jesus coming, and you're
holding on to that hope of him coming, you're going to purify yourself.
Meaning you're going to purify the flesh, you're going to get right with God, you're
going to walk with God, you're going to be fruitful, you're going to be his disciple,
because you know he's coming and you don't want to be ashamed before man is coming.
That's what that's talking about.
So it's not saying you're purifying yourself from sin so you can go to heaven.
That's not what that's talking about.
And actually, brother Matt Stuckey was sending me a message, and apparently the modalists
are attacking this passage right here, and saying that it's God the Father that shall
endure.
And you know, he's saying in the verse where it says, we're down to verse 5, where it says
and he was manifest to take away our sins and in him is no sin.
They're saying that's the Father because that's who was talking here in chapter 3.
Well the same thought was going back to chapter 2, which is talking about Jesus coming, right?
So just because there's chapters doesn't mean that it's like a break in the story, okay?
A lot of times the chapter, I mean especially we were just reading Ephesians, right?
This morning, talking about like wives obeying, you know, that all just keeps going, right?
And sometimes when you go to Colossians it'll break at a different point when you go into
a chapter dealing with servants, masters, and children and all that stuff.
And so just because there's a chapter break doesn't mean that the whole thought is changing
course, okay?
So that thought is going through and I feel stupid even bringing it up, okay?
But that he was making this point that the man, they were just like turning the Bible
on its head.
Whenever you look, they're trying to say, well, this is the Father, you know, the Father's
the one that came and was manifest to take away the sins of the world.
Now when we get to chapter 4, there's going to be no doubt that the Father didn't send
Himself, He sent the Son to be the propitiation for our sins.
So going on down to that verse there in chapter 3 verse 4, this is a great verse, I use this
all the time out soul winning, okay?
And verse 4 here, it says, whosoever committed sin transgresseth also the law, for sin is
the transgression of the law.
This is a great verse, if anybody you're like, what's sin, you know?
What is sin?
It's the break of God's commandments.
It's the transgression of the law.
That's what sin is.
And so you can think of like local government, you know, if you were to transgress local
government's law, it would be a sin against that law.
Sin isn't like this, I mean you could use that term in different ways.
You can use abomination, you know, you could say cream cheese is an abomination on the
brother Charles, you know?
I think that's crazy because I love cream cheese, but you know, you can use that as
a, because it's something you detest or you dislike, right?
Same thing with sin, it just means something that you've broken a law, right?
But in the Bible, obviously we're talking about God's laws, and so sin is the transgression
of the law.
So I use that a lot of times, I'll say that to somebody when I say, for all of sin that
comes to the glory of God, you're like, have you sinned?
And I'll break it down to them and say, sin is just when you transgressed God's law.
Have you lied before?
Have you coveted before?
And you know, once you get them to admit that they at least lied, then you can move on to
the next point.
But the next verse there, in verse five, this is another great verse to show Jesus was sinless.
It says, and ye know that he was manifested to take away our sins, and in him is no sin.
So we know we're talking about Jesus, I feel stupid even bringing it up, but it says when
he shall appear, we shall be like him, it's talking about Jesus appearing.
How many times is it talking about Jesus appearing, Jesus coming in the clouds, the son of God
coming in the clouds, the son of man coming in the clouds, I mean, it says it over and
over and over again.
For anybody to come in here and say that that appearing is the Father is out of their mind,
okay?
But all that to say is that he was manifested to take away our sins, and in him is no sin.
So this is one of those verses that if you just wanted the verse to say, okay, Jesus
is sinless, this is a great verse.
Another great verse is in 2 Corinthians chapter five and verse 22.
In 2 Corinthians chapter five and verse 22, I use this a lot too, especially when you're
talking about what he did on the cross, right?
When you're talking about when he was nailed to the cross, what was going on at that point.
In 2 Corinthians chapter five and verse 21, it says, for he hath made him to be sin for
us, who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousnesses of God in him.
So 1 John chapter three, verse five, great verse, 2 Corinthians chapter five, verse 21,
great verse, but then 1 Peter chapter two and verse 21 through the end of the chapter
there hits the same thing about how he had no sin and also it says that he took our sins
on him.
So he's manifest to take away our sins, and in him is no sin, he was made to be sin for
us, who knew no sin, and it says that who did, and we'll see here the same thing that's
being said.
Okay, so if you want three passages, if you just need to really hit that with somebody
that he was made to be sin for us or what he did on the cross, this passage in 1 Peter,
a lot of times I'll quote this to him, but 1 Peter chapter two and verse 21, it says,
for even here unto where ye called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an
example that ye should follow his steps.
Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth.
So think about this, it says, in him is no sin, who knew no sin, who did no sin, neither
was guile found in his mouth.
Those are all the passages right there where it's talking about how Jesus was not a sinner.
He's made in the likeness of sinful flesh, it says in Romans chapter eight, but it says
in him is no sin, and it says who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth.
And that word guile, and you think about that, when you go back to Isaiah 53, that's
what's said about him, you know, and we're going to see another passage talking about
having no guile.
And so that's synonymous with being, have no sin.
And so in verse 23 there it says, who when he was reviled, reviled not again, when he
suffered, he threatened not, but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously, who
his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins,
should live unto righteousness, by whose stripes ye were healed, for ye were a sheep going
astray, but are now returned unto the shepherd and bishop of your souls.
And so obviously a lot of this stuff is quoting back to Isaiah 53.
And so this is a great passage, I mean, first John chapter three and verse five is a great
passage to show, you know, he would manifest take away our sins, but in him is no sin.
And you can use all those other passages if you need to.
But something interesting, you know, especially when you deal with these Zionists that say
that there's this other covenant that's coming, where it says this is the covenant that I
will make with them when I will take away their sins in Romans chapter 11, it talks
about that.
And I believe that to be the New Testament, I believe that was when Jesus came the first
time that he did that.
And I just want to prove that to you, that he's not coming to deal with sins again.
When he comes again, he's not dealing with sins.
He's not striving against sin, that it was once for all.
And there's no coming back and taking away someone's sins.
Because in first Peter chapter four, first Peter chapter four, and verse one, it says,
for as much then as Christ has suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with
the same mind for he that has suffered in the flesh had ceased from sin, that he no
longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh to the lust of men, but to the will
of God.
You may say to yourself, what do you mean he ceased from sin?
It's not that he ceased from sinning.
He ceased from striving against sin, because that's what it's saying in the next verse.
It says that he should not live the rest of his time in the flesh to the lust of men.
He's not resisting that.
And notice in Hebrews chapter 12, Hebrews chapter 12, dealing with the author and finisher
of our faith, and so this is a nail in the coffin to their stupid Zionist stuff about
how he's going to come back and save all the Jews from their sins.
No, it was once for all.
And this isn't like, when he comes back the second time, it's not going to be to take
away sins.
It's going to be to punish sins is what it's going to be for.
In Hebrews chapter 12, verse two, you know, very familiar passage, looking unto Jesus
the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured
the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God,
for consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied
and faint in your minds.
Ye have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin.
So when it says that he has ceased from sin, that's what it's talking about.
He ceased from striving against sin.
And then in Hebrews chapter 9, this is the nail in the coffin, because this is actually
the only time that I can think of that it actually says that the second time that he's
coming, or what you would call the second coming, right?
That's what we would say, the second coming of Christ, he came first.
In Hebrews chapter 9, verse 27, it says, and as it is appointed unto men once to die, but
after this judgment, so Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many, and unto them that
look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.
He's done dealing with sin.
He was manifested to take away our sins, and in him is no sin, and he has ceased from sin.
He is not striving against sin anymore.
He is sitting at the, after he purged our sins, he has sat down at the right hand of
the majesty on high.
And so this whole idea that he's coming again to take away the sins of the Jews, I mean,
you have to be just discounting all these scriptures, because the only place it even
says that it's the second coming, it says that he is coming without sin unto salvation.
He no longer has sin on him, and he's no longer going to bear the sin.
He did it once for all, and it's already happened.
You know, once, you know, at the end of the world, he has appeared to do this.
And so, anyway, that was kind of a side note, because I always hear this stuff about, you
know, the Zionists saying that.
But go back to 1 John chapter 3 and verse 6, 1 John chapter 3 and verse 6, and we touched
on this verse actually a little bit last week, where we were talking about abiding, you know,
abiding, walking in the light, abiding in him, and how that's not talking about salvation,
it's talking about being his disciple, walking in the Lord, walking in the light, all that
stuff.
But it says, it says, whosoever abideth in him sinneth not, whosoever sinneth hath not
seen him, neither known him.
Now think about this.
If you were to say, if you were to put the first part's talking about the new man, the
second part's talking about the old man.
See how that makes sense?
The old man is the one that sins.
The old man is the one that is under the law of sin.
And but it says, whosoever sinneth hath not seen him, neither known him.
You know that the old man has not seen him, neither known him.
Because the old man is unregenerated, the old man is still sinful, the old man is dead.
And obviously it will be made alive, it will be quickened, and we're going to get into
that.
But that's how you make sense of that verse.
The abiding, if you're abiding in the new man, you're not sinning.
If you're abiding in the flesh, you're sinning, and that flesh has not seen God, and it has
not seen Jesus, and it has not known him.
And so it doesn't mean that if you sin, you've never known Christ, spiritually or anything.
You've never known Jesus at all.
Everything that you've learned before is gone.
It's talking about the old man.
It's talking about the flesh.
Now notice, I'm going to just jump into this.
First John chapter 3, verse 15.
This is one verse that I've had so many people ask me what in the world this is talking about.
I remember I was in church one time, and a friend of mine just leaned over to me and
said, what does that mean?
Because it was being read at church.
And I was in church, I didn't have time to go through the whole spiel.
But I'm going to explain this to you.
So whosoever hateth his brother as a murderer, and you know that no murderer hath eternal
life abiding in him.
Does that mean that if you hate your brother, then you don't have eternal life, you're not
saved?
Now, the easy way to answer this, the book of 1 John starts off saying that Jesus is
called eternal life, and the book of 1 John ends saying that Jesus is eternal life.
And it's saying, it's calling Jesus eternal life here, so you can insert Christ abiding
in him.
Meaning that if you hate your brother, you don't have Christ abiding in you.
And so it's not saying you don't have the gift of eternal life, you're not saved, okay?
That's not what it's saying.
And I'll prove that to you.
John chapter 1 verse 1.
And so is it no marvel that this verse is in the smack dab in the middle of the book
of 1 John, and it starts off saying that Jesus is eternal life, it ends saying Jesus is eternal
life, and right in the middle we're talking about Jesus is eternal life.
And so that's what this is talking about.
It's talking about Christ isn't abiding in you if you hate your brother.
Again, you know, you're just not walking in the new man, you're in the flesh.
So Jesus isn't, he isn't abiding in the flesh.
He's only abiding in the soul, you know.
And so if you're walking in the flesh, he's not abiding in you.
And so 1 John chapter 1 verse 1, it says, that which was from the beginning, which we
have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon in our hands of
hand over the word of life, for the life was manifested, and we have seen it and bear witness
and show unto you that eternal life which was with the Father and was manifested unto
us.
He was manifested to take away our sins, and in him is no sin.
That's what we just got done reading.
And it's talking about Jesus, you know, in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was
with God, and the Word was God, and it says that that eternal life which was with the
Father and was manifested unto us.
Go to the end of the book, second to the last verse of the whole book, 1 John chapter 5
verse 20, 1 John chapter 5 verse 20, it says, and we know that the Son of God has come and
hath given us an understanding that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that
is true, even in his Son, Jesus Christ.
This is the true God and eternal life.
Jesus is the true God and eternal life.
And by the way, that's a great verse for Jesus' deity, you know, even Jesus Christ, his Son,
this is the true God and eternal life.
And so Jesus is the eternal life.
And so that's how you answer that verse, it's just saying that if you hate your brother,
then that constitutes of being a murderer.
Remember it says, be not angry with your brother without a cause, and it says that if you do
that you've committed murder in your heart.
So being angry without a cause and hating your brother, spiritually speaking you're
a murderer to your brother, and that's a serious offense obviously.
And so what that's saying is that if you hate your brother, and that's what I believe, any
brother or sister in Christ you should never hate, never.
I'm not saying you've got to like them and hang out with them and be all buddy-buddy
with them, but you're not to hate them.
And so that's what the Bible teaches.
And so I just want to jump into that, that's one of those verses where people are going
to pull out and say you can lose your salvation, or you know, you're not really saved if you've
hated your brother or something like that.
Now we could all hate our brother, you know, if we're all walking in the flesh we could
hate every single one of each other right now.
But that's the flesh, not the spirit, not the soul that's doing that.
Your soul would never hate the brethren.
And so going on here in 1 John chapter 3, down there, now this is, if you were to encapsulate
what's going on here, is that we're talking, remember we were talking about how the father,
my father and I will come and make our abode with you, if you keep my commandments, if
you love me and you love the brethren and all this stuff.
The Holy Ghost is always there.
The Holy Ghost is there, you're sealed with him, and you are the temple of the Holy Ghost.
So the Holy Ghost never leaves your body.
He's always abiding with you.
Now Christ may not be abiding with you, and the father may not be abiding with you, but
the Holy Ghost is always there.
And notice what it says, this is the last verse in this chapter.
In verse 24 it says, and he that keepeth his commandments dwells in him, and he in him,
and hereby we know that he abideth in us by what?
The spirit which he hath given us.
So that spirit's always there, and that spirit's gonna basically tell you whether you're abiding
in him or not.
If you're keeping his commandments and you're doing his will, that spirit that's inside
of you is gonna tell you that you're abiding in him.
And so we're gonna look at other passages where it talks about the spirit, bear witness
with our spirit that we are the children of God.
And so it's talking about the fact that you're walking in the new man.
It's not saying that spirits can testify whether you're saved or not.
That's where people get tripped up with this, and they're always talking about, oh, it's
all about salvation.
No, it's about abiding in Christ.
It's about walking in the new man.
And it's just giving you a lot of different ways to know whether you're walking in the
new man, whether you're walking in the spirit or not.
If you hate your brother, you're not walking in the spirit.
If you're sinning, you're not walking in the spirit.
And so that's what this is talking about, and it's just giving you all these different
avenues to kind of give, it's almost like a checklist, okay?
And you're saying, okay, well, I love my brother.
I'm keeping his commandments.
I'm going soul winning.
I'm reading my Bible.
The word of God is abiding in me.
I guess I'm walking in the spirit.
That's kind of the way you look at this is like there's these different, but if you hate
your brother, be like, okay, I can't be abiding in Christ then if I hate my brother.
And so he's just kind of giving you all these different avenues just to, so you can know.
And that's the thing.
We want to know whether we're walking in the spirit.
We want to know if we're right with God, if we have fellowship with the Father.
And you can just put your head in the sand and just hope so, right?
That's what all the ecumenical people do.
They're like, oh, I have my relationship with Jesus.
It's my own personal relationship.
No, it's black and white and it's right here in first John as far as if you're not doing
these things, then you're not walking in Christ and you're lying if you say you are.
And so, but first John chapter 15, this is a passage I wanted to go to about abiding
in Christ.
Okay.
So John chapter 15, actually this whole chapter, first John three and John 15 are just, I mean,
if you want a commentary to first John chapter three, go to John 15 and you're going to see
there's a lot of stuff that's just sad and it's just like what we see in first John chapter
three.
So John chapter 15 in verse one, it says, I am the true vine and my father is the husband
man.
So who's talking?
Jesus, right?
Jesus is talking here and it says in every, every branch in me that beareth not fruit,
he taketh away and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it and that it may bring
forth more fruit.
You can think about this, you know, he that hath this hope in him purify himself even
as he is pure, right?
And so we're talking about purging, we're talking about bearing fruit.
Verse three, now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.
Sounds familiar when we were talking about you're clean every wit and obviously by the
word of God we're washed with the, you know, the washing of the water by the word and all
that.
But in verse four it says, abide in me and I in you as the branch cannot bear fruit of
itself excepted abide in the vine, no more can ye except ye abide in me.
So how are you going to be fruitful?
Abiding in Christ.
If you don't abide in Christ, you're not going to be fruitful.
That's what it's saying.
And verse five, I am the vine, ye are the branches.
He that abideth in me and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit, for without me
ye can do nothing.
And that's what we're talking about.
If you're going to be fruitful and you want to be a fruitful Christian, and yes this applies
to soul winning, but there's other ways, there's the fruit of righteousness and then there's
the fruit of your lips, you know, praising God, thanking God, all this stuff.
And you think about, you know, no man call Jesus Christ Lord but by the Holy Ghost.
And so there's those avenues as far as abiding in Christ.
And you can't do that, you can do nothing without Christ.
I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me, but you can do, the opposite is true.
I can also do nothing without Christ, without abiding in him.
And what we're seeing in these chapters is how do you abide in him, what does it mean
to abide in him?
Keep his commandments, love God, and love the brethren.
Those are the three things that if you were just to point out, what do I need to do to
abide in Christ?
Keep his commandments, love God, love the brethren.
That's what we see coming over and over and over again and if you don't do those, then
you're not abiding in Christ.
And you're not going to be fruitful, you're not going to bear much fruit.
And so in verse 6 it says, if any man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch and
is withered and men gather them and cast them into the fire that they are burned.
I guess they went to hell.
See, the thing is, this is where people come in here and they see burn and they see fire
and it's automatically hell.
Just think about this.
If you have a branch that's not bringing forth fruit, you don't want it on the tree.
And so you're purging the branches that aren't fruitful so that the other ones can be fruitful.
Think about vessels of honor versus vessels of dishonor and you have the earthen vessels
but you also have the other vessels.
And so you're purging yourselves from worldly Christians, so to speak, and from people that
aren't being fruitful.
And you can think about this even with the fact of, okay, well, you need to get sin out
of your life.
You need to purge yourself from iniquity and he's purging you, purging you, getting all
that stuff out.
So why?
So you can bear more fruit.
Because, you know, when you first get saved and let's say you just got saved straight
off the street, you can go out and win someone to Christ.
But you're not going to win as many people to Christ as you could if you would get that
sin out of your life.
If you get righteous and you get into the Word of God, you start abiding with Christ
daily, then that's going to be more fruit, more fruit, more fruit.
And then you're going to be teaching them to bear fruit and then that's just multiplying
on top of that.
And so this is something that he's going over and over again.
And it's just basically a picture or a parable, so to speak, to show us what does that liken
them to.
And he's saying, I'm the vine.
Are we really branches?
Is he really a vine?
Right?
And he's saying this to show us, okay, here's a tree, this is what you do with a tree.
If there's a dead branch, you're going to take it off so that all the nutrients, you're
not wasting nutrients on that dead branch.
Now if you want to look at an extreme example of this, at the end of the book in 1 John
it says, there is a sin unto death, I do not say he shall pray for it.
So if you want to take the extreme example, yes, God could, you could sin to the point
where God will let you die and you'll come home early, right?
And so that would be the extreme as far as that goes.
Verse 7, it says, if you abide in me and my words abide in you, you shall ask what you
will and it shall be done unto you.
Here it is my Father glorified that you bear much fruit, so shall ye be my children.
Is that what it says?
And this is where a lot of people get mixed up.
You know, it says, so shall ye be my disciples.
And there's a big difference between being a disciple or a follower and being a child
of God.
Just because you're a child of God and anybody that has kids in here knows that just because
you have children doesn't mean they follow you.
Doesn't mean they do everything you tell them to do.
And so, but just because they don't tell you to do what you tell them to do and just because
they don't follow you doesn't mean they're not your children.
Okay?
So this is all about being a disciple.
So do you see how all of 1 John is talking about how do you be, how are you going to
say that you're his disciple?
Follow me and I will make you fishers of men.
It didn't say maybe, it didn't say might, it said I will make you fishers of men.
And you know, it talks about the fact that if you're going to keep his commandments,
hereby we do know that we know him if we keep his commandments.
He that saith he abideth in him and keepeth not his commandments is a liar and the truth
is not in him.
So all this stuff is working together, talking about being his disciple.
And so someone could get saved and never be Jesus' disciple.
It's just because they'll just walk in the old man, they will never walk in the new man.
But obviously we're called to walk in the new man, we're to put off the old man.
And so it says in verse 9, as the father had loved me, so have I loved you, continue ye
in my love.
If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love.
And as I have kept my father's commandments and abide in his love.
So we're supposed to walk in his steps just like Jesus did all the things that pleased
the father.
We're supposed to do all the things that pleased the son and we're going to abide in him just
like he abides in the father.
And so that's what, you know, John chapter 15 is talking about, that's what it's talking
about here.
He that abideth in him, sinneth not.
Why?
Because you're keeping his commandments.
Because sin is the transgression of the law and if you're keeping the commandments, then
you're not transgressing the law.
It's really simple, honestly, when you look at it.
But go back to 1 John chapter 3 and we're going to get into probably the most troubling
passage, okay, as far as the one that people have problems with and the one that people
are constantly trying to get at to say things it's not saying.
So we were looking at verse 6, we'll just look at that again.
Whosoever abideth in him, sinneth not.
Whosoever sinneth hath not seen him, neither known him.
Little children, let no man deceive you.
He that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous.
He that comitteth 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.
Notice what it says in verse 9.
Here's your troubling passage.
Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin, for a seed remaineth in him and he cannot
sin because he is born of God.
Now I've heard people take this passage, people that believe you can't lose your salvation,
you know, good people, and they'll take this passage and instead of talking about the fact
that we're talking about the new man and not the old man, that we're talking about our
soul, they'll say, well, this just means that you're not going to continue in sin.
It's not going to be like, you're not going to have a continual sin, right?
Is that what it said?
It says, Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin, for a seed remaineth in him and
he cannot sin because he is born of God.
Now, is your body born of God right now?
No, but your soul is.
And you know, this is what the, they'll go back to the Greek, okay?
People that don't understand Greek couldn't quote you off the Greek alphabet.
But they're going to go back to the Greek and they're going to say, see that word commit
there?
That word commit is an imperfect tense of that word.
And they don't even understand English grammar, okay?
And I'll give you an example of this.
If I said, I was waiting at the bus stop, and then, and I, as I was waiting, as I was
waiting at the bus stop, I read my Bible.
And then see, the imperfect is as I was waiting, right?
And so what that just means that it's not a complete, like, you don't just say as I
was waiting to be like, and then, you know, you'd be like, what are you talking about?
Right?
But if I said I read my Bible, that's a complete sentence, makes perfect sense, right?
I could have been waiting for the bus for one minute, right?
And then I got on the bus after that.
Does that make sense?
It's not, it doesn't imply, it doesn't always mean that it's like a continual, like, I'm
always waiting on the bus, so to speak.
And so they take that and say, well, that's an imperfect form of the word.
Well, even in English, you can understand that that doesn't jive.
It doesn't mean that it's a continual action, right?
Well, how do you reconcile 1 John chapter 5 then?
Because they'll say, well, the commit there is that imperfect tense or whatever.
I would, I would submit to you that when it says he cannot sin, it would be just throwing
you out the window there.
But notice verse 18 of chapter 5.
So 1 John chapter 5 verse 18, it says, we know that whosoever is born of God sinneth
not.
That doesn't even use the word commit there, so how do you get around that one?
It's just as they sin not.
Whosoever born of God doth not commit sin.
Why?
Because for his seed remaineth in him and he cannot sin because he's born of God.
Now this makes perfect sense.
Go to Psalm chapter 32.
This is in the Old Testament, dispensationalists.
David also spake of the blessedness of the man unto whom God imputed righteousness without
works and this is what's quoted after it says that in Romans chapter 4.
But in Psalm 32, it gives you a little bit more information.
That's why it's always good to go back into the Old Testament where it's quoted at because
you might find a little nugget of truth in there.
But in Psalm 32 verse 1, it says, blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven and
whose sin is covered.
Blessed is the man unto whom the Lord impudeth not iniquity and in whose spirit there is
no guile.
That's what we're talking about.
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.
Your spirit has no guile.
And remember it said about Jesus who did no sin that it was guile found in his mouth.
Jesus was sinless.
He had no guile.
And if you're born of God, you have Jesus' righteousness imputed unto you.
Not the righteousness which is of the law but the righteousness which is of God by faith.
That's what the Bible teaches.
And so he's imputed his righteousness unto us and that we might be made the righteousness
of God.
Who is made to be sin for us who knew no sin that we might be made the righteousness of
God in him.
Our soul is as righteous as Jesus Christ.
That's miraculous but it's the truth.
And so why?
His seed remaineth in us.
You know another word for, you know when it uses the word seed, being born again not of
corruptible seed but of incorruptible by the word of God which liveth and abideth forever.
That seed remaineth in us and we cannot sin because we were born of God.
So instead of just, you know this is where you get into laziness and just not understanding
doctrine and see how now what they do with that and that's why this is so bad that they
do this and say well it's a continual sin.
Instead of just reconciling the fact that we're talking about the spirit and the soul,
is they'll say well you know I'm a fruit inspector brother and if you're continuing in sin then
you weren't really safe.
Tell that to Saul, right?
Tell that to a lot of people in the Bible that were saved and continued in sin.
And so it's just, this is where you get a lot of that stuff where you know if you're
continuing in sin then you're not really safe.
That's a bunch of hogwash because literally someone could get saved because it's believe
on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved, not continuing his word, not continuing
in sin.
And so it's either, and here's the thing, go to 2 Corinthians chapter 5, go to 2 Corinthians
chapter 5 and this is what they'll say.
You know when they say well you won't continue in sin because you're made a new creature
and all things have become new.
Now let's see if that makes sense, okay?
Because actually this verse is going to make a lot more sense with what I just said and
the fact that we cannot sin because we were born of God, spiritually speaking.
In 2 Corinthians chapter 5 verse 17 it says, therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a
new creature, old things are passed away, behold some things are being become new.
No, it says all things, all means all and unless your flesh is automatically perfect
and you stop sinning completely, then your flesh is not a part of that where it says
that yet.
But now we become the sons of God and it doth not appear what we shall be, but we know that
when he shall appear we shall be like him for we shall see him as he is.
We have not got to that until he comes in the closet we're going to be like him and
see him as he is and so all things are not going to become new for us until our body
is completely regenerated.
But you know what this is true about?
Our soul.
Our soul, all things have become new.
Old things have passed away, all things have become new and we're completely regenerated
by the Holy Ghost when we believed on Christ.
The moment we believed we became the sons of God spiritually and so this makes perfect
sense but this is where you start cutting up the Bible and when it says all it's like
well that's some, you know something, you're at least not going to want to do this, you
know.
You're not going to want to do this.
No, it's either all or it's not.
And so that's where, when it says in 1 John chapter 9, whosoever is born of God doth not
commit sin, I believe that to the T and the only way that that can make sense with the
rest of the book where it says if we say that we have no sin we deceive ourselves and
the truth is not in us is if that verse in chapter 1 is talking about the flesh and this
verse right here is talking about the soul and the spirit.
Makes perfect sense.
And so go to Romans chapter 7, so I want to talk about this old man and new man, okay.
And I know if you were here for the Romans series then you're kind of getting a refresher
on this but this is where this applies.
We're talking about the old man and the new man.
The inward man.
Romans chapter 7 verse 22 it says for I delight in the law of God after the inward man but
I see another law in my members warring against the law of my mind and bringing me into captivity
to the law of sin which is in my members.
O wretched man that I am, who shall deliver me from the body of this death?
I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord so then with the mind I myself serve the law
of God but with the flesh the law of sin.
Do you see this battle that's going on?
And this is exactly what 1 John chapter 3 is talking about.
If you're abiding in him you're not sinning, you're in the new man.
If you're sinning, you have not seen him, neither known him, you're in the old man.
It's just showing you in its stark differences, okay.
There's no middle ground here.
That's why it's so stark to say you're either not sinning or you're sinning, you're either
in the new man or you're in the old man, you've either seen God or you have not seen God and
that's why it's so stark of a difference and it cannot be talking about your flesh the
whole way through this chapter because your flesh still has sin.
Your flesh is obeying the law of sin and that's why Paul, one of the greatest Christians that
probably ever lived said, O wretched man that I am, who shall deliver me from the body of
this death?
He's talking about the flesh.
He's talking about his body.
I'm not going to read the whole chapter before that but go ahead and read that sometime and
the tongue twister of the things I would, I do not and the things I do not, that I would
and you know, there's no moral I to do but sin that dwells within me, okay.
If I go to Romans chapter 8, Romans chapter 8 and verse 1 here, Romans chapter 8 and verse
1 it says, there is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus who walk
not after the flesh but after the spirit.
That's the key.
I said this last week and Holly's like, you know, you may want to explain that a little
more just because some people may think you're sin.
When I say that the body is still under the law, I'm not talking about the Old Testament,
okay.
When I say the body is under the law, I'm talking about condemnation under the laws
of you know, thou shall not murder, thou shall not steal, right.
I'm talking about like moral laws, right.
I'm not talking about like it needs to keep the Sabbath, okay.
When I say it's under the law, I mean the fact that it's, it basically sin will bring
it to death.
Your soul is no longer under the law, it's under grace and so that's the difference.
When someone says, listen brother, I'm not under the law anymore, I'm under grace.
Not your body because unless you're walking in the spirit, you still have condemnation
and that's what this verse is saying.
There is now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus who walk not after the
flesh but after the spirit.
Obviously if you died and that was separated, right, and your body went to the grave then
obviously your soul in heaven is the new man, you know, it's no condemnation, right.
Your body still has condemnation in this life.
God is not mocked for what so ever man soweth that shall he also reap.
He that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption.
That's what it's talking about.
And so when I'm saying you're under the law, it's talking about the body, it's just talking
about the moral law and the consequences that come with that.
But your soul is no longer under the law because it's made free from sin and eventually your
body will be too.
That's what we're going to get into with this chapter and so I don't want to read this whole
chapter for sake of time but in verse 8 notice what it says, so then they that are in the
flesh cannot please God.
You know, if you're walking in the flesh or according to the flesh you cannot please God.
But notice it says, but ye are not in the flesh but in the spirit, in verse 9, if so
be that the spirit of God dwell in you.
So what it's saying there is that you're not in the flesh if the spirit of God dwell in
you meaning that in the new man, you know.
And so it's showing that dichotomy as far as if you're walking in the flesh, you can't
please God.
Without faith, it's impossible to please him, right?
And if you're walking in the flesh, you cannot please him.
If you're walking in the spirit, the reason that you can walk in the spirit is because
the spirit of God dwells in you and it says now if any man have not the spirit of God,
he is none of his.
So if you don't have the spirit of God dwelling in you, then you're not saved, okay?
It's pretty much what that's saying but you now have the spirit of God to where you can
walk in the spirit.
You've been made free from sin spiritually and you have that opportunity to do that.
Now look at verse 14, verse 14, so Romans chapter 8, verse 14, and for the sake of time,
I would read all of this to get a lot of context here but I just, you know, there's other things
I want to get to in this chapter but that's what it says in verse 14, for as many as are
led by the spirit of God, they are the sons of God.
Remember how that was read in Galatians, it says if you be led of the spirit, you're not
under the law and you remember the fruits of the spirit, against such there is no law.
And so that's what it's talking about is if you're led by the spirit, you're the children
of God.
So when it talks about this manifestation of the sons of God or how the world's going
to know that you're a son of God, it's when you're walking in the spirit because you can't
see your soul, right?
I can't, when I'm looking at every one of you right now, I don't see your souls, I see
your bodies and it's only if you reign in that body to walk as your spirit is that I'm
going to see that, right?
And it's not, this isn't like okay, this is how we judge whether someone's saved or not,
right?
This is all internally, right?
All this stuff is dealing with okay, how do I know I'm walking in the spirit?
How do I know what I'm doing or abiding in Christ, right?
And so don't use this and be like well I haven't seen them abiding in Christ so are they really
saved?
Are they really a child of God?
They haven't showed that to me?
They could choose never to do it and then you'd never know, right?
So it's not a good marker as far as like how to determine whether someone's saved, right?
Now fruits are definitely a marker, if you see someone winning someone to Christ and
then they're winning someone to Christ, you know, you'll know them by their fruits so
I would agree with that, right?
But we're not talking about works, we're talking about you know, you won someone to Christ,
you won your children to Christ and then they grow up and they're winning people to Christ,
that's a good marker to say there's a good tree there, right?
And same thing with the church, if the church is churning out a bunch of false prophets,
right?
Ruckmanites, all this other stuff, then that's a bad tree.
But if you have a church that's churning out a bunch of soul winners and all that, then
you can see the fruit, you can know them by their fruits.
But as we see, as we go on here, notice what it says in verse 16, no matter where we read
that verse at the end of chapter 3, 1 John chapter 3 where it talks about we know that
he abideth in us by the Spirit which he hath given us, notice what it says here in verse
16, the Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit that we are the children of God.
And so, again this is talking about abiding, this is talking about walking as children
of God, walking as children of light, okay?
And how you're showing that.
And notice in verse 19, verse 19, dealing with the manifestation of the sons of God,
it says, for the earnest expectation of the creature waited for the manifestation of the
sons of God.
What is this talking about?
This is talking about the resurrection or waiting for when our bodies are going to become
the sons of God.
Notice in verse 20, for the creature was made subject of vanity, not willingly but by reason
of him who has subjected the same in hope because the creature itself also shall be
delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.
So notice, it's saying it's also, that means you already have the Spirit, you're already
a son of God, but your body is going to be also made into this liberty of the children
of God.
Notice in verse 22, it says, for we know that the whole creation groaneth and travails in
pain together until now, and not only they, but ourselves also which have the firstfruits
of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption to wit
the redemption of our body.
So that's what we're dealing with right now.
When you look at 1 John chapter 3 and you're going through these passages and you're looking
at it and you're like, well, what is this talking about?
We still have the old man.
That hasn't happened yet.
Jesus hasn't come in the clouds yet.
We haven't seen him as he is.
We're not like him yet physically, but our soul is.
That's why it says, you know, we're waiting for this manifestation of the sons of God,
but it also says that now are we the sons of God?
So how do you reconcile those two?
Well, now we're the sons of God spiritually and we're waiting for the sons of God physically.
And so that's what it's talking about.
Now, Ephesians chapter 4, go to Ephesians chapter 4, and I just want to show you a place
where we're talking about the old man and new man.
When you get saved, the old man's still there, not spiritually speaking.
We're dead in trespasses and sins, but he's quickened us spiritually, right?
But our body was crucified with the affections and lust, you know.
And so when we got saved, our body is dead in sins and trespasses and all that stuff.
And, you know, its end is to die unless Jesus comes back and we're changed, right?
But the wages of sin as death still applies to the body.
But the wages of sin as death doesn't apply to the soul anymore because we've been saved
from that.
But Ephesians chapter 4 and verse 20, it says, but ye have not so learned Christ, if so be
that ye have heard him and have been taught by him as the truth is in Jesus, that ye put
off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the
deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that ye put on the new man,
which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.
This is a commandment.
So he's talking to Christians here and he's saying, you need to put off the old man and
put on the new man.
Now, if this was automatic, as soon as you got saved, why in the world is he even telling
you about it?
Why would that be a commandment that he's giving to the church at Ephesus to put off
the old man and put on the new man if it's automatic and you don't have to worry about
it?
No, this is a daily.
You know when Paul said, I die daily?
He meant that because daily he's at the start of the flesh and let the flesh die and put
on the new man.
And so this is a daily thing that we're supposed to do.
I go back to 1 John, verse John, chapter 3, I have too many notes.
I think we're getting through the main point of what I wanted to get across, you know,
with those passages, the hard passages, so to speak.
And if you have any questions, let me know.
We can talk about it.
But 1 John, chapter 3 and verse 10, I just want to talk about this manifest, how the
children of God are manifest and how the children of the devil are manifest and what
this is talking about a little bit.
So in verse 10 here, it says, 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.
For this is the message that he heard from the beginning that we should love one another,
not as Cain who was of that wicked one and slew his brother and wherefore slew he him
because his own works were evil and his brother's righteous.
Now what is this talking about, what it says, in this, the children of God are manifest
and the children of the devil, whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, okay?
This isn't saying that your flesh is of the devil because what we see here is Abel and
Cain.
He's using a picture of Cain and Abel, right?
Cain was of the wicked one, so he was a reprobate, he was a child of the devil.
And why did he kill him?
Because his own brother's, his brother's works were righteous and his were evil.
So he just hated Abel because he was good, right, because he was a righteous guy.
And what I believe this is talking about, go to John chapter 13 verse 35, is that there's
a certain way, like I said, if you're walking in the Spirit that people are going to see
that and, you know, they're going to see that you're of God, so to speak.
There's different ways that the Bible talks about this, okay?
This is where your testimony, I don't believe in lifestyle evangelism, but this is where
your testimony and the things that you do in life will help you when it comes to soul
winning, when it comes to showing people that you're of God and that you're not a hypocrite
when it comes to the Bible and all this stuff.
And so, John 13 verse 35, it says, by this shall all men know that ye are my disciples
if ye have love one toward another.
And notice in Matthew chapter 5, Matthew chapter 5, the Sermon on the Mount, I liken this to
letting your light so shine before men that they see your good works and glorify your
Father which is in heaven.
In 1 Peter, you know, for the sake of time I'm not going there, but it talks about when
they shall behold your good works, they shall glorify God in the day of visitation.
And so, yeah, I mean, your good works doesn't get anybody to heaven, but you got to understand
what people are seeing and how they perceive you.
And just, I mean, just as much as you know that it has nothing to do with that, the reason
that they would go to heaven or anything like that, that's what they're looking at.
They're looking at you that way.
But in Matthew chapter 5 verse 14, it says, ye are the light of the world.
A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid, neither do men light a candle and put it under
a bushel, but on a candlestick and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.
Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father
which is in heaven.
Now, if you remember this, what does this book start off talking about, walking in the
light?
You're the light of the world and Jesus is the light of the world and it says, why do
you have the light?
Walk in the light.
And how are you going to let people see, you know, you need to let your light so shine
before men.
You think about, you know, that we're supposed to have salt and it says if the salt is good
and if the salt had lost his savior, wherewith shall it be salted?
Notice what that says.
Now, I use this verse obviously to say that I should have as much salt as I want, right?
But if you think about it, what does it say?
Salt is good.
And you're supposed to, you know, good meaning like good works, right?
And then you have also the fact that you're supposed to let your light so shine that they
may see your good works, right?
And so, again, this has nothing to do with us being saved and has nothing to do with
them, you know, it's not like they need to see those good works to be saved, but it validates
you coming up to them and giving them the gospel and it's validating that you're a messenger
of God.
Think about that.
I mean, if you came up to the door and you had a Budweiser in your hand, do they get
to look at you and be like, this guy's a disciple of Jesus, you know, this guy's a child of
God and ready to give me the gospel.
No, they're going to look at that and be like, that person definitely doesn't believe the
Bible because they're, you know, because they're not, I mean, you just got to understand that
what they're seeing, okay?
Even though if you went up there and you were a derelict or whatever, if you have the Bible,
you know, the Word of God is powerful and it's not about you necessarily, but again,
you need to abide in Christ, He needs to purge you, all that stuff.
And so, you don't have to turn there, but Matthew 6, you know, the same sermon, it talks
about if therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness?
And so, think about this, we're talking about the new man that's inside of us and we have
the old man on the outside and if you let the old man quench that spirit so much to
where that light is darkness, how great is that darkness?
And so, you got to think about the fact that you're letting that light shine that's already
in there, right?
And that new man that's already in there, you're just letting it show.
That's what this is talking about.
Now, what does it mean, you know, the manifest, you know, what about the children of the devil,
right?
Look at Titus chapter 1, Titus chapter 1, and I believe they're manifested too in the
things that they do.
Titus chapter 1 and verse 15, it says, unto the purer all things are pure, but unto them
that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure, but even their mind and consciousness
is defiled.
We're talking about the saved, the children of God, and then the children of the devil.
There's two extremes and it says in verse 16, they profess that they know God, but in
works they deny him, being an abominable and unto every good work reprobate.
So when you see this passage where it's talking about, you know, he that doeth not righteousness
is not of God, what you have to understand is that your new man is sinless and only does
righteousness.
With the reprobate, they have nothing but sin and they're filled with all unrighteousness.
It's completely opposite, right?
And what the reprobate is going to show that for, that he's like filled of all unrighteousness,
then the Christian is supposed to show forth that he's filled all righteousness.
Does that make sense?
And so those are the complete polar opposites.
Then you have the unsaved that are not those two, right?
And so, but that's what it's saying.
They're unto every good work reprobate.
So when you see this passage where it says that, he that doeth not righteousness is not
of God, you know, you'll be talking about the old man, but when we're talking about
the manifestation of the children of the devil, they're unto every good work reprobate.
They're filled with all unrighteousness.
There's nothing good in them.
And notice in 2 Timothy chapter 3 and verse 7, 2 Timothy chapter 3 verse 7, dealing with
reprobates.
For a second time, I'm not reading the whole passage down to verse 7 there.
It says, ever learning and never able to come into the knowledge of the truth.
Now as Janus and Jambres withstood Moses, so that these also resist the truth, men of
corrupt minds reprobate concerning the faith.
Same thing we were talking about in Titus, but notice in verse 9, but they shall proceed
no further for their folly shall be manifest unto all men as theirs also was.
So I believe that's what this is talking about, is like, you can, here's the thing,
would you say that you could pick, find, you can mark reprobates?
Could you mark reprobates?
If a faggot came in here, you'd be like, that guy's a reprobate, right?
Why?
Because their folly is going to be manifest unto all men.
And so, with Christians, you can mark a Christian, and there's obviously, you can know them by
their fruits, right?
But there's things like what they believe, stuff like that, that you can mark.
But that's what it's talking about.
And honestly, I'm not saying that if someone's doing good works, you're like, that guy's
a Christian.
But what I'm saying is that you're going to show that forth.
Because the fact is, is that you have this new man inside of you that is full of righteousness.
It has Jesus Christ's righteousness imputed unto you.
And if you walk in the light, that's going to be manifested out to people.
Does that make sense?
If you're walking in the Spirit, you're going to show forth the fruits of the Spirit, love,
joy, peace, long suffering, and all that stuff, and it's going to be manifested out to them.
And I'm not saying they have to look at you and be like, you're definitely a Christian,
right?
What I'm saying is that that's what that's teaching, is the extreme dichotomies of a
Christian is all righteousness, spiritually speaking, and spiritually speaking, for the
reprobate, they're all wickedness and full of all unrighteousness.
And both of them are going to manifest themselves forth by that, right?
And obviously, the unsaved person can choose not to, right?
They can choose to just walk in the flesh and all that, but the reprobate over here,
they can choose to try to hide that as much as possible, but it's going to come forth,
right?
That's what it's saying when Janice and Jan breeze is that their folly was manifest unto
all men, even as there was.
And so it's saying that about reprobates is that it's going to be manifest to them because
there are a bunch of wicked reprobates that want to do evil and can't even sleep unless
they do mischief, and so that's going to be manifested, right?
But back to 1 John chapter 3, 1 John chapter 3, and I'm almost done, I promise.
So we're almost getting through the book here, and this is honestly the chapter that's
the most difficult.
You think of those passages right there and what we were just covering, but we're kind
of getting out of the meat and potatoes as far as the hard stuff here.
And 1 John chapter 3, notice what it says in verse 13, marvel not, my brethren, if the
world hates you.
We know that we have passed from death unto life because we love the brethren.
He that loveth not his brother abideth in death, whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer,
and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him.
So we are covered that last verse and what that's talking about.
But it says, marvel not, my brethren, if the world hates you.
In John 15, remember, we were in John 15 and verse 17, these things I command you that
ye love one another.
If the world hates you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you.
If you were of the world, the world would love his own.
But because you are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore
the world hateth you.
Remember the word that I said unto you.
The servant is not greater than his Lord, if they have persecuted me, they will also
persecute you.
If they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also.
You know what this tells me?
That if the world loves you, you're not walking in the Spirit.
Think about that.
If the world hated Jesus, and he says, marvel not, if the world hates you, right, if the
world loves you, and all men speak well of you, then you're not walking in the Spirit.
Because they hated Jesus.
And if they hated the master of the house, how much more are they going to hate you?
And so this is just giving you another avenue as far as, hey, if the world loves you, then
there's something wrong, right?
Because the world shouldn't love you.
The world should hate you.
And they hated Jesus because he testified that their works were evil.
And isn't that why Cain killed Abel?
Because his works were righteous, and his own works were evil, and his brother's righteous?
They just hate us because we're good, right, because we're trying to do right.
They hate us because we're trying to follow the Bible, because we love God, and because
we want to have a family and raise them right.
They hate us because of that.
And that's what the Bible's teaching here.
And there's so many avenues I can go in with that, but for the sake of time, I'm not going
to go into all those avenues about that.
But in John chapter 3 and verse 20, it says, for everyone that doeth evil, hateth the light.
Neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.
But he that cometh to the light, I'm sorry, but he that doeth truth cometh to the light,
and his deeds, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.
In John chapter 7, you know, he says this to his brethren, the world cannot hate you,
because his brethren, it said, did not believe on him yet.
And that's saying, in verse 5, in verse 7, it says, the world cannot hate you, but me
it hateth because I testify of it that the works thereof are evil.
And it says, so that's what the Bible's teaching here.
Marvel not if the world hates you.
And I'm going to maybe get into this next, that verse where it says, we know that we
have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren.
You know, the Bible says that verily, verily, I say unto you, he that hearth my word, and
believeth on him, that sent me half the everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation,
but it is passed from death unto life.
The moment you believe, that happens.
But it's saying that we know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love
the brethren.
And we're going to talk about that maybe in chapter 5, talking about the fact that in
the New Man, that when we get born of God, we have this unfeigned love of the brethren.
And when you're walking in the Spirit, and you're loving God, and you're keeping His
commandments, that's there.
And you know that, right?
And anybody that's ever run into a Christian, you're saved, and you run into somebody, and
they start talking to you about the Bible, and talking about someone, and you're just
like, I just love this person.
And you don't know why, you're just like, you just have this knit, you know, and I run
into people I've never met in my life, I'll go out and soul one day, I'm like, I love
this guy.
Right?
And it's because of the Spirit of God inside of you, you have this unfeigned love of the
brethren.
And by doing the works of God, you're going to see that manifested, right?
And we know that we passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren.
And think about this, your new man is passed from death unto life, and I'm already going
into it.
I told you I was going to go into that in chapter 5, but maybe we'll hit it again.
You know, if you're walking in the new man, that's how you know.
If you're loving the brethren, you know, you've known your past from death unto life
because you're walking in a new man, and you're not in the old man.
So you can look at it that way as far as just knowing that you're walking in the new man.
But 1 John chapter 3 and verse 16, hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid
down his life for us, and we got to lay down our lives to the brethren.
Again, John 15 is calling back to that.
John 15 and verse 12, I know I'm kind of rushing through this, so if you need my notes later,
I'm trying to not go too late here, but John 15 and verse 12, it says, this is my commandment
that you love one another as I have loved you.
Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.
Ye are my friends if ye do whatsoever I command you.
Remember we were talking about that being a friend of God is more than just being saved,
right?
Abraham believed God and his imputed under for righteousness, that means he was saved,
and he was called a friend of God.
Why?
He was justified by his works, and by his works, his faith was made perfect.
And so, that's a whole other sermon for another day.
But we see here that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives
for the brethren.
And you know, the modalists out there will try to say, well, you know, this says that
there's no greater love.
Here's the thing, think about this, if I have a son, and he has no children.
There's no greater love but for him to lay down his life.
But there's no greater love for the father, but for me to let him lay down his life.
Does that make sense?
Because the son doesn't have someone, he doesn't have another son in order to show that love.
Does that make sense?
So when you're talking about the Trinity, there's no greater love for the son but that
he lay down his life for us, and there's no greater love for the father but that he would
lay down, that he would let his son lay down his life for the brethren, that he would send
his son to die.
So these modalists are just too stupid to read the Bible, and I'm sorry to be really
blunt with that, but I'm tired of these modalists just putting the Bible on its head and constantly
just trying to reject the sonship of Christ.
And this book is just constantly hammering that in, that he that denied the son the same
hath not the father.
And that's what they're constantly doing is denying the son by saying Jesus is the
father and saying the son is the father.
They're denying that there's a son of God.
Are they not denying that there's a son of God by saying that the son is the father?
That doesn't make any sense at all.
And so I just wanted to point that little thing out there.
And the last part here, and actually this part we'll get into in chapter 5 about prayer
and receiving the things that we ask of him if we keep his commandments and do those things
that are pleasing in his sight because this is covered in chapter 5 so I'll probably get
to that.
And so that's what the last part of this chapter is dealing with as far as if you're doing
the work and you're doing his will and you're keeping his commandments, then we have confidence
to come before him to ask for whatever we want according to his will.
And chapter 5 covers that too so I'll hit that in chapter 5.
But that's chapter 3.
I know it's just like a whirlwind of stuff there.
But chapter 3, really when you get that grasp of the old man, new man, you get that understanding
as far as walking in the new man, walking in the old man, the fact that the new man
is sinless, never sins, is full of righteousness, and then the old man is completely opposite
of that.
You know, it's sinful and it's not regenerated.
When you understand that, when you go into this chapter and you see that, it's kind of
working back and forth there and you can understand what's being said.
And so I believe it makes perfect sense.
If you have any questions about it or just have, you know, just scratch your head about
something about that, let me know and I can explain it a little further.
So let's end with a word of prayer.
Heavenly Father, Lord, we thank you for today and we thank you for this book.
And yes, this book is very deep.
It's definitely the strong meaning of the word, but we thank you, Lord, that everything
fits together and, Lord, that we can see these truths.
And this is a great book to help us understand whether we're abiding in you, whether we're
walking in the light, whether we have fellowship with you.
And Lord, all we have is your word that we can read to have you talk to us and, Lord,
this is telling us exactly what we need to do to be in fellowship with you.
And Lord, we thank you for the book of 1 John and help us to understand it, help us to apply
it to our lives, Lord.
And we love you and pray, in Jesus Christ's name, amen.