The commands of Jesus are few and ones we must follow. Love and Belief. John spends much time explaining the difference and encouraging us to believe and act in love.
Please read 1 John 3:1-3
Children of God Love One Another
1 See what an incredible quality of love the Father has shown to us, that we would [be permitted to] be named and called and counted the children of God! And so we are! For this reason the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. 2 Beloved, we are [even here and] now children of God, and it is not yet made clear what we will be [after His coming]. We know that when He comes and is revealed, we will [as His children] be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is [in all His glory]. 3 And everyone who has this hope [confidently placed] in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure (holy, undefiled, guiltless).
It’s an incredible love, incredible gift, we will be like Him. Eternal and so much more.
Please read 1 John 3:4-6
4 Everyone who practices sin also practices lawlessness; and sin is lawlessness [ignoring God’s law by action or neglect or by tolerating wrongdoing—being unrestrained by His commands and His will]. 5 You know that He appeared [in visible form as a man] in order to take away sins; and in Him there is [absolutely] no sin [for He has neither the sin nature nor has He committed sin or acts worthy of blame]. 6 No one who abides in Him [who remains united in fellowship with Him—deliberately, knowingly, and habitually] practices sin. No one who habitually sins has seen Him or known Him.
Abide in Him and you will not deliberately, knowingly or habitually practice sin. That is a really good reason to be united in fellowship with Him.
Please read 1 John 3:7
7 Little children (believers, dear ones), do not let anyone lead you astray. The one who practices righteousness [the one who strives to live a consistently honorable life—in private as well as in public—and to conform to God’s precepts] is righteous, just as He is righteous.
Please read 1 John 3:8
8 The one who practices sin [separating himself from God, and offending Him by acts of disobedience, indifference, or rebellion] is of the devil [and takes his inner character and moral values from him, not God]; for the devil has sinned and violated God’s law from the beginning. The Son of God appeared for this purpose, to destroy the works of the devil.
It’s unfortunate that there are many who are disobedient, indifferent and rebellious. Thankfully we have Jesus who has and will continue to destroy the works of the devil.
Please read 1 John 3:9
9 No one who is born of God [deliberately, knowingly, and habitually] practices sin, because [a]God’s seed [His principle of life, the essence of His righteous character] remains [permanently] in him [who is born again—who is reborn from above—spiritually transformed, renewed, and set apart for His purpose]; and he [who is born again] cannot habitually [live a life characterized by] sin, because he is born of God and longs to please Him.
God’s seed remains permanently in him who is born again. Being spiritually transformed, renewed, and set apart for His purpose means you are His. And cannot live a life characterized by sin. Because sin does not please Him.
Please read 1 John 3:10
10 By this the children of God and the children of the devil are clearly identified: anyone who does not practice righteousness [who does not seek God’s will in thought, action, and purpose] is not of God, nor is the one who does not [unselfishly] [b]love his [believing] brother.
Clearly identified. Those who do not believe are clearly identified.
Please read 1 John 3:11-15
11 For this is the message which you [believers] have heard from the beginning [of your relationship with Christ], that we should [unselfishly] love and seek the best for one another; 12 and not be like Cain, who was of the evil one and murdered his brother [Abel]. And why did he murder him? Because Cain’s deeds were evil, and his brother’s were righteous.
13 Do not be surprised, believers, if the world hates you. 14 We know that we have passed out of death into Life, because we love the brothers and sisters. He who does not love remains in [spiritual] death. 15 Everyone who hates (works against) his brother [in Christ] is [at heart] a murderer [by God’s standards]; and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.
Love is the only repetitive command in Jesus’ words. At least in John that is. We’ve seen it so many times in the quotes. Love one another. And love in the AMP is a decision not a feeling, almost every time. The decision to seek the best for another.
Please read 1 John 3:16
16 By this we know [and have come to understand the depth and essence of His precious] love: that He [willingly] laid down His life for us [because He loved us]. And we ought to lay down our lives for the believers.
That’s how we know and come to understand the depth and essence of His precious love. Because He laid down His life for us, willingly. He chose it to reveal His love.
Please read 1 John 3:17-20
17 But whoever has the [c]world’s goods (adequate resources), and sees his brother in need, but has no compassion for him, how does the love of God live in him? 18 Little children (believers, dear ones), let us not love [merely in theory] with word or with tongue [giving lip service to compassion], but in action and in truth [in practice and in sincerity, because practical acts of love are more than words]. 19 By this we will know [without any doubt] that we are of the truth, and will assure our heart and quiet our conscience before Him 20 whenever our heart convicts us [in guilt]; for God is greater than our heart and He knows all things [nothing is hidden from Him because we are in His hands].
Love, the action of it, is more important than the feeling of it.
Please read 1 John 3:21-22
21 Beloved, if our heart does not convict us [of guilt], we have confidence [complete assurance and boldness] before God; 22 and we receive from Him whatever we ask because we [carefully and consistently] keep His commandments and do the things that are pleasing in His sight [habitually seeking to follow His plan for us].
To live acting in love, the way it is to follow Him, gives us complete assurance and allows boldness to make requests of Him. And those requests will receive so long as we’re living like we’re supposed to live; following His plan for us.
Please read 1 John 3:23-24
23This is His commandment, that we believe [with personal faith and confident trust] in the name of His Son Jesus Christ, and [that we unselfishly] love and seek the best for one another, just as He commanded us. 24 The one who habitually keeps His commandments [obeying His word and following His precepts, abides and] remains in Him, and He in him. By this we know and have the proof that He [really] abides in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us [as a gift].
That commandment, Belief. It’s a personal, meaning Jesus knows each one of us, no-one can hang on anyone else’s coattails as it’s said. Your faith, is your faith.
It is in that belief that you can know and have the proof that He really abides in you through the Spirit given to you.
Footnotes
[a] 1 John 3:9 -because [a]God’s seed [His principle of life, the essence of His righteous character] remains- I.e. in human terms, God’s seed is like a divine “genetic code” which is passed on to His children and produces in them the desire to live in a way which pleases Him.
[b] 1 John 3:10 -nor is the one who does not [unselfishly] [b]love his [believing] brother- See note 2:10.
[b] 1 John 2:10 -The one who [b]loves and unselfishly seeks the best for his [believing] brother lives in the Light- The key to understanding this and other statements about love is to know that this love (the Greek word agape) is not so much a matter of emotion as it is of doing things for the benefit of another person, that is, having an unselfish concern for another and a willingness to seek the best for another.
[c] 1 John 3:17 -whoever has the [c]world’s goods (adequate resources)- Lit livelihood of the world.
Menu for this study.