Christians Know the Faith … and put it into practice 1 John 2:28-3:10

3 tests by which to gauge authentic Christianity the moral test (obedience to God‘s will); the social test (loving your neighbor as yourself); and the doctrinal test (right believing). Chapter 2:28 would have been a good place of a chapter break. The “moral test” in 2:28-29 reminds us of 2:3-6: Christianity involves not only orthodox teaching but righteous living.

1 John 2:28 If we grasp the hope of Christ’s second coming, unrighteous conduct is unthinkable. Why? How does St. John state that in a positive way? The phrase that begins “so that…” is a conditional sentence. The idea is: if the assumption is true the results are too! The assumption here is that Christ will definitely appear, what is the conclusion for us who “continue in him?” Standing before God “unashamed” is opposite of how the unbelievers will appear at Christ’s coming (Re 6:15-17)

1 John 2:29 The “logic” of righteous living is ironclad in v. 29: Righteous living is a sign of being born of the Righteous One. Like father like child. Our righteous living does not cause our new birth, but it is an evidence of it.

1 John 3:1-3  With these verses John continues his hopeful expectation of Christ‘s second coming as motivation for moral obedience in our daily walk. “we are!” What are we that makes such a difference in our lives? What does the world not know about the Christian? What did the world not know about Christ? “What we will be” has not been made known. But what do we know about the future?

1 John 3:3 This is the only place in this epistle where we hear the word “hope.” What is the “hope” that purifies us? Note how the point is similar to that of 2:29 – just as those born of the Righteous One will do righteousness, so also those who look forward to the Pure One‘s appearing will purify themselves. 2 Cor 7:1; 1 Tm 5:22; Ja 4:8; 1 Pet 1:22.

1 John 3:4-7 Now John changes our perspective in the moral test of obedience to God‘s will. In 2:28-3:3 he had us looking ahead to the Second Coming for our motivation. With these verses he would have us look back to Christ‘s first coming, his entrance into this world to take away sin, as our motivation for righteous living.

1 John 3:4-7 How does John describe the nature of sin here? “Everyone who sins breaks the law.” This is a universal truth … No exceptions! The early Gnostics could not claim some superior knowledge that made them an elite class that no longer had a sinful nature. Sin = lawlessness. How does John describe Christ’s work of redemption in verse 5 by what he did and by what he never will be? According to verse 6, how does a Christian deal with sin? What’s John’s message to the Gnostics? Vs 7 = “Doing is the test of being.” The declared righteous live righteous lives. Compare to Ja 2:26. Holiness church bodies uses verses like 7 to support their belief that one can achieve perfection in this world. Does this verse support that idea?

1 John 3:8-10 With these verses John concludes his moral test of obedience to God‘s will. Not only did Jesus appear to take away sin (v. 5), but he also came to destroy the works of sin‘s originator, the devil (v. 8). The devil continues to sin. The Greek word translated “destroy” really has the idea of loose. What picture does this add to Jesus’ victory over the devil in vs. 8? What are the “devil’s works?”

1 John 3:9 Explain what John means when he says that the Christian “cannot go on sinning?” Reconcile that with 1:8,10. God answers the question himself by explaining that “God’s seed remains in him” and that “he has been born of God.” How do they express the impossibility of a Christian persisting in a prevailing character of sin?

1 John 3:10 “Anyone who does not do what is right is not a child of God.” (moral test of obedience) “anyone who does not love his brother” (social test of obedience) This verse serves as a transition from the 1st test to the 2nd. We will now examine the test of love beginning in verse 11. The Christian‘s attitude toward sin is tested in 2:28-3:10. While the Christian sometimes sins, it is not sin but opposition to sin that is the ruling moral principle of his life. The power behind this principle is Christ Jesus, both as to his first coming to take away sin and his second coming when we shall see him just as he is. In view of these two advents, how can we go on living in sin?

1 John 3:10 The Christian‘s attitude toward sin is tested in 2:28-3:10. While the Christian sometimes sins, it is not sin but opposition to sin that is the ruling moral principle of his life. The power behind this principle is Christ Jesus, both as to his first coming to take away sin and his second coming when we shall see him just as he is. In view of these two advents, how can we go on living in sin?