Page 76 - General Epistles (James through Jude) Textbook

knowing of God the Son which should be demonstrated by the continued doing of what is right (1
John 2:29).

Apostle John wanted to demonstrate the great love which the Father has lavished on his dear friends
(his audience). “He does not say that God hath given us some gift, but love itself, the fountain of all
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blessings; not for our works, but of His grace (Luther). that [hina]—resulting in.” How great was that
love from God the Father? Greatness of love is found in the fact that God the Father (upon their
surrender of their lives to Jesus) called them (and us) His children (cf. John 1:12). Since John’s dear
friends were experiencing hate and unrecognition from the world—possibly from people who were
unbelievers—John encourages his dear friends that those unbelievers were doing so because they did
not know God the Father. In short, they were not in the fellowship with the triune God. Even though
they did not know (or have details from letter A to Z) on what they will become when Jesus returns for
the second time, they were still children of God. However, what is clear is that they will be like Him.
How? They will have glorious bodies like that of Jesus Christ Himself. “Seeing Jesus in His glory will be
automatically transforming for each child of God.” If they would hope that there would be
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glorification when Jesus Christ returns, they were on the path for continuous purification of themselves.
As a result, moral purity is strongly implied. So, the second confirmation that one is in the fellowship
with the triune God is the presence of God’s great love on that person (1 John 3:1-3).

Apostle John continued to encourage his dear friends that everyone who is
sinning is breaking the law. If Christ’s appearance in our hearts happened in
order to take away our sins, then, continued sinning signify that you are
possibly not in the fellowship with God. So, who are those who were
breaking the law even after Christ had already appeared?

Colin G. Kruse believes that lawlessness is “anomia” which means that it is associated with “false
prophets (or possibly false teachers [Matt. 7:23]) and evil doers (2 Cor. 6:14; 2 Thess. 2:3, 7) who oppose
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God.” Living a lifestyle of sinning demonstrate that someone is not living in Him, has neither seen Him
nor know Him. Since they know that, apostle John encouraged them not to be led astray because doing
what is right implies that its doer is righteous. This person belongs to God and therefore, he/she is in the
fellowship with the triune God. But the person who does what is sinful belongs to the devil because the
devil has been sinning from the beginning. “From the beginning” does not necessarily mean the same
way when apostle John says somewhere that the Word of Life is from the beginning (cf. 1 John 1:1-3). Or
in the beginning was the Word (cf. John 1:1). He simply means that since the time the devil sinned
against God; he has been sinning continuously.

Partly, Jesus Christ appeared to destroy the devil’s work. How? If people continue to surrender their
lives to Jesus Christ, through that, Christ is already now but not fully destroying the work of the devil.
Remember, the devil has been trying to tempt people to disobey God. So, since John’s dear friends are
righteous, they cannot continue sinning because God’s seed remains in them. This is the metaphor used
to imply the presence of the Holy Spirit in them. The Holy Spirit continues to convict believers of their
sins in order to confess so that God who is faithful and just should continue to forgive them of their sins.
So, those who continue to do what is right, that is, loving their brothers and sisters (including those in
the family of God) are children of God. But those who do not continue doing what is right, that is,
unloving their brothers and sisters (including those in the family of God) are not God’s children. As a
result, they are not in the fellowship with the triune God. So, the third confirmation that one is in the
fellowship with the triune God is the exercise of righteousness (1 John 3:4-10).

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