1 John 3

1 John 3:1

How can I be sure? An EasyEnglish Bible Version and Commentary (2800 word vocabulary) on the Book of 1 John www.easyenglish.info Ian Mackervoy This commentary has been through Advanced Checking.

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Chapter 3 The children of God do the right things (1 John 3:1-10) v1 See what great love the *Father has given to us! He has called us children of God. That is what we are. This is the reason that the *world does not know us. It did not know him. v2 My dear friends, we are children of God now. We do not yet know what we shall become in the future. However, we do know this. When Christ comes again, we will be like him. We will see him as he is. That is why we will be like him. v3 All who have this hope in him, make themselves *clean. They want to be as *clean as he is.

v4 All who *sin are guilty. They have failed to do what the law demands. We *sin when we fail to obey the law. v5 You know that Jesus came. He came to take away our *sins. There is no *sin in him. v6 Those who live in Christ do not continue to *sin. Those who do continue to *sin have not seen him. And they have not known him.

v7 Dear *children, do not let anyone lead you to believe what is wrong. The person who does what is right is *righteous. As Christ is *righteous, so is that person. v8 The person who *sins belongs to the devil. The devil has been *sinning since the beginning. The Son of God came for this reason. He came to destroy all the things that the devil has done. v9 Nobody who is born of God continues to *sin. This is because he has the life from God. He cannot *sin, because he has been born of God.

v10 We know who the children of God are. And we know who the children of the devil are. Anyone who does not do the right things is not a child of God. And if a person does not love his *brother, that person is not a child of God.

Verse 1 God loves us and makes us his children John now continues with two subjects:

 Christians are born of God.

 The return of Christ.

John tells us how great the *Father’s love is for us. Those who believe are his children. So, he is the father of all Christians. They have been born again of God.

The *Father loves each one of us with a great love. His love is so much more than any other love. We know this love because he sent his Son Jesus to die for our *sins. We can be God’s children because of this love.

John is astonished at the love of God. It is a love that is strange to us. It is so much better than any other love. John wonders at such love. It makes us children of God. See how great this love is! The *Father has given this love to us.

See how great the gift of this love really is! It is so great that God calls us his children. By his love, he has made us his children. We had nothing to do with this birth. It all comes from God’s love for us.

All people who are real Christians have been born again. They have become part of God’s own family.

They are the children of God now. They are his children not just by name. They are also his children in fact.

The people of the world do not know God. They did not recognise Jesus when he was on the earth. Because the people of the world do not know God, they cannot know his children. The *world does not understand that Christians are God’s children. Christians do not really belong in the *world. They are like strangers whose home is elsewhere.

Verse 2 When Jesus returns, we shall be like him We are God’s children now. But he has not shown us what we shall be like in the future. We know that God will change us. We will not always live as we live now. The future will be much better.

We do not yet know all the future benefits for God’s children. But one fact is certain. We shall be like Christ, the Son of God.

One day the *Lord Jesus will come back to take his people to heaven. Then we shall see Jesus Christ as he is. When we see him, we shall change. All his people will change to be like him. But nobody can ever be equal to him. We will not become God as he is. But we will be similar to him in character. We will live with God the Father and with the *Lord Jesus. We will never die. We will be *clean from *sin and there will be no more *sin. As Jesus is *holy, so he will make us *holy.

Verse 3 We want to be like Jesus now The word ‘hope’ does not mean that there is any doubt. The hope is that we will be like Christ. We will see him as he really is. God has promised this and he will do it. It will happen but it is in the future.

There is no doubt that we will share in that life. The *Lord has already given it to us. We shall live with him and that life will never end.

We know that one day the *Lord will change us. This should have an effect on us now. Each person who has this hope will turn from *sin. All who have this hope in Christ will want to be more like him now. As he is *clean and *holy, so they will want to be like him. How Jesus lived is how we should live. Those who hope in him want to live like this.

Verse 4

We are all weak. We all sometimes fail and do wrong things. Those who have the hope will not continue to live with *sin. *Sin by its very nature is against the law of God.

Some people did not consider that all *sins are bad. To them some *sins were of no importance. But John makes it clear that all *sins are wrong and bad.

Some people continue to live with *sin. They choose to do what is wrong. They do not try to obey the law of God. And they do not live as he wants them to live.

Verse 5 Jesus came to take away our *sin We know that Jesus came. That is part of the *gospel message that we received. We know that he is God. And we know that he was born as a man. We know that he lived on earth. He came to take away our *sins. God punished Jesus for all our *sins. He took them all from us.

Jesus had no *sin of his own. There was no *sin in his nature as God or man. He did not do anything that was wrong. He always did what God wanted. He was perfect and so he was able to take our *sins to himself.

Verse 6 We should not continue to *sin There is no *sin in Christ. Therefore, those who live with him should have no *sin. They do not continue to *sin. Our *sin was the reason why Jesus died.

This verse does not mean that Christians cannot *sin. They can *sin and sometimes they do *sin. But they should not *sin. The *Lord has given them the strength to refuse *sin. So for them *sin cannot be the way that they usually live.

Those who continue to *sin have not seen Jesus. They have not understood what he has done. They have not believed the *gospel. They do not belong to him.

Verse 7 A *righteous person does the right things Some people may say that they are *righteous. But they still do what is not good. What they say then is a lie. We should not believe them. A *righteous person will do what is good and right. The person who does the right things is *righteous.

Christians should be *righteous like Christ. He is the pattern for us to follow. He also helps us to do what is right.

Verse 8 The devil wants people to *sin The devil is the origin of the *sin nature. The person whose pattern of life is to do *sin has that nature. The person who continues to *sin is like a child of the devil. He shows the same nature as the devil. The devil is the origin of that person’s manner of life.

Those who *sin are of the devil. The devil is the origin of *sin. He has been doing what is wrong since the start of time. He brought *sin into the world when he tempted Adam and Eve (Genesis 3). He encouraged them not to obey the voice of God. He is still trying to stop people from trusting in the *Lord Jesus.

The Son of God (Jesus) was there before God made the world. However, he came to this earth, born as a baby. He came to destroy all that the devil had done. Jesus lived a perfect life here. He did not *sin at all. Then he died for the *sin of all people.

The acts of the devil are to make people *sin and die. Jesus destroyed those acts. He has taken away our *sin and he has given us life. The *Lord Jesus has defeated the devil. He has set us free from the power of *sin.

Verse 9 When we become Christians, God gives a new life to us When we believe the truth of the *gospel, God gives us a new life. This new life is like a birth. We become new persons who are born of God. The life that God gives cannot *sin. That is because this life is from God. And it is of his nature. God’s nature is opposed to *sin. That is why the person born of God will not continue to *sin.

It is not that true Christians are perfect. It is still possible for them to *sin. But *sin will not be the normal pattern of their lives. They are not able to continue to *sin. They have been born of God.

Verse 10 We love other Christians because we are God’s children We should be able to tell who are Christians. The test is how they live. Those who are born of God will do the right things. They will also love the Christians. Those who are of the devil will continue to *sin. They do not love the Christians.

A child of God will do what is right. So that person will love other Christians. The person who does not love Christians is not born of God. That is because God is love. Those who live with God will love his children. If we do not love Christians, we are not children of God. Love each other and believe in Christ (1 John 3:11-24) v11 This is the message that you heard from the beginning. We should love each other. v12 Do not be like Cain. He belonged to the evil person (the devil). Cain murdered his own brother. Because Cain’s deeds were evil, he killed his brother. But his brother did what was right. v13 Do not be surprised, my *brothers, if the people of this world hate you. v14 We have passed from death to life. We know this. We know it because we love other Christians. Those who do not love are still under the power of death. v15 A person who hates his *brother is like a murderer. Those who murder do not have *eternal life. You know that.

v16 This is how we know what love is. Christ gave his own life and he died for us. Therefore, we ought to give our lives for our *brothers and sisters. v17 Suppose that a person has plenty. He has all that he needs for this life. He sees his *brother who needs help. But that person does not help his *brother. The love of God cannot be in that person. v18 *Children, let us not love in words or talk only. Let us have real love that causes us to do good things. v19 We belong to the truth. And this is how we know it. We can come to God with confidence. v20 When our consciences blame us, God is greater than our consciences. And he knows all things.

v21 Dear friends, if our consciences do not blame us, we have confidence with God. v22 And we will receive from him all that we ask. He does this because we obey him. We do what pleases him. v23 This is the command that God gives us. We must believe in Jesus Christ his Son. And his command is that we should love each other. v24 Those who obey God live in him. He also lives in them. We know that he lives in us. We know because he has given us his Spirit.

Verse 11 We should love each other The message is that we should love each other. This refers to the command that Christ gave us (John 13:34). The readers of this letter heard this command when they first heard the good news. That is, when they believed in the *Lord Jesus. It is an important part of the *gospel that we should love each other. Our love for other Christians shows that we believe. It is evidence that we are children of God.

Verse 12 Cain murdered his brother because Cain was evil Cain took his origin from the devil rather than from God. So, he did not love his brother, called Abel. We, who believe in God, must not be like Cain. Cain should have loved his brother. But instead, Cain hated his brother. In contrast to Cain, we should grow in our love for other Christians.

Those who hate do not belong to God. The devil has control in their lives. Cain did not become a child of the devil because he killed his brother. Cain was first a child of the devil. And then, because of this, he did what was evil. This led him to kill his own brother.

Cain and Abel were sons of Adam (Genesis 4:1-8). Abel did as God had asked. He offered a sheep to God, and God accepted it. But Cain did not do what God wanted. He offered his crops to God instead of a sheep and God did not accept this. Abel did what was right. Cain did what was evil. That is why Cain hated Abel. They walked in the fields and Cain murdered Abel.

Abel did what was right. That is why Cain murdered him. Cain did what was wrong. And he was jealous of Abel. The devil and his children hate those who do good things.

Verse 13 People who are not Christians often hate Christians Christians are to the people of the world as Abel was to Cain. If we do good things, some people will hate us for it. This should not surprise us. It is in the nature of wicked people. They hate those who do good things.

John does not say that the *world always hates Christians. The people did not always hate Jesus. But Christians, like Abel, should do good works. Their good works will show how bad the evil works are. Then the people of the *world may hate them.

Verse 14 Our love shows that we are real Christians All those people who trust in the *Lord Jesus belong to him. They know that they have a new life. People of the *world may hate them. But they are safe with the *Lord.

Death is in contrast to the new life. Death is the state of all who do not know the *Lord. We Christians know that we are no longer dead. We have come into a new life. Once we belonged to death but now we do not. The *Lord has transferred us from death to life. Now we belong to him. We know that this is true. Our love for each other shows that it is true.

We know that we have life. We know this because we love other Christians. Such love shows that we are God’s children. We do not become Christians by our love. But love shows that we have become Christians.

Those who do not love do not have this life. They remain in death. This is the opposite of life with God. Love is the evidence of life. But hate is the evidence of death.

Verse 15 Hate is like murder The *Lord Jesus taught that anger with no cause is the same as murder (Matthew 5:21-22). So here, John says that hate is the same in its effects as murder. Hate is often the first step to murder. Those who hate could go on to kill. That is what Cain did. Even if they do not kill, the attitude of mind is the same.

Someone who murders does not have life with God. Those who hate have the same attitude in their mind. They do not have *eternal life.

Verse 16 A person who loves is not selfish We can know what true love is like. We have the pattern of true love in Jesus Christ. Jesus said, ‘Nobody has greater love than the person who dies for his friends’ (John 15:13). Because he loved us, that is what he did. He died for us. He chose to die so that we might have *eternal life. In this, he shows us what love really means.

We should follow what Christ has done. We should act from that same kind of love. This love is never selfish. It always does what is best for other people. So, we should be willing to give ourselves for other Christians. This means that we should die for them if necessary.

Such love is not natural to us. But when we are born of God, he gives us this love. We can love because he loved us.

Verse 17 A person who refuses to help his *brother does not show true love Here is an example of someone who does not show this love. He has many possessions, more than enough for himself. He sees a Christian *brother who does not have enough to live on. This *brother really needs help. Love does not require this person to die for his *brother. It only requires him to give a little of what he has. He could afford to give the help that his *brother needs. But this person does not give it. He does not really love.

God loves us. It is that quality of love that God gives. God has given this love to all who belong to him. But this person does not love as God does. The love of God certainly does not remain in him. If it did, he would have helped his *brother. If we are not willing to help our *brother, the love of God is not in us.

Verse 18 We should show our love by our actions We should not merely say that we love. Our love must show itself in what we do. We Christians should love each other. We should be active in our love. We should work for the benefit of other people. Let us do things rather than just talk about our love. Love that is not active is not real love.

Verse 19 When God forgives us, we can have a good conscience When we love each other, we belong to the truth. We know this because of the love that we have. If we belong to the truth, we can have a good conscience. This will give us confidence to come to God.

The truth refers to God. Those who belong to the truth are God’s people. They are of God. They are the children of God.

When we come to God, he will accept us. We can come to him without fear. Thoughts about fear or thoughts about our faults may upset us. But we can be confident that God will forgive us.

Verse 20

Our own consciences may blame us when we *sin. But we can comfort our consciences. We know that God is greater than our consciences. God knows the worst that is in us. And he still loves us. He knows what we have done. We should confess our *sins to God. And he is always ready to forgive us.

Verse 21

When God forgives us, he *cleans us from all *sin. Then our consciences should not continue to blame us. When our consciences do not blame us, we can have confidence to come to God.

We have confidence that we can know God. We can live with him now. And we trust him for our future. We know that we can come to him. We can talk with him in prayer.

Verse 22 God answers our prayers because we please him If our consciences do not accuse us, then we have confidence to come to God. We can come to God and pray to him. We receive what we ask for. God will give it because we obey him. We please him when we obey him. It is not that we earn the right to receive from him. He gives to us because he wants to.

Verse 23 God’s command is that we should love each other This is God’s command to us. We must believe in Jesus Christ and we must love each other. These are two parts of the same command that we must obey. But the *Lord Jesus also gave us as a new command, that we should love each other (John 13:34).

We must have trust and confidence in Jesus Christ. We must agree that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. Some of the false teachers tried to separate Jesus from the *Christ. They did not agree that Jesus the man was the Son of God.

The false teachers did not love as God demands. They could not because they did not have the love of God. They had not really believed in Jesus Christ, the Son of God. They failed to believe that Jesus Christ died for our *sins.

Verse 24 God has given us his Spirit Those who live in God will obey him. Those who obey God live in him. But we do not earn this unity with God. We do not receive it because of what we do. We live in God. And God lives in us. We know that this is true. We know it because God has sent his Spirit to be in us. God’s Spirit in us is the proof. We know that we remain in God. God’s Spirit helps us to obey God. His Spirit makes us able to believe and to love.

© 1997-2005, Wycliffe Associates (UK)

This publication is written in EasyEnglish Level B (2800 words).

April 2005

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