Do You Understand the Amazing Love of God?

A Letter to the Children (Part 7)

1^st John 3

Amazing Love

¹ Behold, what manner of love [agapé] the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons [children, actually: “tekna”…offspring] of God: therefore the world knoweth [ginosko: relational, experiential knowledge] us not, because it knew [ginosko] him not.

My Apology and Explanation

I do not like to spend much time on “original languages:” The vast majority of believers today have no access to such information, and likely never will. The Holy Spirit is perfectly capable of teaching His Word without resorting to translational criticism. That being said, this is one of the passages where it maybe important to expose at least some of the original language. (Sorry!)

Some of the doctrinal problems we sometimes run into today are caused by translators who also had a “doctrinal problem.”

Historical Examples

For instance, though I teach from the King James Bible (for reasons I am perfectly happy to explain to anyone who wants to know) I know the translators were faced with many doctrinal issues. Regardless of their personal “doctrinal purity,” they were in a dangerous environment within (and under the full authority of) the church of England.

The Anglican Church had a number of bad doctrinal stances, carried over from their roots in the Roman Catholic religion. And the English monarch (King James, at the time) was (and is) always the head of the Anglican Church. So, they could not “correctly” translate certain words, or phrases, for fear of not only losing the privilege of producing an “Authorized Version” of the English Bible, but also running a risk of being persecuted by the religious powers of that time.

A Translation Example

One easy example to point out is that the word “baptize” is a Greek word: Not English. It had a very practical, common use, and meaning: it meant, “to dip,” or “to immerse!” Even today, the word is used when dyeing cloth, for example, as, when they “immerse” the cloth in a particular pot of dye, the cloth is permanently identified with that dye.

Why would that be a problem? Well… the Anglican church has always practiced baptism by sprinkling, and, specifically, as infant baptism. Both ideas are completely foreign to the New Testament, and both were taken directly from Roman Catholicism. So, if the translators had actually translated the Greek word, it would have revealed the false doctrine and erroneous practices of the Anglican Church, and definitely would have gotten themselves into deep trouble. It would also have eliminated the possibility of completing the translation on which they had worked so hard.

Why would that matter?

But, how would it have changed the scriptures? In cases where the English Bible says “dip” or “dipped”, it would have changed nothing! When Jesus “dipped” the sop in the cup, and handed it to Judas, the Greek word is “baptas” which is correctly translated into the phrases, “having dipped” and “had dipped.”

But in all the phrases where they used the Greek word “baptize” (transliterating, rather than translating,) it would change to dip, or immerse. (Repent and be dipped? John the dipper??) All the modern arguments about water baptism would never have occurred, and people today would have clear understanding about “what baptism is” (and “isn’t!”) But the translators, who clearly knew the correct meaning, were constrained by their circumstances to “hedge” on that idea, and just use the Greek word, instead of translating. There are other examples, too:

²Beloved, now are we the sons [“tekna”…offspring] of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: [We WILL be “sons!”] but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.

So, what would be the problem with translating “tekna” in this passage as “offspring” or as “children?” I’m not sure, honestly. But it definitely diminishes the truth that Jesus is the true SON, meaning the “crown prince,” or the Heir of all things.” The word translated as “Son,” where Jesus is concerned, is “huios,” meaning “the adult heir…and He is fully authoritative as the Heir.”

Sons of God

Right now, Jesus is the only Person who fulfils that definition. But as we see in this verse, “When He shall appear, we shall be like Him.” Romans 8:23 agrees with this, saying that we will experience the “adoption” (another poorly translated word…huiothesis means the “placement of Sons”) when we receive our new bodies! We will literally be like Him! And, it is definitely future tense. It will happen, without fail, but it has not happened yet.

So, I try not to use the phrase “sons of God,” too loosely: It has a specific meaning, and, although we have received the “spirit of adoption,” in the person of the Holy Spirit, (meaning the “spirit of sonship,” again using the word “huiothesis,”) we are not, as yet, called the “sons” …the huioi…of God. Currently, we are the offspring of God (teknoi,) born into His family by the New Birth.

We can be called “nepoi” as “babies, just learning to talk,” but we are encouraged to move beyond that as soon as we can. We are usually called simply “teknoi,” meaning “born-ones.” And sometimes we are called “paidia,” meaning “little children…or toddlers.”

Result of the New Birth

³And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he [Christ] is pure.

The result of being born into God’s family by the new birth, according to Ephesians 4:24, is that we now have a new nature: A created new nature: Created in the likeness of God, in righteousness and true holiness. That new nature deeply and genuinely desires to be like Jesus, in His righteousness and holiness.

So, the “battle” has already begun in the new believer’s life: We still possess our old sinful nature, but we are now a separate entity, a new creation in Christ. And God only wants to deal with the new nature. We are in a daily struggle to learn to walk with Jesus. We are continually trying to behave like children of God, because we are children of God.

A Personal Example

We recently visited our daughter and her husband, with their new baby son, Luka. Ann and I noticed that when we were holding and entertaining Luka, and either Stephanie or Josip entered the room, Luka’s little eyes were fixed on them: He would ignore our attempts to entertain him at that point. He saw them as the center of his existence, and it was clear that he wanted nothing more than to be with them and to receive their love and care.

We are to respond to Jesus in that same way: We yearn to be with Him and to receive His love and care. We yearn to walk with Him, so as to learn from Him and to go where He goes, doing the things that He does. Ephesians 5:1 says “Be ye therefore followers of God as dear children.” That same devotion to “following Mommy and Daddy” that we see in small children is supposed to be our natural response to the Lord Jesus.

What Can Entangle Our Feet so that We Fall?

Hebrews 12:1 encourages us to “lay aside every weight, and the sin that so easily besets us, and run with endurance the race that is set before us.”

Our own sin is the one thing that trips us up, and causes us to fail to walk with Jesus. Our new nature sincerely desires to walk with Him in holiness and obedience, but our old sinful nature still schemes to get its own way, and the enemy uses it against us.

So…What is Sin?

⁴Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.

Here, again, it is good to consider the Greek verbs. At this point, I often encourage people to look at other translations, or look in Bible dictionaries, if they need to: You need to understand that the issue here is practicing sin. No human being, still in their natural body, is “without sin.”

I have only met a few people who claimed to “no longer sin.” When I questioned them even a little, it came to light that they had simply “redefined sin.” But, we know from 1^st John 1:8-10 that we all sin: Anyone who claims that they do not sin is (at the very least) fooling only himself. In addition, there is a real possibility that he is not even a believer: Believers know they are “saved sinners.” But we do not want to be continuing in that practice.

When someone claims they never have sinned, I know for certain they are not a believer: Every believer came to Christ as a lost sinner, confessing that he or she needed a Savior, and by faith, they all have placed their trust in Jesus Christ as their one and only Hope of salvation from eternal judgment. There are no exceptions.

Yet Another Translation Example

Incidentally, the phrase “transgresses the Law” and “is the transgression of the Law” both are translated from the single Greek word “anomia,” meaning Lawlessness. The Greek word for “Law” is “nomos”, and the prefix “a-” means “without.” (For example, I suffer from “sleep apnea”…the Greek word for “breath” is “pneuma” and the word “a-pnea” means “without breath.” I tend to stop breathing when I sleep.)

So, this idea is one of lawlessness… not just failing to keep the Mosaic Law. It could also include the “New Commandment” Jesus gave us, the “royal law,” that we are to practice the agapé love toward one another. However, this is also one of the four definitions of sin in the New Testament:

Sin is the transgression of the Law: lawlessness. (1^st John 3:4)

All unrighteousness (adikia) is Sin (1^st John 5:17)

If a man knows to do good and doeth it not, to him it is Sin. (James 4:17) and,

Whatsoever is not of Faith is Sin (Romans 14:23)

Behold the Lamb of God!

⁵And ye know that he was manifested to take away our sins; and in him is no sin.

John 1:29 says “Behold the Lamb of God, that taketh away the sin of the world.” Everyone who trusts in Him is placed into Him by the Holy Spirit (baptized into him…immersed in Him), and “in Him is no Sin.” The Lord sees the new nature of every believer as being in Christ, and He sees us without sin.

But since we still have our old sinful natures, He warns us that the enemy is going to try to pull us away, so that we give up walking with Him. But Jesus called us all to abide in Him: keep walking with Him. Abide in His Word. John 8:31 says “if ye continue in My Word, then are ye my disciples indeed.”

⁶Whosoever abideth in him sinneth not: whosoever sinneth hath not seen him, neither known him.

This ties perfectly to the promise of God in Galatians 5:16 “…walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lusts of the flesh.”

The Impossible Call of God

Is it easy? NO! It is impossible without His continual oversight and control.

We turn our eyes upon Jesus, and we follow Him. And, we immerse ourselves in His Word, and we walk with Him. We go to prayer, and we talk with Him. Then, we listen for His voice in our silence, and we look again to His Word, hoping to see whether we have missed His reply.

This is how the disciples, down through the centuries have sought His face, and sought His Grace, and learned to apply His Word to their lives in meaningful ways!

Lord Jesus, please lead us to walk and live as Your true disciples, and not to follow our old patterns of apathy and sin.

May 3, 2025May 3, 2025

A Letter to the Little Children of God (Part 1)

Studies in 1st John: a Letter to the Children (Part 1)

Introduction:

The Apostle John wrote this letter (called “the first epistle general of John” in many Bibles.) Most people call it, simply, “1^st John”. He wrote the epistle near the end of his life, probably in about 90 AD. (Possibly just before his exile to the island of Patmos, where he wrote the Revelation, six years later.)

John addresses the believers as “teknia.” That is the Greek word meaning “little children.” He does not use “huioi,” meaning “sons… adult sons: heirs.” In this book, John only uses the word “huion” (singular) in the references to Jesus Christ, as THE Son of God.

The word “teknia” literally means “born ones.”. The word “huion” carries the additional connotation of a legal relationship as an heir. “Teknia” only carries a familial connotation, and is a term of tender care…we are His “offspring.”

Five Objectives

John states five purposes in writing the letter. These are effects he desires to accomplish in our lives by the means of this letter.

That you may have fellowship with other believers, the Father and the Son. (1:3)
That your joy may be full. (1:4)
That you will not sin. (2:1)
That you may KNOW (“eidēte”—meaning to “know now, as a fact”) that you have eternal life. (5:13)
That you may [continue to] believe on the name of the Son of God. (5:13) (The words “continue to” are not in the Greek. But the word “pisteuēte” is in the present tense, implying a generally continuous action in the present time.) (“Pisteuō” is the infinitive verb, “to believe.”

If we can accomplish these five things in our study I will be happy, too. But this is the beginning place for a disciple. This is where we learn how to maintain our relationship with God and with His people.

Chapter 1

John Introduces His Grand Topic: Jesus, the “Word of Life”

The first two verses could almost be seen as the “subject line” on a report:

“That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, and our hands have handled of the Word of Life; (for the Life was manifested , and we have seen it and bear witness, and shew unto you that eternal life which was with the Father and was manifested unto us;)”

Notice that John leaves no doubt that he and the other apostles were valid witnesses. They had no collective “vision.” Nor was it a carefully crafted story, concocted, and agreed upon by all. Jesus lived and worked among them. They saw Him in person. They heard him speak, not only in sermons, and “teaching moments,” but in casual, everyday life. He was their personal mentor: they learned who He was, by full, daily contact, continually, for three years or more.

You can do this, too, in a way. The more time you spend with Jesus, in the Word, in prayer, and in your daily walk, the better you will know Him!

The Fellowship Objective

³That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ.

John introduced the subject of the book: Namely, the message that God gave him to share with the other believers. Then he declares the first purpose: that we should have full fellowship with God and with one another. Some commentators break this into two separate issues. In a sense you could accurately do so. It is technically possible for you to be in fellowship with God, and out of fellowship with other believers. (Unusual, but it could happen.)

That is relatively rare, however. Usually, when we have a problem with other believers, it is not just “their problem.” We usually cannot just “go on fellowshipping with God,” and ignore the issue between us and the other brother or sister. We are also commanded to “endeavor to keep the unity of the Spirit in the Bond of Peace.” (Ephesians 4:3)

This subject “Sin versus Fellowship,” will dominate much of the first Epistle of John. But John introduces a second purpose for the book in the very next verse.

**The Joy Objective: “That Your Joy May be Full”**

⁴And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full.

Don’t miss John’s second stated purpose in writing. “That Your Joy May be Full.” If we desire Joy, we need to prioritize fellowship. You will not experience the Joy of the Lord when you are not in fellowship with Him. Amos 3:3 poses the rhetorical question, “Can two walk together, except they be agreed?” (And, the implied answer is “No! They can’t!”)

If we are missing the Joy of the Lord, we need to ask “Why?” You can ask yourself, “Am I doing what God wants me to do right now? If so, am I simply under attack from the enemy? Do I need to use the shield of faith more diligently, and draw closer to the Lord in trust?”

Or, have you allowed other relationships or other pursuits to lure you away? Have you left behind the Centrality of Christ in your Life? This is the only mention of “joy” in this epistle. He mentions “joy” only once in each of his epistles. I don’t know why.

Fellowship with Others and with God

⁵This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. ⁶If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth:⁷But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.

Initially, we may feel that our disagreement with someone else is “just their problem”. But we usually get frustrated or angry ourselves, and then we have sin to confess as well. Also, usually, whatever breaks fellowship between us and another believer will also break fellowship with God. So, what breaks fellowship between us and God?

**What Breaks Fellowship With God?**

Only Sin. We can’t rightly call it anything else. But bear in mind that the sin issues here in the book of 1^st John are things already dealt with at the Cross—these are believers he is addressing.

Only your fellowship with God, and your reward areat risk—you are not going to “lose your position in Christ.” The Forgiveness he will address in verse nine is relational, not positional. It has to do with “Keeping Peace in the Family of God,” not “Trying to maintain your position as His Child.”

Where Does Sin Begin?

We sometimes may say we are just “out of sorts”…(and that may be true.) But how we respond to fatigue, frustrating circumstances, etc. determines whether we go on walking with God, or we get “off in the weeds” somewhere, wondering what happened.

John puts it this way: “God is Light, and in Him is no darkness at all. If we say we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth.” John makes it the difference between day and night…the difference between light and dark. He says there is no middle ground. I am either in complete obedience to Him, or I am out of fellowship.

He makes it clear that if I am walking with Him, I have to be walking in the Light as He is in the Light. Here is the question: Am I doing now what I know He wants me to be doing, right now?” We might protest, “But I’m not always sure I know what He wants me to be doing!”

How Do I Determine God’s Will?

Consider God’s stated priorities in the Bible to be your “General Handbook for the Child of God” and see whether you can find some “General” instructions that could give you direction. It might not be any “earthshaking” revelation: It might be something as simple and “mundane” as prioritizing the things you need to do in a day, and then “doing the next thing” on that list.

In my case, if I know that I am going to be teaching soon, then I need to make certain that all the preparation is complete before I can “go do other things I would like to do.”

But, sometimes a “home task” is time-sensitive, and must be done immediately or not at all. In that case, I may choose to do that first, knowing that the result may be that I will be up late that night, completing the studying for the next class. In either case, if I am doing what I believe God wants me to do, I can confidently call on Him for help and inspiration, etc. to get things done in a timely manner.

But I do not agree with the preachers I have known who boasted, “I don’t need to study! I just open my mouth and let God fill it!” That is grossly irresponsible. (Yes, God can do that! But He commands us to “Study to show yourself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the Word of Truth.”) So, I choose to study!

We All Sin!

“⁸If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.”

John says that we all have a sin problem. He says, “if we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.”

But there are whole branches of Christendom who claim that you can “achieve sinless perfection” in this life. In fact, some even teach that “you lost your sin nature when you became a believer.” If that were true, the majority of the New Testament would be pointless, because believers would never need instructions as to how to avoid sin: Without a sin nature, they could never be tempted, let alone sin and need to restore fellowship.

(In Romans 7:17-25, Paul taught very clearly that he had his old sin nature, and that his new nature desired only to follow God, but his old nature rebelled. He saw his only hope for victory in the Person of Christ.)

How To Restore Fellowship With God

⁹If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

John goes on to give the means by which to regain fellowship…he says, “if we confess out sins, He is faithful and just, to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

I learned this verse fairly early as a believer, but I still did not understand how important and how simple it truly is: It does not say, “as a last resort, come crawling to God begging for forgiveness!” He says, confess (agree with God concerning) your sin, and He will immediately forgive you and you can begin walking with Him again!

When I was in Bible School, a friend told me that he had not known of this verse at all, for about two years: So anytime he was out of fellowship, it felt to him as though he had lost his salvation. He encountered a couple of older Christians who taught him about the issue of fellowship, and showed him this passage. He told me, “Chet, it was just like getting saved all over again! I finally knew how to get back on my feet after having stumbled!”

If you have not memorized this verse, I would encourage you to do so, as it is one we tend to use often. As we grow in our relationship with the Lord, our conscience becomes more refined, and we find ourselves confessing sin that we once would have completely overlooked, in our ignorance. It may seem that we are actually “sinning more,” but usually it is just a matter of “seeing” things we never saw before.

A Practical Example

I had a friend at work, from El Salvador, who had to go back to El Salvador for a few days. He had been gone for ten years, so he thought it would be wonderful to “be home again.”

But he found out that it was no longer “home.” He was sweating profusely, in the heat and humidity, and he was constantly aware of the lack of cleanliness around him, both in terms of personal hygiene and in food preparation. There were times when he could hardly stand being there, even though he knew that the place had not changed: HE had changed. Before emigrating, he had lived with all those realities without a problem. But, he no longer fit there: he had been in the United states too long.

How About Our Lives With God?

That old song, “This World is not my Home” is true. We are no longer citizens of this world.

As you learn to walk with God, you will become aware of things like that in your old life: sins that once were amusing to you or even pleasant and thrilling, have become not only repugnant, but grief-inspiring, as you remember that you were once a willing participant in that life.

That is why 1^st John 1:9 is so important: It allows us to quickly regain our walk with the Lord and continue to grow strong and stable in our relationship with Him.

Next week we will move on, into our study of 1^st John. You can read ahead, but we will begin with 1^st John 1:10. (Give that one some thought.)

Lord Jesus, help us to internalize Your Word, so that we keep short accounts with You as our Savior and Master. Help us to learn the reality of walking in the light, as You are in the Light, Teach us to be Your true disciples!