I John 2:29-3:10: You Are a Child of God if You Do What is Right
29 If you know that he is righteous, you know that everyone who does what is right has been born of him.
1 How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. 2 Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears,[a] we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. 3 Everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, just as he is pure.
4 Everyone who sins breaks the law; in fact, sin is lawlessness. 5 But you know that he appeared so that he might take away our sins. And in him is no sin. 6 No one who lives in him keeps on sinning. No one who continues to sin has either seen him or known him.
7 Dear children, do not let anyone lead you astray. He who does what is right is righteous, just as he is righteous. 8 He who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work. 9 No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God’s seed remains in him; he cannot go on sinning, because he has been born of God. 10 This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not a child of God; nor is anyone who does not love his brother.
Introduction
Welcome back to our study “A Lifestyle that Transforms” from I John. John teaches us how to live a genuinely biblical lifestyle that honors God. Today, we will consider I John 2:29-3:10 and our fifth lifestyle choice: “You are a child of God if you do what is right.” John encourages us to live righteously and, if you do so, this lifestyle will transform your self-image, your family, your church, your co-workers and all relationships that you encounter daily.
John has just taught us that we must live in Truth and to avoid false teachers who are trying to lead us astray. In our passage today, John challenges us with the Truth that we are either living for God or we are not; there is no middle ground. You are either a child of God or you are of the devil.
We may not like making such a sharp division that does not allow for a middle ground. Society today likes lines blurred for the sake of being “politically correct.” But, our goal is to live to honor Jesus and to help others live in the freedom that only Christ can give.
In our last time together we considered Jesus’ teaching that we cannot serve two masters (Matthew 6:24). The fact is that you must choose whether you will walk in obedience to Jesus Christ and receive eternal life or whether you will walk to please yourself and be self-condemned to an eternal death. We will examine our passage today in light of those who are children of God and those who are of the devil. John directs us strongly to do what is right and, by doing so, to choose a lifestyle that transforms.
Children of God
Jesus Christ is righteous and in Him there is no sin. He is love, wisdom, purity, and everything that is good. There is no evil in Him, He does not tempt, nor does He condemn. Jesus is the Giver of Life and is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. All that which is Good originated in Him and comes from Him. There is nothing true, wise, pure, or good that does not come from Him.
John wrote that if you do what is right then you are born of Christ. Acting rightly connects you with the One who is the very definition of Righteousness. John takes this idea a step further by saying that if you do what is right consistently then you are a child of God. You are in the family of God! Being called a child of God is a great and loving gift from God the Father! He wants you to be in right relationship with Him. He wanted this so much that He gave His one and only Son, Jesus Christ, to pay your penalty for your sins.
As a member of the family of God you now travel life’s journey with rewards and benefits. You know that the Lord will walk with you now through the valleys and victories of life and that He will give you life for eternity with Him in heaven. It will be in heaven that you will see Jesus as He is truly and we will be like Him. The reason that we must act rightly is that our eternal destiny is at stake! The very best of what this world is and what this world can offer is the smallest, most insignificant fraction of what life with Jesus will be in heaven for eternity.
Jesus came to destroy the work of the devil and to show us the love of God the Father. He came to take away our sins and to put us into right standing with God. Jesus is righteousness. If you purify your heart in dedication to Jesus and if you do what is right in God’s eyes then you will be righteous and you will be thriving as a child of God.
John wrote that we are not to “continue to sin” and that “No one who lives in Him keeps on sinning.” We must do whatever it takes to rid ourselves of habitual sins. We focus our eyes on Jesus and seek continually to pattern our lives after Him. We are born of God and must live to honor our family. A true family loves one another, defends one another, and cares for one another … at all cost!
The battle you encounter daily now is to throw off the sins that so easily entangle and live in the freedom of Jesus Christ. You are not yet perfect and so you battle your sinful nature. You can choose to reject to feed that sinful nature and grow instead in your love for Jesus. It is because you are not yet perfect that you are not yet without sin. You will stumble but that does not mean that you fall or that you are knocked out. When we stumble, we confess our sins, repent, and act in a manner that honors our Lord.
Those who are of the Devil
John contrasted those who are in the family of God with those who are of the devil. Notice that John wrote that they are “of the devil” and not that they are in “the family of the devil.” The devil does not have a family! The devil is out to steal, kill, and destroy. Nothing righteous, pure, or true originates from the devil. People who are self-seeking and self-serving act like the devil and will reap the consequences of their actions.
People who are of the devil will not encourage or even know those who seek to live in righteousness because they do not know Jesus. People who are not following Jesus are breaking God’s laws and are in sin. They would say, “now wait a minute! Who are you to tell me that I am in sin?” John’s answers is that “everyone who sins breaks the law; in fact sin is lawlessness” and that “no one who continues in sin has either seen him or know him.” John then takes this one step further and writes that if “He who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning.”
Those who are unwilling to do what is right and those who do not love their brothers are not children of God. You cannot break God’s laws and be in His family. There is no middle ground. It is your choice and as to how you will act and you must live with the consequences.
Application
The application of John’s teaching today starts with a warning: “Dear children, do not let anyone lead you astray” (I John 3:7). We must guard our hearts and keep our focus on Jesus Christ. Just as David say of God, “You are good, and what you do is good” (Psalm 119:68a), we must be righteous and do what is right for we are children in the family of God.
Any person, any idea, any activity, or any philosophy that leads you away from God is not from God and must be rejected. Live as a child of God. When you do, you will live a lifestyle that transforms!
Prayer
Dear Jesus, please help me live a life that serves and honors you. I want to do what is right in your eyes and bring glory to you. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
For You to Consider
- What makes you righteous in God’s eyes?
- Describe how a righteous person acts and what a righteous person avoids.
- What benefits are there to being called “children of God”?
- What hope is there for people who are not acting righteously?
- What areas of your live must you address so that you will not be led astray from living righteously?