Look Three Ways, 1 John 2:28-3:10
Whenever I read a confusing part of scripture, it can be daunting! It reminds me of the stage we’re in right now, teaching our 16 year old how to drive. We come to a busy intersection, and I wonder, will we make it to the other side?! There’s so much going on and so much to consider! But I take a deep breath at the intersection and remind my son to look three ways: the way you’re headed and the two other directions.
Similarly, I can start to navigate my way through scripture if I look three ways:
Look for clarity. What is straightforward in these verses? So often we skip this step! Our God is a communicating God who has spoken intentionally, so I start by asking Him to show me what is clear.
Look at THIS book. What else does this particular book say that could help clarify any confusion? The Spirit of God used specific authors to write specific words for a specific audience, so it’s best to consider the whole message of a book to avoid getting stuck in one place.
Look through THE Book. What does the rest of scripture say that might clarify an issue? Since God’s Spirit is the primary source, His message will be consistent across the pages of the Bible.
We’ll divide 2:28-3:10 into two parts, and below each section are other passages of scripture that help interpret the Spirit’s message here.
Transformation in Christ (1 John 2:28-3:3)
Since Jesus is righteous, then those living like Him show that they have been born again. We don’t earn our rebirth by right living; we show our rebirth by it. Remember that one of the goals in 1 John is to recognize what eternal life looks like in real life. The internal spiritual change becomes something visible on the outside, just like fruit on a tree shows what type of seed it came from and just like kids reflect their parents. On the topic of being reborn, John can’t help but explode with a joyful insertion that becoming God’s child is evidence of the Father’s incredible love!
Christ showed the world who the Father was, but the world missed out on seeing Him. Don’t expect the world to accurately describe God’s children or pick them out in a crowd; since they don’t know the Father, they won’t notice the resemblance to Him in His children. Only when you know the dad well enough, do you recognize his kids.
The more clearly we see who Jesus is, the more we become like Him, and our transformation into His image will be complete once we’re face to face. This future meeting motivates us to take active steps toward His purity, growing into an identity we will one day fully claim as our own. His perfection will finally replace our sin entirely, but not until we’re in His presence; this is key to understanding what John will say about sin in the next section.
(Check out Matthew 7:16-20; 2 Corinthians 3:18, 4:4,16; Ephesians 2:4-10; Philippians 3:21; 2 Timothy 4:7,8; James 2:26; 1 Peter 1:3,22,23; 1 John 5:1)
A lifestyle of sin vs. a lifestyle of righteousness (1 John 3:4-10)
It’s possible that sin was being taken lightly, excused, or ignored by false teachers in that day. John previously emphasized the reality of sin and the need to confess it (1:8-2:2), and now he emphasizes the nature of sin and Jesus’ confrontation of it. Sin is serious.
A sin pattern is described as:
Practicing lawlessness (3:4)
Not seeing and knowing Jesus (3:6)
Being of the devil (3:8)
Jesus’ first appearing was in order to:
Take away sins (3:5)
Destroy the works of the devil (3:8)
The devil himself has been unchanged from the beginning; he just keeps on sinning. There is no gospel message for him, no repentance, no rebirth, no pivot, growth, or transformation. As he was when he first rebelled, so he is now. He doesn’t struggle against sin - he’s defined by it. An unrepentant, continuous sin pattern like his demonstrates that a person is in alignment with the devil, not with Christ. A track record of only opposing what Jesus came to do is not characteristic of God’s children.
In those of us who embrace Jesus as Savior, God interjects a new, righteous nature that wrestles against the old, lawless nature. We have the choice to “put off” the old self and “put on” the new, and this alerts us to a war between the Spirit and our flesh. Though it’s a constant battle between the two until we see Jesus, we have the power to say no to sin and yes to godliness when we draw from our new identity. Jesus’ death for us paid for our sin eternally; Jesus’ life in us overcomes our sin daily. His Spirit empowers His Word so that we join Him in His work from the inside out, pulling up sin like weeds and growing the kind of fruit that looks like Him on the outside.
(Check out Romans 6:6-12; 7:15-8:11; 2 Corinthians 5:17,21; Galatians 5:16-25; Ephesians 4:20-24; Titus 2:11-14)
If you’re weary from sin’s battle and tempted to lay down your defenses in agreement with the accusation, take heart, child of God, and go back to foundational truth: “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us” because of our “advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ, the righteous.” 1 John 1:9-2:1
Abide in Him, since He abides in you.
