1 John 3:1-12

John reminds his readers that they are children of God who will one day see Him face to face. And so he encourages them to live their lives in light of that truth.

John once again draws a line in the sand and presents two sides. The children of God and the children of the devil. The doers of righteousness and the doers of sin. There is no middle ground. You are on one side or the other. If you have trusted in Jesus, you are a child of God, a doer of righteousness. How does that work? Because your sins have been completely erased. You have been made pure just as He is pure.

John’s still encouraging his readers to listen to him. John and the Apostles are children of God, doers of righteousness who walk in the light and have fellowship with the Father and the Son. The antagonists are children of the devil, doers of sin who walk in the darkness. Who should you be listening to?

If you have not yet trusted in Jesus, then like the antagonists, you are a child of the devil, a doer of sin. That sounds incredibly harsh, and yet that’s the truth of where you are right now because your sin remains.

But the good news is…you can become a child of God today. It’s as simple as recognizing that you are a sinner in need of a Savior. Believing that Jesus is the Savior that God promised. He lived a perfect life…He Himself walked in the light…He died a sacrificial death to pay the penalty for sin, and He was raised to life on the third day, conquering death so you could have eternal life and become a child of God. Then you, too, can walk in the light and have fellowship with the Father and the Son.

pro rege

This post is based on a sermon from our 1 John series, “Unshakeable.” Download the podcast at: Central Christian Church Main Service, or follow us on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, X or Threads: @ccclancaster. You can also download our Central Christian app in the iTunes App Store.