1 John 3 comments
March 20, 2026
Hope of Christ Returning
John is focused on the appearing of Jesus Christ, his return. He teaches us about how to discern in the house of faith between true and false brothers. He exhorts us to express our faith in practical works of helping others who are in need in the household of faith. He compares the false brother to Cain who was a murderer. We find out in this chapter that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, came into the world and destroyed the work of the devil. Those who belong to the Lord Jesus will not live a life of sin, but instead they practice righteousness.
When Christ returns we will be like him because we will see him as he is. Everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as Christ is pure. A pure heart is connected to having an attitude of looking for the return of Jesus Christ. People who are not thinking about the return of Christ are thinking about their life down here on this earth. When we love our life on earth more than we look forward to the kingdom of God then we have a problem. We are exhorted by scripture to set our mind on things above.
Colossians 3:2-4 (BSB), “Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. 3, For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. 4, When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.”
Notice this pattern of setting our mind on things above. Jesus taught us to seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things (that we need for this life) would be added to us (Matthew 6:33). Our mind is on the kingdom first. When we have a perfect heart toward God like this then we are set free from self, sin, the world, the devil, and death. We overcome by the blood of the Lamb (Revelation 12:11).
Living a holy life with a pure heart is connected to having our focus on the return of the Lord Jesus Christ. A Christian who has a pure heart will be a Christian who is set free from the love this world and whose heart is longing for Jesus to return and his establish his kingdom upon this earth.
People who have an aversion to the return of Jesus are focused on the world below. Their heart is invested into this temporary life. As a result, they will struggle with impurity, lust, evil desires, and will be easily deceived by false teachings and doctrines. They think they are a Christian, but their lifestyle is one of disobedience and sin.
Anyone who is in Christ will not keep on sinning. Those who continue to live in sin prove by their lifestyle that they do not know the Lord Jesus Christ.
Someone who is born again will not continue to live in sin. We already know this does not mean a person never fails or stumbles, but they do not live a lifestyle of consistent sin. They will turn away from sin, and will live a pure life and be clean. Their heart is set on the return of the Lord Jesus Christ. Their hope is in heaven, and not on the earth below. They are investing their life into what will truly count for eternity.
One deception that targets religious people is that they think they can be a Christian and continue to live in sin. Romans 6:1-2 (BSB), “What then shall we say? Shall we continue in sin so that grace may increase? 2, Certainly not! How can we who died to sin live in it any longer?”
The person who practices righteousness is righteous, just as Christ is righteous. The one who practices sin is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning.
Jesus Christ, the Son of God, came into this world to destroy the works of the devil. He did this through his crucifixion, death, burial, and resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:1-4).
He delivered those who all their lifetime, through fear of death, were in bondage to the devil (Hebrews 2:14-15). Now the Lord Jesus Christ has set us free from the fear of death because he is risen from the dead. Jesus has defeated death, hell, and the grave. God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and a sound mind. (2 Timothy 1:7).
You can distinguish the children of the devil by the way they live. They profess faith in God but their actions deny him. Titus 1:16, “They profess to know God, but by their actions they deny Him. They are detestable, disobedient, and unfit for any good deed.”
Anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is anyone who does not love his brother.
Cain is the example here of the false brother, those who are in the house of faith for a temporary season, and who may look just like the true believer.
However, eventually their actions demonstrate who they truly are. No one can hide who they are. It will come out.
Don’t be surprised if the world hates you. The world hated the Lord Jesus Christ. If you are in Christ then the world will hate you also. God hates the world system, and those who are in agreement with the world system hate God. They are enemies of God.
We see evidence of spiritual life in us when we love our brothers and sisters in Christ. This love for the church is evidence that we are in Christ. Those who do not love show by their hatred that they belong to the world and to the devil. Cain was of the devil. He hated his brother and he killed his brother. No one who commits murder has eternal life in him.
Those in the church who have earthly resources have an obligation to help those who are in need. There are Christians who suffer through lack of material resources. One way that a brother in Christ who has resources can demonstrate his love for God is to help those who are in need, especially the people in the church who are in need of help.
We are not just to talk about our love for God, but we are called to demonstrate God’s love through practical acts of kindness, generosity, and helping others.
1 John 3:18, “Little children, let us love not in word and speech, but in action and truth.” This agrees with the letter of James. Faith without works is a dead faith.
What is His commandment? That we should believe in the name of His Son, Jesus Christ, and we should love one another just as He commanded us. Remember when Peter, James, and John were in the mountain with Jesus. Father God spoke and told them that Jesus Christ was his Son and to hear him. Jesus was asked one time what should people do in order to do the work of God. Jesus said that the work of God is that we believe in the one that God the Father sent into the world. We are to believe in the Son of God.
This is His commandment: that we should believe in the name of His Son, Jesus Christ, and we should love one another just as he commanded us.
When we keep God’s commandments like this we remain in God and God in us.
Keep in memory the gospel of Jesus Christ. Christ died for our sins, he was buried, and he rose again from the dead on the third day. (1 Corinthians 15:1-4).