God's Children and Devil's Children (1 John 3:7-10)

GOD'S CHILDREN AND DEVIL'S CHILDREN (1 JOHN 3:7-10):

After writing that those who abide in Christ don’t keep sinning, Apostle John continues to write to show the difference between being God’s children and Devil’s children. Apostle John cautions the believers by addressing them as little children that no one should deceive them. There were many false teachers and opinions that John had already written down to them, but again he writes that keeping away from sins is needed, by carefully addressing to them, considering them as little children, as some false teachers had been teaching that the body is sinful and there is no condition for it to be purified and the change in thoughts by accepting God is all enough. Apostle John writes that whoever practices righteousness is righteous as Christ is righteous. A person couldn’t be called righteous if the person forbids himself from doing wrong, but even if a person doesn’t do what is right, he couldn’t be called righteous. Just as Christ practiced righteousness in His action, believers ought to practice righteousness.

Apostle John further writes that whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning and the reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil. A person who does sin without any grievance or bitterness has not tasted God and he is from the devil, for since the day of fall, the devil had rebelled against God without any feeling of guilt and attempt for reconciliation. Jesus had come into the world for showing the right path because of people's disobedience and help people to live a life free from sin. Also, the devil's cunningness made the man sin which is the parallel and primary source of reason for man’s sin, so Jesus came into the world to destroy the works of the devil.

Apostle John continues to write that no one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God’s seed abides in him and he cannot keep on sinning because he has been born of God. A person born again by accepting, believing and committing his life to God, could not Sin, as a practice though sometimes the person may fall into the temptations or glitches of sin because the Spirit of God condemns, rebukes and corrects, for the person is a child of God. Apostle concludes the section by saying that by those things it is evident who the children of God are and who are the children of the devil. Whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God because a person who had really known God couldn’t forbid himself from doing good, out of love, and reverence for God. Apostle John also says that the one who doesn’t love his brother is not from God. A person who couldn’t give or show love to someone in action, whom he practically relate, couldn’t genuinely relate with God in action, and all his actions would just be hypocrisy though he may say that he does things for God.

Stimulations for Self-Reflection:

1.      Why does the author caution the believers that no one deceives them?

2.      Who is righteous? Why the author compares Christ’s righteousness?

3.      Who is of the devil? How?

4.      What is the reason for the appearance of Son of God? Why?

5.      What one who born of God does not do? Why?

6.      Could anyone say that they are without sin? Justify?

7.      Who is not from God? Why?

8.      How we can be Children of God?

9.      How we can identify the Children of Devil?

10.  How we can practice righteousness?