This morning Graham returned to 1 John to continue the series looking at these letters. After reviewing the end of 1 John 2, he moved on to look at chapter three where it talks about the love that our father God feels for us, his children.

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1 John 2:28 – 3:10

Intro
From previous weeks:
1 John 2:24-27
By referring them back he was asking them to remember. It was a way of getting them to discover if they had had an experience. That is why we baptise after a confession of faith, and even that may not be enough.

John’s comments also calls us back to recognise to our first encounter with Christ. It is that that I want to introduce others to, yet often see it replaced by a message of psychotherapy, the me-first code to live by.

This week:
This part of the letter from 2:28 to 3:10 is a unit. It begins by referring to believers as being born of God “has been born of him” (2:29) and concludes with the same theme in v10 referring to them being a child of God.

“And now” (2:28) marks the movement from the previous section of the letter. Having spoken much about false teachers and countering them, he now leaves them behind and speaks of our relationship, as children, of our Father God.

In this section John continues writing in the context of an awareness of relationship with Jesus.

1) Love Lavished
Not referring to the work of the cross only, but further on in what that work brought about. “Children of God”. Something the false teachers, nor other faiths, could offer.

See John 1:12-13
Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God – children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.

Their “right”:
was through the cross and not by their own merit Ephesians 2:8-9
Ephesians 2:8-9
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith— and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, so that no-one can boast.

An event (“became”) as a result of of believing in his name. Note, child converts still must come to a moment, no matter how child-like, when the believe, are born again and become part of God’s family. This event does not take place at the moment of infant baptism.

No other name
“Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name…” There is no other name!

Acts 4:12 Salvation is found in no-one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.

2) Children
Fatherhood of God
See Matthew 6:9 “Our Father…”
Luke 23:34 “Father forgive them…”

(a) He created
Deuteronomy 32:6
Is this the way you repay the LORD, O foolish and unwise people? Is he not your Father, your Creator, who made you and formed you?

Malachi 2:10
Have we not all one Father? Did not one God create us? Why do we profane the covenant of our fathers by breaking faith with one another?

(b) He chose a people
Jeremiah 31:9
They will come with weeping; they will pray as I bring them back. I will lead them beside streams of water on a level path where they will not stumble, because I am Israel’s father, and Ephraim is my firstborn son.

(c) He adopted the believers that live in the church age.
Matthew 3:9
And do not think you can say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham.

Speaking us of being adopted as children of Abraham,
Romans 4:11
And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised. So then, he is the father of all who believe but have not been circumcised, in order that righteousness might be credited to them.

Romans 4:16
Therefore, the promise comes by faith, so that it may be by grace and may be guaranteed to all Abraham’s offspring— not only to those who are of the law but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham. He is the father of us all.

(d) He caused us to go through a new birth.
John 1:13 children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.

John 3:3 In reply Jesus declared, I tell you the truth, no-one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.

John repeatedly presents the transformed life as evidence of living in the truth.

1 John 3 verses 3 to 6 are a point in the spiral which lines up with previous mentions of this point in the letter so far.

See 1:8-10
2:3-6
2:28
And perhaps 2:15-17
3:9-10

This time he goes further in the upward spiral and tells us where the transformed life leads, “But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him…” This is a glorious hope.

See also
1 Corinthians 13:12 Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.