“1 Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not. 2 Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. 3 And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure. 4 Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law. 5 And ye know that he was manifested to take away our sins; and in him is no sin. 6 Whosoever abideth in him sinneth not: whosoever sinneth hath not seen him, neither known him. 7 Little children, let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous. 8 He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil. 9 Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God. 10 In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother” (I John 3:1-10).At the time of Christ, the Jewish people practiced the custom of espousal. The Jewish marriage was composed of two stages: the Kiddushin (Betrothal) and the Huppah (Canopy: the bringing home of the bride). Betrothal was considered a legally binding promise of marriage that afforded certain rights and privileges. The woman, once betrothed, was considered and treated as a married woman. The betrothed woman was expected to be a virgin unless she was a widow. She was expected to remain a virgin until the Huppah ceremony. This espousal period of time could be days, months, or years in some cases. This is a very accurate portrayal of the reality of the relationship between Christ (the Bridegroom) and His Church (the Bride) during the Church Age.
Christians, who really believe in the reality of the return of Christ for His Bride, understand that the Bridegroom expects to find His Bride living faithfully to Him in earnest expectation of His coming for her. When Christians live in sin, they are living in spiritual adultery. This is the picture Christ puts before us in I John 3:4-10. Christ expects to have a purified Bride when He comes to take her home.
Our Bridegroom understands the problem Christians face in the everyday struggle with the lust of our flesh, the lust of our eyes and the pride of our lives. He has already discussed that issue in I John chapter 2.
“15 Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world” (I John 2:15-16).
Christ knows we are going to fail occasionally and sin because, even though we are regenerated people, we are still sinners by nature. Even if we could somehow live our lives and not commit outward acts of sin, we will regularly commit sins of the heart (lust and pride). What is important to Christ is our struggle to maintain our relationship with Him. It is in that struggle that the reality of our faith and the reality of our love for the Bridegroom are tested. If we really love Him, we will not be constantly flirting with the world, let alone be involved in a love affair with the world. However, this is descriptive of the lives of many Christians in these last days. They are having a love affair with the world while the Bridegroom is away!
“15 Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world” (I John 2:15-16).
Christ knows we are going to fail occasionally and sin because, even though we are regenerated people, we are still sinners by nature. Even if we could somehow live our lives and not commit outward acts of sin, we will regularly commit sins of the heart (lust and pride). What is important to Christ is our struggle to maintain our relationship with Him. It is in that struggle that the reality of our faith and the reality of our love for the Bridegroom are tested. If we really love Him, we will not be constantly flirting with the world, let alone be involved in a love affair with the world. However, this is descriptive of the lives of many Christians in these last days. They are having a love affair with the world while the Bridegroom is away!
Christ tells us in I John 3:3 that “every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.” The word “purifieth” is from the Greek word hagnizo (hag-nid'-zo). It means to ceremonially make oneself morally and spiritually clean. In the Old Covenant, ceremonial cleansing involved considerable effort and expense. Old Covenant believers knew sin was going to cost them big time.
The person wanting to be purified before God needed to build an altar, find a pure, unblemished animal for sacrifice (usually the best of the flock), gather wood for a fire, kill the animal and drain the blood, sprinkle the blood upon the altar so the altar would be sanctified to God, start a fire and place the sacrificial animal on the altar as a burnt offering to God.
If an individual believer failed to do what was necessary to purify himself, his life would come under the direct judgment of God (chastisement) and he would forfeit God’s blessing on his life until he did purify himself. Needless to say, believers took sin seriously. They took sin seriously enough to avoid it at all costs. When they recognized they had sinned, they did not hesitate to go to whatever extremes necessary to purify themselves before God.
The word “purifieth” in I John 3:3 refers to both these aspects of purification. First, the person who believes in the reality of the Bridegroom coming for His Bride will go to extreme measures to avoid temptation to sin and flirting with the world. Second, the person who believes in the reality of the Bridegroom coming for His Bride, will immediately repent, confess and seek Christ’s forgiveness and cleansing the moment he recognizes he has committed a sin. This is the truth communicated in I John chapter one.
“7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. 8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (I John 1:7-9).
To be cleansed “from all unrighteousness” is the continual moment-by-moment responsibility of the Bride. The Bridegroom could come at any moment. The Bridegroom expects to find His Bride morally pure at His coming. The degree of that moral purity is revealed by the words “even as He (Jesus) is pure.” The word “pure” is from the Greek word hagnos (hag-nos'). It means to be chaste, modest and free from any carnality or spiritual fault.
“7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. 8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (I John 1:7-9).
To be cleansed “from all unrighteousness” is the continual moment-by-moment responsibility of the Bride. The Bridegroom could come at any moment. The Bridegroom expects to find His Bride morally pure at His coming. The degree of that moral purity is revealed by the words “even as He (Jesus) is pure.” The word “pure” is from the Greek word hagnos (hag-nos'). It means to be chaste, modest and free from any carnality or spiritual fault.
Purity will not happen by accident and it will not happen through external applications of truth. This will happen when the believer learns to be open and honest with God about who and what he is. He will talk to God about the specific struggles with sin he is having throughout the day. He will learn to live his life one moment at a time. In each moment of the day, he will need to consciously yield his life to the enabling power of the indwelling Holy Spirit over and over again. He will need to take the potential for sin that lies within his heart seriously. That is why Romans 6:8-14 are some of the most important verses in the Bible for the Christian who wants to have a pure life and live victorious over sin.
“8 Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him: 9 Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him. 10 For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God. 11 Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. 12 Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. 13 Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God. 14 For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace” (Romans 6:8-14).
The Bridegroom is “pure.” He is morally chaste and free from any carnality or spiritual fault. Not only is He “pure,” He “was manifested to take away our sins” as well (I John 3:5). Jesus Christ paid the death sentence for sin that was upon every sinner in the world (I John 2:2). Today He lives to cleanse His Bride of “all unrighteousness” (I John 1:9) and keep her purified if the Bride will just take sin seriously.
Professing Christians cannot habitually live in sin and still consider themselves to be saved. Christians cannot habitually live in a love affair relationship with the world and still consider themselves to be part of the Bride of Christ. That is what I John 3:6 is saying. Real belief in the any moment coming of the Bridegroom demands that we live our lives spiritually faithful to His commands. Anything less is self-deception.
“21 Wherefore lay apart all filthiness {defilement} and superfluity {residue} of naughtiness {depravity}, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls. 22 But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves” (James 1:21-22).
The word “engrafted” in James 1:21 is from the Greek word emphutos (em'-foo-tos). It refers to something that is inborn or implanted by nature in us. When a person really believes the gospel of Jesus Christ and the truth of God’s Word, that person is regenerated. The Word of God does not just act upon him externally. It acts upon the very essence of whom and what he is and supernaturally changes who and what he is. He becomes a “new creature.” This is a life transforming conversion from one form of being to another form of being.
“2 And Jesus called a little child unto him, and set him in the midst of them, 3 And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 18:2-3).
The word “converted” in Matthew 18:3 is from the Greek word ginomai (ghin'-om-ahee). It is not talking about the simple faith of a child. It means to come into existence, begin to be or receive being. In other words, before a person has any hope of ever seeing the ”kingdom of heaven,” that person must have a transforming, life changing conversion similar to the birth of a child. He is born out of the darkness of the womb into another altogether different existence. That is the same expectation discussed in I John 3:1-10.
“8 Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him: 9 Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him. 10 For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God. 11 Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. 12 Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. 13 Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God. 14 For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace” (Romans 6:8-14).
The Bridegroom is “pure.” He is morally chaste and free from any carnality or spiritual fault. Not only is He “pure,” He “was manifested to take away our sins” as well (I John 3:5). Jesus Christ paid the death sentence for sin that was upon every sinner in the world (I John 2:2). Today He lives to cleanse His Bride of “all unrighteousness” (I John 1:9) and keep her purified if the Bride will just take sin seriously.
Professing Christians cannot habitually live in sin and still consider themselves to be saved. Christians cannot habitually live in a love affair relationship with the world and still consider themselves to be part of the Bride of Christ. That is what I John 3:6 is saying. Real belief in the any moment coming of the Bridegroom demands that we live our lives spiritually faithful to His commands. Anything less is self-deception.
“21 Wherefore lay apart all filthiness {defilement} and superfluity {residue} of naughtiness {depravity}, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls. 22 But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves” (James 1:21-22).
The word “engrafted” in James 1:21 is from the Greek word emphutos (em'-foo-tos). It refers to something that is inborn or implanted by nature in us. When a person really believes the gospel of Jesus Christ and the truth of God’s Word, that person is regenerated. The Word of God does not just act upon him externally. It acts upon the very essence of whom and what he is and supernaturally changes who and what he is. He becomes a “new creature.” This is a life transforming conversion from one form of being to another form of being.
“2 And Jesus called a little child unto him, and set him in the midst of them, 3 And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 18:2-3).
The word “converted” in Matthew 18:3 is from the Greek word ginomai (ghin'-om-ahee). It is not talking about the simple faith of a child. It means to come into existence, begin to be or receive being. In other words, before a person has any hope of ever seeing the ”kingdom of heaven,” that person must have a transforming, life changing conversion similar to the birth of a child. He is born out of the darkness of the womb into another altogether different existence. That is the same expectation discussed in I John 3:1-10.
The word “abideth” in I John 3:6 is from the Greek word meno (men'-o). It means to remain or to wait. The meaning of this verse according to the context is that “whosoever waits for Him (the Bridegroom) sinneth not.” If a Christian is really waiting for the Bridegroom, he will not habitually live in sin.
On seven occasions in I John 3:4-10, God uses the Participle Mood. The Greek Participle Mood corresponds for the most part to the English participle, reflecting “-ing or “-ed” being suffixed to the basic verb form. The Participle Mood can be used either like a verb or a noun, as in English, and thus is often termed a “verbal noun.” Let me translate this for you by adding the word habitually before each instance the Participle Mood is used in this text to let you see how this impacts the meaning of the text.
“4 Whosoever habitually committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law. 5 And ye know that he was manifested to take away our sins; and in him is no sin. 6 Whosoever habitually abideth in him sinneth not: whosoever habitually sinneth hath not seen him, neither known him. 7 Little children, let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous. 8 He that habitually committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil. 9 Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God. 10 In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever habitually doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that habitually loveth not his brother” (I John 3:1-10).
According to I John 3:10, the “children of God” are plainly recognized and known by the apparent reality of habitually living according to the Word of God and habitually loving their new brothers and sisters in Christ. If your faith is real, that reality will be evident in the progressive transformation of your life. Yes, when the Bridegroom comes for His Bride, every believer will immediately and completely be “changed” to be exactly like Jesus is. However, that change began the very moment you were saved. If you are really saved, you will be growing to be more like Jesus every day.
“4 Whosoever habitually committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law. 5 And ye know that he was manifested to take away our sins; and in him is no sin. 6 Whosoever habitually abideth in him sinneth not: whosoever habitually sinneth hath not seen him, neither known him. 7 Little children, let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous. 8 He that habitually committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil. 9 Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God. 10 In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever habitually doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that habitually loveth not his brother” (I John 3:1-10).
According to I John 3:10, the “children of God” are plainly recognized and known by the apparent reality of habitually living according to the Word of God and habitually loving their new brothers and sisters in Christ. If your faith is real, that reality will be evident in the progressive transformation of your life. Yes, when the Bridegroom comes for His Bride, every believer will immediately and completely be “changed” to be exactly like Jesus is. However, that change began the very moment you were saved. If you are really saved, you will be growing to be more like Jesus every day.
Holiness will start to become evident in your life.
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