Names of God; part 35. Being a son in the house of YHVH.

Title: Names of God; part 35. Being a son in the house of YHVH.

 

 

1Jo 3:1 See how great a love the Father has bestowed upon us [perfect tense: it is our permanent possession], that we should be called children of God; and such we are. For this reason the world does not know us, because it did not know Him.

 

1Jo 3:2 Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we shall be. We know that, when He appears, we shall be like Him, because we shall see Him just as He is.

 

1Jo 3:3 And everyone who has this hope fixed on Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.

 

The faith and therefore hope of being in the image of Christ arouses the determination to be pure like Him.

 

In contrast to the Christian whose hope is upon the Lord:

 

1Jo 3:4 Everyone who practices sin also practices lawlessness; and sin is lawlessness.

 

The perpetual sinner (unbeliever) has no law. “Lawlessness” – anomia = without law. Satan is called the anomos, “lawless one.”

 

All believers are under the law of Christ, the law of the Spirit of life, whether they know it or not, whether they deny it or not. We are all responsible to it, and we will all be disciplined if we reject it.

 

In other words, the son is in the house and he is under the rules of the house no matter what.

 

Grace in no way lawlessness. Because we are not under the Mosaic Law we are not lawless. We have the law of Christ as our moral code and it is always over us and has authority over us. We are accountable to it, and when we come to understand it, we will see its beauty, simplicity, and purity.

 

Gal 6:1 Brethren, even if a man is caught in any trespass, you who are spiritual, restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness; each one looking to yourself, lest you too be tempted.

 

Gal 6:2 Bear one another's burdens, and thus fulfill the law of Christ.

 

The context is the believer caught up in failure, not because he ignores or is antagonistic to the plan of God, but because he thirsts to walk by the Spirit, but has failed.

 

We are not given instructions or specifics of how to bear his burden. We are simply told to fulfill the law of Christ. We love and forgive and do not judge or condemn. Agape love is the sphere of the law of Christ.

 

Gal 6:3 For if anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself.

 

The law of Christ is walking by means of the Spirit, i.e. setting our minds on the things of the Spirit.

 

Rom 8:1 There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

 

Rom 8:2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death.

 

Rom 8:3 For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh,

 

Rom 8:4 in order that the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.

 

Rom 8:5 For those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit.

 

Again we have the present active participle of poieo, "practices sin," as Jesus used it in Joh 8:34.

 

Joh 8:34 "Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is the slave of sin."

 

Joh 8:35 "And the slave does not remain in the house forever; the son does remain forever.

 

Joh 8:36 If therefore the Son shall make you free, you shall be free indeed."

 

1Jo 1:1 What was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and touched with our hands, concerning the Word of Life

 

1Jo 1:2 and the life was manifested, and we have seen and testify and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was manifested to us

 

The same author of that Gospel, who was an eye witness to that conversation, uses the same word here in the same parsing. The one who constantly practices sin is the slave of sin and this is the unbeliever. The regeneration of the believer makes this constant practice impossible, though he may try out of ignorance and arrogance. There will be discipline, a conviction by the indwelling Spirit who was not within before salvation, and of course, there will be eternity.