Names of God; part 39. Being a son in the house of YHVH.

Title: Names of God; part 39. 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.

 

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

 

1Jo 3:5 And you know that He appeared in order to take away sins; and in Him there is no sin.

 

1Jo 3:6 No one who abides in Him sins [present active indicative of harmatano]; no one who sins [present active participle of harmatano] has seen Him or knows Him.

 

1Jo 3:7 Little children, let no one deceive you; the one who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous;

 

1Jo 3:8 the one who practices [present active participle of poieo] sin is of the devil; for the devil has sinned from the beginning. The Son of God appeared for this purpose, that He might destroy the works of the devil.

 

1Jo 3:9 No one who is born [perfect participle] of God practices sin [present active indicative of poieo], because His seed abides in him; and he cannot sin [present infinitive], because he is born of God.

 

The entire passage speaks of habitual sin. The divine seed, or the divine nature makes it impossible for the believer to habitually sin. He cannot habitually sin is the present infinitive.

 

God's works are done spontaneously by the positive believer since he possesses a divine nature or seed. Spontaneously means that they are done by nature.

 

By spontaneous we mean done from the very nature of the person, as opposed to premeditated in which we seek God's favor.

 

Jer 1:5 "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,

And before you were born I consecrated you;

I have appointed you a prophet to the nations."

 

Our appointment in the plan of God was fixed before we were born. God calls us to the divine work and when we see it we will say as Jeremiah, “I’m not able or ready.”

 

Jer 1:6 Then I said, "Alas, Lord God [Adonai Yavah]!

Behold, I do not know how to speak,

Because I am a youth."

 

Moses tried to use the same excuse.

 

Jer 1:7 But the Lord said to me,

"Do not say, 'I am a youth,'

Because everywhere I send you, you shall go,

And all that I command you, you shall speak.

 

Jer 1:8 "Do not be afraid of them,

For I am with you to deliver you," declares the Lord.

 

The new creature in Christ is so wonderfully made that God indwells him and works through him. We spontaneously do God’s work by nature.

 

Php 2:12 So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling;

 

Php 2:13 for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.

 

1Jo 3:9 No one who is born of God practices sin [present active indicative of poieo], because His seed abides in him; and he cannot sin [present infinitive], because he is born of God.

 

1Jo 3:10 By this the children of God and the children of the devil are obvious: anyone who does not practice [present active participle of poieo] righteousness is not of God, nor the one who does not love his brother.

 

Added to the practice of the son in the house is the fact that he loves his brother with God's sacrificial love.

 

Righteousness or righteous living can easily become confused in the mind of the believer through the temptation of his own arrogance and become equivalent to self-righteousness. If we have performed God's righteousness we must still consistently be reminded that it was God's given power and wisdom in us that made it possible. Self-righteousness can begin to germinate when after I have performed God's works, I start to forget that I did so by grace and start to imagine that I was able to do so on my own. It was me. Then begins the increasing tide of thinking too highly of myself. It is crucial that we are constantly reminded by the word of God and so it is crucial that we constantly listen to the word of God.