Sermon Tone Analysis

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/28 //And now, little children, abide in him, so that when he appears we may have confidence and not shrink from him in shame at his coming.

29 //If you know that he is righteous, you may be sure that everyone who practices righteousness has been born of him. 1 //See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are.

The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him. 2 //Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is.

3 //And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure./

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Last week we were warned by John about the danger of apostasy and were exhorted to persevere in our faith in order to receive the promise of eternal life.

John has great confidence that many in the Church will persevere to the end because he believes that God’s “anointing” will help them to reject error and believe truth.

It is not hard to see the connection that this week’s passage has with what we read last week, for John begins here by repeating the command to “abide in” Christ.

But whereas in the previous section he was more interested in right belief, the command to “remain in him” is now focused again on the topic of right behavior.

John has addressed this topic already in 2:3-6.

But now he will elaborate on it to demonstrate how essential right behavior is to true fellowship with God.

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Perseverance in right conduct is required for final salvation

John urges his readers to persevere in the faith (“abide in him”) so that when Christ appears we may have confidence.

Conversely, if we do not persevere in the faith, we will experience shame.

That John is now speaking of perseverance in terms of right conduct is evident from verse 29: “If you know that he is righteous, you may be sure that everyone who practices righteousness has been born of him.”

In the previous passage John emphasized right belief.

Now he wants to emphasize right behavior.

But the situation is just as urgent as it was in 2:18-27.

There John wanted his readers to be aware of the deceptive lies of apostasy because it is now “the final hour.”

Now, because it is the final hour of human history, John reminds his readers that Jesus could appear at any moment.

This passage has much to say about the return of Jesus to the earth.

When John talks about the “appearing” or the “coming” of Jesus, he uses a word that is often found in reference to the visit of a ruler or emperor to some part of his domain.

Even today, people turn out in great numbers to see the rulers of the world.

That’s the kind of atmosphere conveyed by this word.

The text literally reads, “abide in him, so that if he should appear we may have confidence.”

What is in question is not the /fact/ of his return but the /timing/ of it.

It’s like saying “you need an umbrella for if it rains.”

One day you will need the umbrella.

And you might need it today, so don’t wait to get one.

John is telling us how urgent it is that we abide in him.

If he should return today, and he might (the storm clouds are hovering), we will have confidence only if we are abiding in him.

Whether we face him with confidence or shrink from him in shame will depend upon whether or not we are abiding in him when he returns.

For John, the fact that Jesus may return at any moment is the reason why he can say that it is now “the last hour” (1 John 2:18).

But what John means by the “appearing” or the “coming” of the Lord is what the Old Testament described as “the day of the Lord.”

And that day is equally glorious and dreadful.

For those who are in fellowship with God, it is right for us to long for his nearer presence.

But those who are not in fellowship with God, the return of Christ is not so great.

Listen to the words of the Old Testament prophet, Amos:

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/Woe to you who desire the day of the LORD!

Why would you have the day of the LORD?

It is darkness, and not light, as if a man fled from a lion, and a bear met him, or went into the house and leaned his hand against the wall, and a serpent bit him.

Is not the day of the LORD darkness, and not light, and gloom with no brightness in it?

/(Amos 5:18-20)

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Christ’s return will be either our greatest joy or our greatest shame, depending on whether or not he finds us abiding in him when he comes.

Again John gives two possibilities.

Those who are persevering will have “confidence.”

This refers to assurance and certainty of deliverance.

Those who persevere will experience fearlessness in the presence of God, knowing that they have been reconciled to him.

Those who do not persevere will experience shame.

And it’s not just psychological feelings at stake here.

This shame may refer to being shamed by Christ by his forceful rejection of the one who does not abide in him.

This fits with what Jesus said in John 15:7: “/If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned/.”

So this is a serious warning indeed, and one that we must pay careful attention to.

Don’t confuse your feelings now for what John says your feelings will be when Christ returns.

Just because you don’t feel shame right now does not necessarily indicate that you won’t feel it then.

It’s easy to be bold when you do not sense any danger.

But just because you don’t sense the danger doesn’t mean it is not there.

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Perseverance in right conduct is a result of (and made possible only by) the new birth

So John exhorts his readers to persevere, to “abide in” Christ because at any moment Christ may appear and for those who are not abiding in Christ, his appearing will be their shame.

So what then is the connection between verse 28 and verse 29?

First of all, in verse 29 John makes it clear that to abide in Christ cannot mean only to hold on to the /theological/ truth of who Christ is.

Right belief must manifest itself in right /action/.

If we know as a fact that God is righteous, then the logical consequence of the fact is that when he returns he will expect righteousness.

But more importantly, we learn that those who “practice righteousness” do so because they have “been born of” God.

Lest we think that we can achieve this righteousness that God demands on our own, John wants to remind us from where true righteousness originates.

It comes from the new birth.

So we learn that only those who experience the new birth are capable of “practicing righteousness.”

John is not suggesting that the apparent good works of unbelieving people justifies them before God.

John’s concern is that faith without works of righteousness is a sign that such a person is /not/ born of God.

We have not really believed if we do not behave righteously.

But those who have experienced the new birth have been radically changed.

When John brings up the new birth in verse 29 for the first time in his letter, it causes him to reflect a bit more on the significance of it.

If we are going to abide in Christ, if we are going to practice righteousness, it will come as a result of something magnificent that has happened to us.

So in the first three verses of chapter three, John points out at least six things that are true of everyone who has been born of God.

The first three verses of chapter three form a parenthesis to John’s expectation of righteous behavior.

He will pick up in verse four where he left off at the end of chapter two.

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Our relationship with God is a result of God’s lavish love.

The first thing we might note is how amazing it is that God would make us his children.

Don’t take it for granted that God has done this.

We should be amazed at what God has done.

So verse one says, “See what kind of love the Father has given to us.”

With the word /see/ John is commanding us to stop and to take notice: God’s love is /so/ great, /so/ magnificent, that it is hard to even describe it in words.

The NIV translates, “How great is the love the Father has lavished on us.”

The word that John uses here to marvel at God’s love comes from a word that was often rendered “/of what country?/”

In other words, the only way John can describe God’s love is by saying that it is otherworldly.

God’s love in making us his children is completely unknown to mankind outside of God.

Think with me about this for a moment: God making us his children is an act distinct from God justifying or regenerating us.

God could have forgiven our sins and removed our legal guilt without making us his children.

But he took the added step of not only getting us right with his law but also adding us to his family.[1]

Now /that/ is amazing love!

Our position as children of God is due to God’s initiative and not ours.

It is due solely to God’s love toward us who were unlovely.

So, it is no small thing to be called a child of God.

Not everyone gets that title.

Here’s how John outlines it in his gospel (John 1:11-13):

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/He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him.

But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God./

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One of our core competencies is “Identity in Christ.”

The creed says, “I believe I am significant because of my position as a child of God.”

What I want to remind us all is that you cannot make yourself a child of God; only /God/ can make someone a child of God.

Your significance as a child of God is due to God’s lavish love.