Commentary on the First Letter of John, Chapter 3
« See what sort of love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are. That is why the world does not know us, because it has not come to know him. 2Beloved ones, we are now children of God, but it has not yet been made manifest what we will be. We do know that when he is made manifest we will be like him, because we will see him just as he is. 3And everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, just as that one is pure » (verses 1-3).
Are you a Son of God? « For all who are led by God’s spirit are indeed God’s sons » (Romans 8:14). This question is only in the biblical context, and particularly of the letter to the Romans, the chapter 8. The answer will be based on the context of chapter 8, in order to know if, the status of « son of God » is only reserved for a category of Christians, for example, those who have the heavenly hope of being one of the 144000, or to all Christians, including those who are an earthly hope (Apocalypse 7:1-8 (144000); 7:9- 17 (the great crowd coming out of the great tribulation). In order for the reader to check by himself, the context reveals two important points:
1 – The apostle Paul does not speak at any time directly, of two categories of Christians, but rather of two categories of humans, those who live according to fleshly desires and those (the faithful Christians) who live by being led by the Holy Spirit.
2 – The apostle Paul does not evoke the hope of everlasting life, by directly making a difference between everlasting life in heaven and everlasting life in the future earthly paradise.
It should be recalled that in Romans 8, the apostle Paul wrote that the « sons of God » are who live led by spirit, and this is quite the case of the faithful Christians who have the earthly hope. In addition, if it is obvious that the expression of « joint heirs with Christ » has a restrictive meaning in Romans (8:12-17), applying only to the 144000, this expression can be applied currently to the faithful Christians who have the earthly hope, in the broad sense of Luke 23:43: « You will be with me in paradise ». The currently faithful Christians who have the earthly hope, will be, in a broad sense, « joint heirs with Christ », because they will be with Jesus Christ in paradise…
Finally, it is also good to remember how the Model Prayer begins: « Our Father in heaven » (Matthew 6:9)… If Jesus Christ asked his disciples to begin this prayer with the expression « Our Father », it is well proof that God will not wait a thousand years to consider, right away, that the faithful Christians who have the earthly hope, are their sons, the sons of God… « For all who are led by God’s spirit are indeed God’s sons »(Romans 8:14)…
Whoever practices sin, comes from the devil: « Everyone who practices sin is also practicing lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness. 5 You know, too, that he was made manifest to take away our sins, and there is no sin in him. 6 Everyone remaining in union with him does not practice sin; no one who practices sin has either seen him or come to know him. 7 Little children, let no one mislead you; the one who practices righteousness is righteous, just as that one is righteous. 8 The one who practices sin originates with the Devil, because the Devil has been sinning from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was made manifest, to break up the works of the Devil. 9 Everyone who has been born from God does not practice sin, for His seed remains in such one, and he cannot practice sin, for he has been born from God. 10 The children of God and the children of the Devil are evident by this fact: Whoever does not practice righteousness does not originate with God, nor does the one who does not love his brother. 11 For this is the message that you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another; 12 not like Cain, who originated with the wicked one and slaughtered his brother. And for what reason did he slaughter him? Because his own works were wicked, but those of his brother were righteous » (verses 4-12).
The apostle John mentions the practice of sin, that is to say having a continuous and voluntary conduct in sin. In verses 7 and 8, he contrasts the man who practices justice as a way of life with the man who practices sin, as other and different way of life. Thus, the practice of sin is different from the fact of committing a single sin, resulting of a human weakness. The apostle Paul has shown, like the apostle John, that this kind of single sin, made by weakness can be forgiven on the basis of the atonement value of the sacrifice of Christ (Romans 7:21-25). John gives an example of practice of sin, a continuous feeling of hatred against his neighbor: « Do not be surprised, brothers, that the world hates you. 14 We know that we have passed over from death to life, because we love the brothers. The one who does not love remains in death. 15 Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has everlasting life remaining in him. 16 By this we have come to know love, because that one surrendered his life for us, and we are under obligation to surrender our lives for our brothers. 17 But whoever has the material possessions of this world and sees his brother in need and yet refuses to show him compassion, in what way does the love of God remain in him? 18 Little children, we should love, not in word or with the tongue, but in deed and truth » (verses 13-18).
As Jesus Christ said, sin by intention in the heart, or by the expression of bad feelings of hatred in the heart, is a serious sin, even if it is not materialized in actions (like a homicide or murder) (Matthew 5:28). John writes that someone who has hatred for his brother, is already a homicide and therefore he no longer fulfills the conditions required by God, to obtain everlasting life.
Jesus Christ forbade the hatred, the insult, and the murder: « you heard that it was said to those of ancient times, ‘You must not murder; but whoever commits a murder will be accountable to the court of justice.’ However, I say to you that everyone who continues wrathful with his brother will be accountable to the court of justice; but whoever addresses his brother with an unspeakable word of contempt will be accountable to the Supreme Court; whereas whoever says, ‘You despicable fool!’ will be liable to the fiery Gehenna » (Matthew 5:21-22).
Jesus Christ showed how to avoid this extremity, by trying as much as possible to resolve the personality conflicts: « If, then, you are bringing your gift to the altar and you there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar, and go away; first make your peace with your brother, and then, when you have come back, offer up your gift » (Matthew 5:23,24).
Also in this same chapter, Jesus Christ said to love our enemies (Matthew 5:38-48). The verb « to love » in this context, is to be taken in the sense of a reasoned love, without necessarily being marked with affection towards our enemy. For example, when someone insults us or behaves badly towards us, the love based on Bible principles will prevent us from responding to insult with insult, or hatred with hatred. In this way, the vicious circle of hatred by hatred will be broken, by the virtuous circle requested by Jesus Christ: that is, to respond to the hatred of our enemy, by self-control, a love based on decorum, good manners , good education and common sense (Galatians 5: 22,23 « the fruit of the holy spirit »). Maybe this way of acting can encourage him to change his attitude towards us.
During his arrest which would lead him to death, Jesus Christ forbade the use of weapons, nor even to defend him or defend his cause: « Then Jesus said to him: “Return your sword to its place, for all those who take the sword will perish by the sword » » (Matthew 26:52). The murder and the homicide are forbidden, for both personal reasons, and even out of religious or state patriotism. This statement of Christ is a reminder of what it is written in the prophecy of Isaiah: « And he will certainly render judgment among the nations and set matters straight respecting many peoples. And they will have to beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning shears. Nation will not lift up sword against nation, neither will they learn war anymore » (Isaiah 2:4).
No longer learning war obviously supposes not to practice both combat sports or martial arts, even those, tinged with religious propaganda which would consist in saying that it is only with « defensive » purpose. Transforming a human body into a « defensive weapon » can quickly become « an offensive weapon » which can injure and until to kill… Christians should not see violent sports performances or films extolling gratuitous violence. This is completely detestable in the eyes of Jehovah God: « Jehovah himself examines the righteous one as well as the wicked one, And anyone loving violence His soul certainly hates » (Psalms 11:5).
God is greater than our hearts and knows all things: « By this we will know that we originate with the truth, and we will assure our hearts before him 20 regarding whatever our hearts may condemn us in, because God is greater than our hearts and knows all things. 21 Beloved ones, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have freeness of speech toward God; 22 and whatever we ask we receive from him, because we are observing his commandments and doing what is pleasing in his eyes. 23 Indeed, this is his commandment: that we have faith in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he gave us a commandment. 24 Moreover, the one who observes his commandments remains in union with him, and he in union with such one. And by the spirit that he gave us, we know that he remains in union with us » (verses 19-24).
Sometimes our symbolic heart, which represents the source of our spiritual intuitions, can go wrong. He could condemn us with an excessive feeling of guilt, thinking, for example, that God has not forgiven us or that our sin is far too serious to be forgiven (Isaiah 1:18). Nevertheless, as the apostle John recalls, God is greater than our heart. Therefore, it is not because we have the bad intuition not to be forgiven, that God has not forgiven us. In a way, in this specific case, one could say that God is much more merciful than a heart which constantly feels guilty (read Psalms 51).
The narrative about King Manasseh, which has shed much blood, is the demonstration of how far Jehovah’s mercy can be applied to sincere repentance. In the biblical narrative, it is written about wickedness of King Manasseh: « Ma·nasʹseh also shed innocent blood in very great quantity until he had filled Jerusalem from one end to the other, besides his sin of causing Judah to sin by doing what was bad in the eyes of Jehovah » (2 Kings 21:16). Because of his bad deeds, God punished him: « Jehovah kept speaking to Manasseh and his people, but they paid no attention. So Jehovah brought against them the army chiefs of the king of As·syrʹi·a, and they captured Ma·nasʹseh with hooks and bound him with two copper fetters and took him to Babylon » (2 Chronicles 33: 10,11). However, for as incredible as it may be, this king ended up sincerely repenting of his evil deeds and obtaining Jehovah’s mercy: « In his distress, he begged Jehovah his God for favor and kept humbling himself greatly before the God of his forefathers. He kept praying to Him, and He was moved by his entreaty and heard his request for favor, and He restored him to Jerusalem to his kingship. Then Ma·nasʹseh came to know that Jehovah is the true God » (2 Chronicles 33:12,13). What is the reason for this biblical example?
Many men and women have made irreversible mistakes, such as killing many humans (in the context of conflict) or taking part in abortions, sometimes even late. Many of them think that it is impossible that God would forgive them. Add to this a deep feeling of remorse and indignity. Regarding Jehovah’s immense mercy, this is what it says: « »Come, now, and let us set matters straight between us,” says Jehovah. “Though your sins are like scarlet, They will be made as white as snow; Though they are as red as crimson cloth, They will become like wool » » (Isaiah 1:18). This verse is especially addressed to those men and women who sincerely repent before God, asking for forgiveness: God forgives sincere repentance on the basis of the precious blood of Jesus Christ: « My little children, I am writing you these things so that you may not commit a sin. And yet, if anyone does commit a sin, we have a helper with the Father, Jesus Christ, a righteous one. And he is a propitiatory sacrifice for our sins, yet not for ours only but also for the whole world’s » (1 John 2:1,2). Moreover, Jehovah God will resurrect the millions of dead who were victims of the many genocides (John 5:28,29). What is irreversible for man, is not for God (Matthew 19:26 « to God all things are possible »).
It is possible that even if the mercy of God applies to sincere repentance, a feeling of remorse and indignity will continue to harass them. However, they must know that God is greater than hearts (1 John 3:19-22).
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John is one of the twelve apostles of Jesus Christ. He is also the writer one of the Gospel which bears his name and as well as the book of Apocalypse or Revelation…
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