1 John 3

Children of God; the contrast between righteousness and sin; love in deed and truth.

John marvels at the love the Father has given that "we should be called children of God!" Now we are God's children; what we will be has not yet been revealed, but when He appears we shall be like Him. Everyone with this hope purifies himself. Whoever practices sin practices lawlessness; whoever abides in Christ does not continue in sin. The contrast between the children of God and the children of the devil is shown by righteousness and love. The message from the beginning is that we should love one another — not as Cain, who murdered his brother. Love is shown by laying down our lives for the brethren and by meeting practical needs: "Let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth."