1 John 3.1-24 tells us that being children of God means the world does not know us; our destiny in the Olam Haba; the character of lawlessness and the sin nature; practicing righteousness as defined in the Torah is proof that we have received justification; do not be amazed that the world hates you; love in action is evidence that we have eternal life; what real love is; keeping the Torah brings answered prayer.
v 1…See (behold, take notice), how great a love the Father has bestowed upon us, that we should be called the children of God (regenerated by him); and we are. For this reason the world does not know us, because it does not know him (John 17.25).
v 2…Beloved, now we are children of God (it might not look like it now, being poor, weak, afflicted, reproached, sinful), and it has not appeared as yet what we shall be (because the Olam Hba has not come yet). We know that when he appears we shall be like him because we shall see him as he is (in his power and human nature; John saw it-2 Pet 1.4; Isa 4.1-6; 30.26).
v 3…And everyone who has this hope (biblical hope is not “wishing” but is seen as a sure thing based on God’s promises) on him purifies (purges) himself, just as he is pure.
v 4…Everyone who practices (as a lifestyle) sin (“ah-mar-tea-on” sinful acts) also practices lawlessness (Greek “anomian” or against the Torah or “Torah-less-ness”), and sin (“ah-mar-tea-ah” or sin nature) is lawlessness (Torah-less-ness-Rom 3.20).
v 5…And you know that he appeared in order to take away sins (“ah-mar-tea-as” or sin nature) and in him there is no sin (“ah-mar-tea-ah” or sin nature).
v 6 No one who abides in him sins “ah-mar-tea-nay” or sins against someone); a special condition or offense directed toward God); no one who sins (ah-mar tea-nain” or sins against someone or a special condition or offense directed toward God) has seen him or knows him.
v 7…Little children (Greek “teknia” or young talmid), let no one deceive you; the one who practices (as a lifestyle) righteousness (as defined in the Torah) is righteous (has been justified by God) just as he (God ) is righteous;
v 8…the one who practices (as a lifestyle) sin (“ah-mar-tea-on” or sinful acts) is of the devil (“diabolou”); for the devil has sinned (“ah-mar-tea-nain” or sins against someone; a special condition or offense directed toward God) from the beginning (of the world). The Son of God appeared for this reason, that he might destroy (rob of power) the works of the devil-Heb 2.14).
v 9…No one who is born of God practices (as a lifestyle) sin (“ah-mar-tea-on” or sinful acts) because his seed abides in him (he is born from above) and he cannot sin (ah-mar-tea-nain” or sins against someone; a special condition or offense directed toward God), because he is born of God.
v 10…By this the children of God and the children of the devil are obvious: anyone who does not practice (as a lifestyle) righteousness (as defined by the Torah) is not of God, nor the one who does not love his brother (Matt 7.21-23; Rom 7.12; Psa 119.172).
v 11…For this is the message which you have heard from the beginning (in the Torah-Lev 19.18), that we should love one another (by action-1 Cor 13.1-8);
v 12…not as Cain, who was of the evil one, and slew his brother (John 8.44; Rev 2.9-means an adversary of the truth; a follow of). And for what reason did he slay him? Because his deeds were evil, and his brothers were righteous.
v 13…Do not marvel, brethren, if the world hates you.
v 14…We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love (by action, not a feeling) the brethren. He who does not love (by action) abides (lives) in death (the condemnation in the death realm).
v 15…Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer (has the attitude of a premeditated killer), and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding (living) in him (he is un-regenerated).
v 16…We know love by this that he laid down his life (by action) for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren (risk our lives; expose ourselves to danger; give up on our own selfish desires, etc).
v 17…But whoever has the world’s goods (necessities; property) and beholds his brother in need and closes his heart (desires, intentions, thoughts, mind, soul, spirit) against him, how does the love of God abide in him (passing by on the other side like the Levite in Luke 10.32)?
v 18…Little children (Greek “teknia” or young talmidim), let us not love with word or with tongue, but in deed (action) and truth.
v 19…We shall know by this (evidence) that we are of the truth, and shall assure our heart before him (God),
v 20…in whatever our heart condemns us; for God is greater than our heart (our desires, thoughts and intentions, and the creator of it and has power over it), and knows all things (that are in the heart-Heb 4.12-13-the context is in the case of brotherly love).
v 21…Beloved, of our heart does not condemn us (has a clear conscience), we have confidence (emunah/faith in action) before God.
v 22…And whatever we ask we receive from him (according to his will of course), because we keep (hold true to the pattern God has given by doing certain things at certain times at certain places by certain people) his commandments (in the Torah) and do (a doer of the word) the things that are pleasing in his sight (like the Sabbath-Isa 56.4-8).
v 23…And this is his commandment (of Yeshua) that we (Israel; the Jewish people-1 John 2.2 at first, then the non-Jews-Matt 24.19-20) believe in the name of his Son Yeshua the Messiah, and love one another just as he commanded us (John 13.34-35).
v 24…And the one who keeps his commandments (in the Torah) abides (lives) in him (according to his benefits and purposes), and he in him. And we know by this (evidence) that he abides (lives) in us (our lives are a reflection of his life-Acts 4.13; 2 Cor 13.5), by (out of) the Spirit (his control and purposes) which he has given us.
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