1 John 3:10: This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not God’s child, nor is anyone who does not love their brother and sister.
1 John 3:10 summarizes 1 John 2:29-3:9 and introduces the next section (1 John 3:11-20) which focuses on relationships within the Lord’s church. Those who had left the church that John was addressing did not love the brethren; but those that remained still needed mutual love. The same is true for Christians today; we need the mutual love of our fellow Christians. This theme of “love of brethren” as the true sign of discipleship is vital to John’s viewpoint because: love is the opposite of hate, love is basic to the faith (from the beginning), and love defines who are children of God and who are not.
This Wednesday evening in our adult Bible study of 1 John we will be looking at 1 John 3:11-24. Praying everyone has a blessed week.
In Christ,
Gary T.