CONFIDENT AND UNASHAMED
Opening Prayer
Thank you, Gracious God, for all you have done and will do in my life. You have proven that you keep your promises and that I can trust you for everything I need.
Read 1 JOHN 2:28–3:10
For additional translations of the passage, use this link to Bible Gateway.
God’s Children and Sin
28 And now, dear children, continue in him, so that when he appears we may be confident and unashamed before him at his coming.
29 If you know that he is righteous, you know that everyone who does what is right has been born of him.
3 See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. 2 Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears,[a] we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. 3 All who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure.
4 Everyone who sins breaks the law; in fact, sin is lawlessness. 5 But you know that he appeared so that he might take away our sins. And in him is no sin. 6 No one who lives in him keeps on sinning. No one who continues to sin has either seen him or known him.
7 Dear children, do not let anyone lead you astray. The one who does what is right is righteous, just as he is righteous. 8 The one who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work. 9 No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God’s seed remains in them; they cannot go on sinning, because they have been born of God. 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.
Footnotes
- 1 John 3:2 Or when it is made known
New International Version (NIV)Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Reflect
How does your life look different if you are convinced that Jesus could return and take you home to be with him, perhaps even today?After using end-times language to speak of the enemy, John then looked forward with hope and anticipation. Jesus was coming again! And because we are now children of God, we can look forward confidently and without shame (2:28).
The group that John was writing to was being bombarded by criticism from the group that had left the church (see 2:18–26). They claimed to have a superior spirituality, but they were actually living with greater sinfulness. That context helps us understand what John writes in chapter 3, verses 4 to 10.
Christians do not achieve sinless perfection in this life, but the gospel makes a difference in our lives. While we may slip into sin (see 1:8; 2:1), our lives should not be characterized by persistent unchecked sin (3:6). The gospel is not just an external legal pardon for sin but also an internal, heart-transforming reality. The Spirit of God in us changes us from the inside out. So, while Christians struggle with sin, we will not be defined by it. By God’s Spirit, we have a new spiritual DNA.
Apply
How has the Spirit working in you brought cleansing from sin? What areas of struggle is he still working on in you?
Closing prayer
Holy Spirit, I am grateful for all you have done in me and I am thankful that you help me to change my struggles into victories, all to bring glory to my Savior.
Book and Author Intros
Extras
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