“A Chip Off The Old Block” I John 3:1-12
One of the strangest moments in life is the day that you happen to glance down and at the end of your arm you suddenly realize that someone has taken your hand and replaced it your parents. The shock of that moment is hard to describe. I remember the day that it happened to me, I had to do a double take, and even when I did that it didn’t go away – what used to be my hands had now become my fathers.
The second strangest day in your life is when you are talking (discussing, correcting, teaching, arguing what ever you want to call it) to your own children and suddenly you hear your mother’s voice coming out of your mouth. When you start saying things that you swore you would never, never, never say to YOUR children. It is in those moments that we suddenly realize we have become our parents. That even if we struggle not to be, there will be traits that have been indelibly etched into our own persona.
It is a truth that is inescapable. Your heritage, your lineage will have a real and distinct reflection on who you are and what you become. I know there are attributes of our earthly parents that we might never want to reflect, we will spend a great deal of effort and energy in order to overcome those things. But there will always be a “birthmark” of sorts that link us back to the one to whom we belong.
And John is describing here for us this same sort of connection – but on a grander, more significant scale. If you recall the past few weeks you will remember that John has refereed to this church as “little children.” Over and over again he has called the Believer – children. But in chapter 3 verses 1-3 he does something unique, it is no longer “MY CHILDREN,” – He refers to “we” and “us.” He says that WE (himself included) are children of God. And he goes on further to say that since we are children of God there are certain marks that must begin to exhibit themselves as we take on the likeness of our Father.
You need to understand that if you are a Believer – then what John describes here is not some futuristic adoption process, but that it is only because of God’s unearthly, unequaled, unique and unusual love that -
We are not MERELY CALLED children of God, we ARE children of God. (verse 1)
I want you to take a pen and underline the word ARE in your bibles, in verse 1 and in verse 2. Its ok you can. John emphatically repeats this thought. That while you may not fully understand what it means to be a child of God it will not make you any less adopted. Our lack of fully knowing who we are, does not negate what we are, because the adoption is not dependent on us.
I know a young man who through fate was adopted into a particular family. He was raised as their very own, never wondering or being concerned about his first birth. It never occurred to him that he was any less the man’s son as his brother. Even when he found out later in life that he had been adopted it did not change in his mind the fact that he was truly a son to his adoptive father. He knew where he came from but he knew also to whom he belonged. Family, you may remember where you came from, but that does not change the fact that if you are adopted you ARE HIS child. Not “will be” but YOU ARE… if you accepted.
John goes on to say that we really won’t fully understand what that looks like, that is- that the realization won’t happen until we come until we stand face to face with our Father – but in that is the unique fact that -
We ARE and yet we are BECOMING. (verse 2) – Not children but like our Father.
Turn in your bibles to Philippians 1:6 and follow along with me (read 1:6) - What John is saying in verse two is the same thing. When he writes - it has not appeared yet but when He comes we will be just like Him. So while we ARE children we are becoming, being “perfected” as Paul would say, to look like our Heavenly Father.
Being the child, being adopted into God’s family is not dependent upon you. BUT growing and maturing as His child, with Godly attributes (the birthmarks) is something you assist in. And just like the things you do in your physical self will reflect things about your earthly parents and your heritage, as you grow as a Believer you should begin to reflect the attributes of your Heavenly Heritage, your Father’s likeness.
For the Christian life as a Believer is not one that gets adopted and then sits around waiting for God to come perfect you – instead -
We are to be EXPECTANTLY WAITING but ACTIVELY WORKING. (verse 3)
When you realize and remember whose child you are then you will strive to live a life that reflects that very thing. You were not adopted into God’s family to simply sit around and wait for Christ to return. Think on this – if a child was born into a royal heritage they would not live like a pauper. They are going to live like and reflect their royal heritage.
For those who follow English Royalty – Prince William is not Prince William by his doing. Even the fact that he is cute is not his doing. But recently his behavior has been anything but royal. His actions, his life has brought scandal into the royal family. His life is supposed to mark his royal heritage. And if you are a child of God then you have a royal heritage… and your life should show the royal birthmarks.
If you are indeed adopted in God’s family – can you look at your life and say that you are becoming like your Father? John lays out some birthmarks for the believer, signs of a royal heritage.
Why are these important? John has just said that the Christian is on the way to seeing God and being like Him and if a person who knows that God is their Father, they will make all life a preparation to meet Him face to face. Don’t get me wrong here, Christ is not coming back to see if you life was good enough… but you are to live a life marked by your birth until He does come… there is no way of telling what a tree is other than by its fruits, and there is no way of telling what a man is other than by his conduct.
So John says there is -
The ABSENCE of ACTIVE sin -
The word “practices” is very important here. John uses this word repeatedly. Why? Well he has already said (in chapter 1 verse 8) that you all sin and if you say you don’t we are lying to yourself. The fact of the matter is that you will sin.
Anyone who has a child knows that kids are going to get into trouble. It is a fact of natural life. The issue is not will they, it is a matter of will they learn and not repeat it. The same principal applies here. As a child of God you are not perfect – you are forgiven. Now this is not an excuse to run around practicing being forgiven. But that you learn once you’re forgiven to do away with that sin activity. John is not saying that a person who abides in God cannot sin; but he is saying that if you abide in God you cannot continue to be a deliberate sinner. John puts it that your parentage will be known by your practices.
But the absence of the practice is not the only mark – its also
The PRESENCE of a PURIFYING life –
Simply put it is moving from the practice of deliberate sin to the practice of living a right life. One that is pleasing and points to whom your Father is. When you give your life to Christ, you do not suddenly become perfect; the struggle is by no means over (the end result however is won). This is not purifying your life practices to be saved but purifying your life because you are!
But Christianity has always regarded the direction in which a man is facing as more important than the particular stage he has reached – provided you don’t stop on the way. The problem with many of God’s children is they have been to satisfied with saying now that I gave up that practice I will just sit here and wait… but the only way to look like the Father is to live like the Father.
And finally the last birthmark is -
The LIVING of a LOVING nature.
The greatest way you will ever exhibit your heritage as a child of God is they way in which you selflessly love others. The greatest example, really the only example that we have to follow is loving like Christ loved. John’s answer is: "If you want to see what this love is, look at Jesus Christ. (1Jn.3:16)
In other words, the Christian life is the imitation of Christ. "He left us an example that we should follow in his steps" (1Pet.2:21). No one can look at Christ and then say that he does not know what the Christian life is.
Christ is your example of love and your love is your example of Christ…
My Father is rich in houses and lands He holdeth the wealth of the world in His hands! Of rubies and diamonds, of silver and gold, His coffers are full, He has riches untold.
My Father’s own Son, the Savior of men, Once wandered on earth as the poorest of them; But now He is reigning forever on high, And will give me a home in heaven by and by.
I once was an outcast, stranger on earth, A sinner by choice, and an alien by birth; but I’ve been adopted, my name’s written down, An heir to a mansion, a robe and a crown.
I’m a child of the King, a child of the King; With Jesus my Savior, I’m a child of the King.
(Harriet E. Buell)
