1 John 3:16 [16] Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. When I look at this verse, I see three key thoughts within it. First, I see a perception; second, a price; and third, a principle. Allow me to share each of these with you for our devotional thought.  First, we consider the perception in the first phrase. The word “perception” means to be aware of, or to see. We are aware of the love of God, and can see his …

1 John 3:15 [15] Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him. I would like for us to reflect on the first word of our verse. This is a word that reaches all four corners of the globe, and includes each individual soul. The word “whosoever” is a wonderful word when placed in verses like John 5:24 or Romans 10:13. However, when placed in this particular verse, it does not speak of the positive for man, but rather the evil.  I would call the “whosoever” in this verse a …

1 John 3:14 [14] We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death. A great study through I John would be to research all of the verses that reveal the marks of genuine salvation. After all, that is the reason John is writing this epistle. Perhaps we will begin that study when we complete this devotional book. Here is one verse that marks true salvation in the life of a believer. A true child of God will love the brethren. This is not a love …

1 John 3:13 [13] Marvel not, my brethren, if the world hate you.  I like the fact that this is a small verse with so much to say. John begins by saying, “marvel not”. In plain Georgia language, that means do not be surprised. Does it ever surprise you to see what surprises many Christians today?  This verse has one of those kind of surprises in it.  John is speaking to saved people, and tells them not to be surprised if the world hates Christians. This makes perfectly good sense, seeing that the world is the enemy of God. The …

1 John 3:12 [12] Not as Cain, who was of that wicked one, and slew his brother. And wherefore slew he him? Because his own works were evil, and his brother’s righteous.  Have you ever wondered why Cain slew his brother? Abel had never attempted to hurt Cain, or do him wrong. He was no threat to him. In fact, Abel loved Cain. The two of them had grown up, played, worked and worshipped God together. They shared many precious memories with each other. Then one day it was all destroyed in a field, when Cain slew Abel with a …

1 John 3:11 [11] For this is the message that ye heard from the beginning, that we should love one another. The admonishment in our text is to love one another. How much better would our world be today if believers practiced this verse daily? When I look at this verse, I see three reasons why we should love one another. Allow me to share them with you briefly.  The first reason is, because this is the message. This is what our verse says to each one of us. This is not John’s message, but this is God’s message. Every …

1 John 3:10 [10] In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother. Our text teaches us that there is a clear distinction between the children of God, and the children of the devil. One of the biggest lies the devil ever told, was that we are all God’s children. That is not what the Bible says about being a child of God. We do not become a child of God until we are born again. If you are wondering …

1 John 3:9 [9] Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God. Every time I read this verse, I think of the beloved evangelist who preached a revival at our church on our position verses our condition. We know that John is not teaching sinless perfection, because in chapter one and verse nine, he tells us what a Christian is to do when they sin. John understands that our position cannot change, but our condition is always changing. Our position depends upon Christ, …

1 John 3:8 [8] He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.  I’m reminded of the old song, “Who is on the Lord’s side?” Before salvation, we were not on his side. We were on the wrong side. The side of sin, Satan, death and destruction. We were lost without God, and without hope. Just like our verse declares, we committed sin and were of the devil. Those who are still in sin, and live …

1 John 3:7 [7] Little children, let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous. Children can sometimes be easily deceived because of their lack of knowledge. The same is true about those who are spiritually young in the Lord. John is going to establish a truth that every believer must get a hold of to prevent them from being deceived by false teachers. He wants young believers to realize that we have a belief that behaves.  Find out what someone believes, then you will know how they will behave. There are many …