The apostle John has encouraged us to abide in Christ Jesus—which is a continual state of being through faith in Him and His Word. Through abiding in His Word, we shall be confident and not ashamed when He comes in glory—confident that we are His forgiven people and not ashamed because we have confessed our sins to Him who is faithful and just to forgive us. Knowing that Jesus is righteous and holy and pure, having been born of Him, we seek to live in righteousness, holiness, and purity.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, how amazing is God’s love toward us! Think about it. Really think about it. “See what kind of love the Father has given to us… that while we were still sinners Christ died for us… that we should be called children of God.” God the Father gave up His Son… Jesus laid down His life… to redeem us though we haven’t deserved or earned it. God has given us His love so that we are both named and reborn as God’s children.

The world doesn’t know God’s children, because the world didn’t know God’s Son. The world hates God’s children, because the world hated God’s Son. The world mocks and persecutes God’s children, because the world mocked and persecuted God’s Son. Jesus says the world hates you, because He chose you out of the world. So, hatred is to be expected.

And yet, despite the world’s hatred and hostility, you can take comfort, children of God, because you are children of God. Even though you have not seen the fulness of it, even though you may look at yourself in the mirror or consider the sinfulness of your heart, and you may feel like you’re not God’s child, the Lord has declared it and established it in Jesus. And when the Lord returns again in glory, you shall see the full reality of it, because you will be like Him. This promise fills you with a hope in Christ and His Word that purifies you from all sin.

Having been named and reborn as children of God doesn’t give us license to run out and do whatever we want. St. John issues a stern if not distressing message throughout several verses:

“Everyone who makes a practice of sinning also practices lawlessness; sin is lawlessness. You know that he appeared in order to take away sins, and in him there is no sin. No one who abides in him keeps on sinning; no one who keeps on sinning has either seen him or known him. Little children, let no one deceive you. Whoever practices righteousness is righteous, as he is righteous. Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil. No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God’s seed abides in him; and he cannot keep on sinning, because he has been born of God. By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother.”

A person who practices sin, who keeps on sinning, who does not practice righteousness, who does not love his or her brother or sister in Christ does not abide in Jesus, does not know Jesus, is not born of God, and is not of God. A person who does not make a practice of sinning, who practices righteousness, who loves his or her brothers and sisters in Christ abides in Jesus, knows Jesus, is born of God, and is a child of God. Has John gotten your attention?

Sin is not something to treat lightly. It is a very serious offense and crime against God. It is rebellion and sedition against the kingdom of the Creator. Sin is lawlessness—anarchy. Therefore, sin is treason against the King of kings. Treason deserves death. We are all guilty of sin. We all deserve death.

Then who can be saved!?!

“If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us. My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.”

Do you remember that passage from Ash Wednesday? John is not writing that a Christian doesn’t sin. Christians do. John even includes himself as a sinner and confesses that Jesus is the propitiation—the atoning sacrifice—for our sins and the sins of the entire world.

One of the main points of John’s message in tonight’s reading is that a true child of God, one who is in Jesus, knows Jesus, and is born of God does not deny sin and thereby treat sin as if it doesn’t matter, does not continually excuse or justify sin, and does not intentionally make a habit of sinning without care for whether or not it’s rebellion against God. A true child of God, a person who is in Jesus, knows Jesus, and is born of God will still sin in this life. He or she may even commit the same sin repeatedly as he or she struggles against that sin and all sin. And… and that same true child of God will repent of sin, confess his or her sin, want nothing to do with sin, receive and believe the forgiveness of sins through Jesus, and seek to practice righteousness and love his or her brothers and sisters in Christ which flows from the cleansing forgiveness of Christ.

As children of God who abide in Christ, confessing our sins and receiving His gracious forgiveness, we seek to love one another. The greatest fruit of the Spirit is love—from which all else flows. St. John says that, from the beginning, the consistent message of the apostles has been to “love one another.” John and the apostles received that message from Jesus, who said, “Love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

God’s children are not called to hate. Hate is the way of Cain, who refused to believe in Christ Jesus and His Word, which was the reason his sacrifice wasn’t accepted by the Lord. It wasn’t offered in faith. Cain was of the evil one, and in his hatred, he murdered Abel. He murdered his own brother because he didn’t abide in Christ but abided in sin. Abel, on the other hand, abided in Christ so that he was righteous in Christ and his sacrifice was righteous in Christ.

Just as Cain refused to believe, was of the evil one, and hated his believing brother, so the world, which refuses to believe and is of the evil one, also hates you. This is no surprise, because all people are born into this world of the evil one, in sin, hostile to God, and hating God, so the world also hates those who have been born of God, saved from the evil one and saved out of hatred and hostility of God, saved into communion and fellowship with the Father and the Son and Jesus’ Church.

Being God’s children, we don’t hate the world, because our Father doesn’t hate the world but seeks to save it. So, we warn the world of judgment and proclaim forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation in Jesus. Being God’s children, we certainly don’t hate our brothers and sisters in Christ. We love.

Scripture describes love as much more than a feeling. It’s an action. It’s a virtue. It’s a duty. It’s a calling from God. As God’s children, we have a duty—a calling—to love, and that duty—that calling—to love is true freedom from sin. Love is sacrificial service to others.

At least three passages may be helpful in this regard. First, the whole Ten Commandments expand upon the two great commandments of the Bible: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength; and you shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Secondly, Paul writes in Galatians, “For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.” Thirdly, Paul also writes in Philippians, “Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.”

We are expected to fulfill our callings as God’s children, in our homes, and in our communities. We have a duty every moment of our lives as God’s children to be faithful to Him. Husbands and wives have made vows of faithfulness to one another to which they have duties before God. Parents have duties before God toward their children—to raise them in the fear and knowledge of the Lord as good citizens without exasperating them. Children have duties before God toward their parents to honor, serve, obey, love, and cherish them. We have duties before God as a congregation—in service to God and in service to one another. We have duties before God as citizens. And there are many other callings we have through which we love one another.

The capacity to love others does not come from ourselves. Left to ourselves, we would only love ourselves. Rather, we love because we have been loved. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16. A very parallel passage is 1 John 3:16, “By this we know love, that He laid down His life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers.”

How do we even know what love is? Jesus died on the cross for our sins to save us from a hell we have deserved. Jesus’ death on the cross reveals and teaches us what love is. And through faith in Him and His Word, the Holy Spirit fills us with the love of God, so that we can lay down our lives for one another. We ought not use each other in our callings to get what we want or increase our worldly happiness. But we sacrifice out of love for one another. We truly serve one another out of concern for the wellbeing of our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ.

How we love one another is evidence to a world full of hatred and hostility of God that we have passed from death to life, that eternal life abides in us. But that person who defiantly and arrogantly refuses to love, that person who finds love in hatred of his brother, that person who refuses to help a brother and sister in Christ even though the opportunity is there, that person abides in sin and death. By his or her deeds, a lack of God’s love is revealed to the world.

We love one another as Jesus has loved us, and this reassures our heart before God. And yet, “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.” None of us perfectly loves God with our whole heart and none of us perfectly loves our neighbors as ourselves. As God's children, we want to… we strive to… we don’t do it perfectly. We do sin. “Whenever our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and He knows everything.” Therefore, “He is faithful and just to forgive us our sin and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

“If our heart does not condemn us,” if we abide in Christ (and trusting Christ and His Word we do), knowing that Jesus cleanses us of all sin, “we have confidence before God.” Whatever we ask in accordance with His Word and promises we receive. The greatest thing we could ask for is that we cherish His expectations, the things He commands and promises in His Word, that He keep us in faith in His Word and promises, and that, by His Word and promises, He lead us to love one another. To this end, God has given His Spirit who abides in us. Amen.