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(Photo by Noel Jiménez on Unsplash. Berean Standard Bible.)

Welcome to the Hope Bible School verse-by-verse Bible study of 1 John. This is Jeff M Newman. Get a new lesson every other week on Mondays at 12:00 PM Pacific.

In Lesson 87, we are going to study the first part of 1 John 3:8

Let’s read this part of the verse:

1 John 3:8 The one who practices sin is of the devil…

Let’s go over the definitions of the words.

The one who (3588. ho, hé, to) — is the person being described.

practices (4160. poieó) — Means to do or carry out as a repeated or defining pattern of action.

sin (266. hamartia) — means missing God’s standard or law.

is (1510. eimi) — means to be, expressing identity or condition.

of (1537. ek or ex) — means from, indicating source, origin, or association.

the (3588. ho, hé, to) devil. (1228. diabolos) — means the slanderer, accuser, or destroyer. This is a title for Satan, God’s adversary.

In other words, the person who carries out and practices sin as a repeated and defining pattern of life has an identity that is rooted in the source or association of that behavior. That source is the devil, who is the accuser, the slanderer, the destroyer, and God’s adversary.

Throughout this letter, John presents sharp contrasts between light and darkness, truth and deception, love and hatred. He wants people to understand that genuine fellowship with God results in a transformed life.

In this part of the verse, John speaks about the one who “practices sin.” This refers to an ongoing, habitual pattern of sinfulness. It describes a lifestyle marked by continual rebellion against God’s commandments and a settled practice of disobedience.

John is not speaking about Christians who struggle with sin, hate it, and repent. Believers may fall into sin, but sin does not define their identity or characterize the overall direction of their life. A true believer desires to walk in obedience to God.

Scripture presents two spiritual families: the family of God and the family of the devil. These are revealed by a person’s nature, conduct, and allegiance. Whoever a person continually obeys reveals the kingdom to which they belong.

Sin entered the world in the garden of Eden through Satan’s deception and distortion of God’s Word. In the same way, a person who is “of the devil” rejects God’s truth and embraces lies rather than submitting to God.

A life characterized by continual, unrepentant sin demonstrates a lack of genuine fellowship with Christ and reveals spiritual alignment with the devil. Therefore, a person may outwardly profess faith, yet if their life continually reflects the pattern of the devil, their profession is shown to be false.

Let’s review some verses that support John’s teaching that those who practice sin are of the devil.

In John 8:44 we read about Jesus who was confronting a group of Jews who claimed to know God, but their spiritual condition doesn’t match their profession. Jesus is speaking about a continual rejection of the truth and hatred toward Christ. This shows that they are align