Episode Details

(Photo by set.sj 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 89, we are going to study the last part of 1 John 3:8.

Let’s read this part of the verse:

1 John 3:8…This is why the Son of God was revealed, to destroy the works of the devil.

Let’s go over the definitions of the words.

This is why (1519. eis) — means for this purpose.

the (3588. ho, hé, to) Son (5207. huios) of God — means the Son who shares the Father's nature.

was revealed (5319. phaneroó) — means was made known and openly displayed.

to destroy (3089. luó) — means to break, to release, or to loosen.

the (3588. ho, hé, to) works (2041. ergon) — means deeds, actions, and activities.

of the (3588. ho, hé, to) devil (1228. diabolos) — means the slanderer and false accuser.

In other words, the Son of God, who shares the very nature of the Father, was revealed for this purpose: to break apart, undo, and free people from the works of the devil, the slanderer and false accuser.

In Lesson 87, we learned that the one who practices sin is of the devil. This means that when someone continues in sin, they are living under the influence of the devil’s work rather than walking in the life of God.

In Lesson 88, we learned that the devil has been sinning from the beginning. This means that since his rebellion against God, he has continually opposed God and led others into sin.

Today we are going to study how Jesus, the Son of God, was revealed to break apart, undo, and destroy the works of the devil who has been sinning from the beginning and leading others into sin since his rebellion.

We will first look at verses that describe the devil’s works, and then we will review verses that show how Jesus came to destroy those works.

The Devil Challenges God’s Commands

In Genesis 3:4-5, we see the devil challenge what God had commanded Adam and Eve. One of devil’s primary tactics is to question, distort, and contradict God's Word. Rather than encouraging people to trust God, he seeks to create doubt about God's truth and goodness.

Genesis 3:4-5 “You will not surely die,” the serpent told the woman. 5 “For God knows that in the day you eat of it, your eyes will be opened and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

Jesus Overcomes the Devil's Challenges with the Word of God

In Matthew