Episode Details

(Photo by Xavier Coiffic 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 93, we are going to study the first part of 1 John 3:10.

Let’s read this part of the verse:

1 John 3:10 By this the children of God are distinguished from the children of the devil: Anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God…

Let’s go over the definitions of the words.

By (1722. en) this (3778. houtos, hauté, touto) — means by this or by means of this.

The (3588. ho, hé, to) children (5043. teknon) of God (2316. theos) — means those born of God.

Are (1510. eimi) distinguished (5318. phaneros) — means are evident, visible, plainly seen, or made manifest.

From the (3588. ho, hé, to) children (5043. teknon) of the (3588. ho, hé, to) devil (1228. diabolos) — means those characterized by the devil. Diabolos means the slanderer or false accuser.

Anyone (3956. pas) who (3588. ho, hé, to) — means each and every one.

Does not practice (4160. poieó) — means does not do, practice, or carry out. In this context, it refers to a habitual pattern of practice.

Righteousness (1343. dikaiosuné) — means what is right and approved by God.

Is (1510. eimi) not (3756. ou, ouk, ouch) — means does not belong to or is not identified with.

Of (1537. ek or ex) God (2316. theos) — means from God, belonging to God, or originating from God.

In other words, by this, the true identity of people is made evident. Those born of God are distinguished by lives that increasingly reflect God, while those characterized by the devil reflect his nature. Everyone who does not habitually practice what is right and approved by God does not belong to God’s family.

There are ultimately two spiritual families: the family of God and the family of the devil. In this verse, John shows us how to identify which family a person belongs to. Our actions provide evidence of our spiritual identity. How we live reveals who we belong to.

There is no middle ground. The children of God are those who have been born again through faith in Jesus Christ. As they mature in Christ, they will increasingly