September 25, 2014
IDENTITY THEFT
1 John 3:1-10
Hailey Williams
Central Truth
My identity is found in Christ alone.
Key Verse | 1 John 3:1
See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him. (1 John 3:1)
1 John 3:1-10
1 See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him. 2 Beloved, we are God's children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears 1 3:2 Or when it appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. 3 And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.
4 Everyone who makes a practice of sinning also practices lawlessness; sin is lawlessness. 5 You know that he appeared in order to take away sins, and in him there is no sin. 6 No one who abides in him keeps on sinning; no one who keeps on sinning has either seen him or known him. 7 Little children, let no one deceive you. Whoever practices righteousness is righteous, as he is righteous. 8 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. 9 No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God's 2 3:9 Greek his seed abides in him; and he cannot keep on sinning, because he has been born of God. 10 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.
Dive Deeper | 1 John 3:1-10
1 John 3:1 has been a favorite verse of mine since hearing it as a teenager. I love to think about the Father "lavishing" love on us, as it says in the NIV. It wasn't until I intentionally read what comes after that verse that I fell more in love with this passage and realized how much it pertains to my life.
I grew up as a perfectionist in an affluent community in Dallas, and therefore my concerns growing up were what clothes I wore, how I performed in school and sports, what boy liked me at the time, and what my physical appearance was like. Those things defined me. Yes, I went to church and youth group (most of the time), but my identity was not rooted in Christ.
I recently learned of how important it is to live in the light and to be open about my sin to show Christ's work in me (John 3:21). This was my first step in understanding that the Lord is where my identity should be and that nothing matters but that I am a child of God! Don't get me wrong, I still struggle with this. I would be a hypocrite if I told you that I find my identity in the Lord 100 percent of the time. I still find my worth in worldly things, but I know where it should be, and my prayer is that the Lord will give me the ability to rest in Him and find my identity in Him alone.
Another central truth in this passage is that Jesus came to take away sins (verse 6). The perfectionist in me struggles with accepting grace. I often find myself feeling shame for my past mistakes. The truth is that Jesus paid the price for those mistakes and removed the power that sin has over me! It's simply up to me to accept that He rescued and cleansed me, and He's done the same for you. There is nothing we can do to make our sins less sinful or to erase them, but Christ came to take away our sins and to call us all children of God! Praise Him!
Discussion Questions
1. Where do you find your identity? Do you find it in things of this world or in Christ?
2. How do you think you can begin to change your focus from the worldly things that dictate your sense of self-worth towards your true identity in the most high God?
3. Do you believe that Christ has cleansed you from the sins you have committed in your life?