Life: Adopted into God’s family

• The Bible Studies for Life lesson for Dec. 6 focuses on 1 John 3:1-10.

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• The Bible Studies for Life lesson for Dec. 6 focuses on 1 John 3:1-10.

“Where do you come from?” That’s a familiar question upon meeting someone. Usually, people hearing the question give the name of their birth city or the place where they where raised, if it differs from their birth city. What about your ancestors? Where were they from? To answer the question, many engage in research of their family tree. Online websites abound with information people can glean to discover their families’ country or countries of origin.

My dad wasn’t interested in having his family tree traced. He knew it would go back through horse thieves and cattle rustlers. As I grew older and learned more about my family, I’ve decided my dad probably was right. We probably do go back to horse thieves and cattle rustlers.

For those who have faith in Jesus Christ, our family tree goes back one generation and no more. God is our Father, and we experience his perfect love in the most wonderful family of all.

In his love, God the Father makes us his children (1 John 3:1-3)

How do we become children of God? The New Testament uses the image of adoption to illustrate how those who put their faith in Jesus Christ become children of God. “The Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship” (Romans 8:15).

As children of God, we experience his love in our lives. God lavishes his love upon us. It’s extravagant, it’s amazing, it’s out of this world! Many people personally have experienced great love in their families. Many others have not had such a loving experience in their homes. John emphasizes God’s love for all of us is over the top. It’s astounding. God took the initiative and called us to be his children. He wanted us in his family.

What does it mean to be a child in God’s family? The answer will come when Jesus appears. Then, we shall see him as he is and have a better understanding as to who we are as his children. As children of God, we want to live for him in purity and holiness.

For most of my dad’s life, he was raised in a home full of love. That was not the case for the first five years of his life. His biological mother died when he was four, and his biological father was abusive. His aunt and uncle then took him to raise as their own. This remarkable couple had two daughters of their own they were raising in the midst of the Great Depression, and they chose to take in my dad and his five siblings. What lavish love.


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In his love, God the Son removes our sin (1 John 3:4-8)

One demonstrable way God shows his love comes through his forgiveness of our sin. Once, we all practiced lawlessness, and God still loved us. He provided a way for us to escape a lifestyle of rebellion against him, a life without God, and an existence without hope.

Living in him means life. We will not rebel against him but relish being with him. Because of his forgiveness, we will want to live a righteous life. Again, how lavish the love the Father has for us. “God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). He saves us, because we cannot save ourselves.

At home, it’s not unusual for me to make a mess in our kitchen. I know if I make a mess, I need to clean it up. Unfortunately, when I spill juice, milk or a soft drink on the floor, I never get it clean enough. I know if I just wipe up the spill, the floor will be sticky. So, I wipe, I spray cleaner, I wipe again. Then, when I walk on that part of the kitchen floor, it’s still sticky. If I repeat the process, it’s still sticky.

For my spills, I need my wife. She wipes up a spill, and the floor isn’t sticky. I don’t understand it. If I do exactly what she does, my cleaning job still results in a sticky floor. Hers always is clean.

For my sin, I need God. I can try to get rid of my sin. I can be good. I can put forth an effort filled with good intentions, but I always fail. God must wipe away my sin. What lavish love.

In his love, God imparts a new nature to his children (1 John 3:9-10)

Verse 9 introduces a difficult passage to interpret. In 1 John 1:8, John states if we claim we are without sin, we are liars. Now, in 1 John 3:9, it says if we are born of God, we will not sin. How can we understand these verses?

The best, although not perfect, answer comes from the translations emphasizing the continuous nature of sinning. The NIV says, “No one who is born of God will continue to sin.” Children of God will not be characterized by a sinful lifestyle. They may sin, but they will not engage in a life of lawlessness.

The point should not be missed. Righteous people are not perfect. They will sin, but their lives may accurately be described as righteous and godly. The key is their consistent relationship with their loving Father who saved them. Because of their relationship, they live a life to please him.

In verse 10, John says distinguishing children of God from children of the devil is obvious. How can people distinguish you as a child of God? What do you think people see in your life that makes you so distinctive?


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