PT-3 "Satan's Children Are indifferent Toward God's Children" (1 John 3:16-18)

 

EVENING SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 1/22/2025 7:39 PM

 

My Worship Time      Focus:  “PT-3 “Satan’s Children Are Indifferent Toward God’s Children”

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                    Reference: 1 John 3:16-18

 

            Message of the verses:  “16 We know love by this, that He laid down His life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. 17 But whoever has the world’s goods, and sees his brother in need and closes his heart against him, how does the love of God abide in him? 18 Little children, let us not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and truth.”

 

            This SD will be a very short one as there is not really a lot left in looking at this section.  Yesterday I finished the SD by talking about the selfish indifferences of unbelievers which stands in sharp contrast to the generous compassionate love that believers exhibit.  Now MacArthur writes “But that is not the case with believers, as John’s closing injunction to his readers indicates: “Little children, let us not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and truth.”  I believe that while listening to MacArthur’s sermon on this section that he brought up the parable of the Good Samaritan who saw a man hurt on the road and after three “religious” types passed him by the Samaritan came and took care of him by taking care of his wounds and then took him to an inn where he paid in advance to have him cared for.  The Samaritan was hated by the Jews, but not by the Lord as he did the right thing.  “It is not enough for an individual merely to profess love for others (which is also true regarding faith; cf. Luke 6:46; James 2:18-26).  The proof that one has genuine love and is a child of God rests not in sentiments but in deeds (cf. Matt. 25:34-40).”

 

            Now MacArthur then sums up what these verses teach us as he writes “But John, therefore, the difference between Satan’s children and God’s children could not be more distinct.  Those who murder, habitually hate, or are chronically self-centered and indifferent to the needs of others do not have eternal life. But those who, as part of their repentance from sin and trust in Christ, have renounced murderous, hateful attitudes and all cold, selfish indifference to the needs of others give evidence that they have been born again.  In place of those sinful traits, Christians manifest genuine love to others, especially fellow believers (Rom 12:10-13; Gal. 6:10), because of the love of God shed abroad in their hearts.  They sincerely obey James’s injunction: ‘Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world’ (James 1:27; cf. 2:8, 15-17).”

 

            “Holy Affections” (1 John 3:19-24) are the next verses that we will be looking at as we continue our study of 1 John.

 

1/22/2025 8:12 PM