v1: God's love for us is certain; He has bestowed, or lavished, His love on us;

• we are blessed with the abundant love of God;
• we are called children of God;
• we are children of God.

This means that we are strangers in the world, even as Christ was rejected and despised, John 1.10. Christ also predicted these things for us, John 16.1-4.

v2: We look forward to our full inheritance as children of God. We are yet to be fully conformed to Him, 1 Cor 15.51-52; Phil 3.21. The promise of God is that His children will become like His Son, we will become "as He." The emphasis is on being like Christ and being with Christ, rather than the 'location.'

v3: This future hope is a mighty motivation in our lives, encouraging us to purify ourselves. Our hope is in Christ, who will not disappoint. Our future confidence motivates us to live godly today.

v4-9: Rejecting sin – this section does not teach sinless perfection, since that would be inconsistent with 1.8, 10. The references are to habitual or deliberate sins; the NIV seeks to make this clear.

v4: The definition of sin; lawlessness, breaking the law, living outside the restrictions of the law. This is important as the Gnostic error included anti-nomianism. The law of God remains the standard of good and evil; even though we must understand that God expects from His people more than just the absence of explicit wrong-doing. This comment concerns our guilt, which deserves the wrath of God. Sin is not solely something which defiles us, which is John’s context here, but makes us subject to divine wrath. Jesus Christ has dealt with both.

v5: Christ appeared that He might take away our sins. See Heb 9.28, the power of His sacrifice for us. He forgives and cleanses; and this must encourage us to reject sins in our own lives. We are reminded that in Him is no sin. He is utterly perfect, and therefore fully able to bear away our sins.

v6: The clear distinction; either we abide in Him, or we abide in our sins.

v7: The deception of Satan, seeking to lead Christians astray; it does matter how we live; we are made free to do good, not free to sin. Sin is serious; we must be careful not to minimise it or trivialise it. John makes it clear that sin, although serious, can be defeated in our lives.

Again, John makes a sharp distinction, we do what is righteous, or we do what is sinful. The standard of righteous living is the standard of Christ Himself, "just as He is righteous."

v8: We read that Christ the Son of God came to destroy the works of the devil, Heb 2.14. And that includes our sins.

v9: Since His seed is in us, that is, Christ's life, we have new desires to do what is right, and to avoid sin. We become more sensitive to sins in our own lives, and may even feel worse in ourselves. This is addressed in v20-21. The proof of the presence of "God's seed" in us is growing holiness.

v10: A verse linking the two sections; finishing the section about doing right, and beginning the section on love for the brethren.

The children of God and the children of the devil are distinguished in two specific areas;

• we practice righteousness; their works are evil;
• we love the brethren, they hate and murder others.

v11: The message from the beginning, especially through Christ, that we must love each other. We must obey individually and collectively; the command is to all of us.

v12-13: We will experience the hatred of the world, just as Abel had to endure his brother's hatred. Our lifestyles and attitudes will necessarily create antagonism; in Phil 1.28, this is actually a proof of our salvation. We should not be surprised when we suffer persecution. Hatred is something real and powerful. Whilst it is a characteristic of many who do not believe, the enemy can put such thoughts in our hearts.

John is consistent with Peter here, see 1 Pet 4.14-16. Our deeds must be righteous.

v14: "We know," therefore we have hope. John writes to encourage, not to criticise. Children of God have passed from death into life, John 5.24.

v15: See Matt 5.21-22; murder and hatred are, from God's viewpoint, the same.

v16: Christ is our example of how to love; He laid down His life for us. A giving of self for the blessing of others; in this way love is demonstrated in practice. Even in Christ love was more than His words.

v17: Compare Prov 3.27; James 2.15-16. Christ had THAT world's goods, the eternal treasures of Heaven, and He gave them to us, who had nothing. We are therefore commanded to share what we have, both in our knowledge of Christ, and in practical ways.

John uses a unique phrase here. The AV translates it, "he shuts up his heart from him," showing the barrier between the one suffering, and his brother who has wealth to share but lacks sympathy.

This commitment to the physical and material is important: it answers the Gnostic error that matter is evil. It also shows that our love for others has to be manifest in actions, not simply words or thoughts. Christ actually took on human form; he inhabited the physical world.

v18-19: Sharing love in practice, in deed and in truth. This gives us assurance; again John writes to encourage his readers, not to find fault. If any were unwilling to obey, then these same words bring rebuke.

v20: When our conscience does trouble us, and doubts arise, then God brings assurance. Note also our conscience is fallible, and can bring wrong accusations. But God is infallible, and gives assurance.

v21: When our hearts do not condemn us, when we have heard and received God's assurance, then we can pray with confidence.

v22-23: Our obedience brings answered prayer, Ps 66.18; John 7.17; 9.31. We are commanded;

• to do those things that are pleasing in His sight;
• to believe on the Name of His Son Jesus Christ;
• and to love one another.

This verse summarises John's three main points. This is the evidence of true faith. Here is a three-fold cord that cannot be broken.

v24: The Holy Spirit gives us discernment, that we might know truth and error. By Him we actually experience the abiding presence of Christ.