Christians Live in Fellowship: 1 John 3:1-10. 
Everyone who practices righteousness is born of God.  They live in anticipation of the return of Christ. How thankful that God’s great love brought us into his family! The world does not recognize the children of God because they do not know Christ. When Christ returns we shall be like him in glory because we shall see him as he is. This does not mean we shall look like Christ but we will be morally perfect like him.  Now they are being conformed to the image of Christ. This process will be completed when Christ returns.  Such hope must motivate us to live in purity.  Believers will be recognizable by their own features in heaven. Christian hope is not a wish-full thinking but the confident expectation in the unshakable promises of God. We have this hope because we serve a risen Savior.  False teachers do not have this hope because they do not have the Holy Spirit.  Sin is lawlessness.  Genuine believers do not practice sin because they have a new nature.  Anyone who practices sinning shows that he is still in darkness.  The lifestyle of Christian is different because he has a new nature (2 Corinthians 5:17).  Christ came to take away our sins and to destroy the work of the devil.  God saved us to be conformed to the image of his Son (Romans 8:29).  It does not mean believers never sin again but their life is no longer characterized by sin.  True believers cannot sin habitually because they have a new nature (2 Corinthians 5:17). One day they shall be like Christ.  Such hope should motivate us to live in righteousness.  As God’s children they resemble godly character.

Christians Love One Another: 1 John 3:11-24.  
Christ taught the disciples that they should love one another as He loved them (John 13:34-35).  This sacrificial love is the identifying mark of Christians. Hate is a sure sign that we are still under the control of the Devil. Cain, who was of the evil one, hated his brother and killed him because Abel’s deed was righteous. So do not be surprised if the world hates you. Loving one another is proof that we have passed from death unto life. Everyone who habitually hates his brother is a murderer. Christ is the example of love when he laid down his life for us. We love him because he first loved us. One who has enough material goods and refuses to help his brother in need is not a true believer. Action speaks louder than words. Those who love the brethren will look forward to Christ’s return with confidence. When we confess and forsake our sins, we will have a clear conscience before God.  If we don't feel guilty, we can come to God with confidence.  Also this gives us the confidence to pray according to the will of God. This is the commandment that we must believe in the name of Jesus Christ and love one another. Those who abide in Christ's love will bear much fruit (John 15:5).  Those who obey God’s commandments live in fellowship with him and the Holy Spirit dwells in them (3:24; Romans 8:9). The love generated by the Spirit is the proof of our relationship with God (Romans 8:5-7). The new affection for God’s Word and behavior generated by the Holy Spirit are the evidence of his presence in us.  Do you experience the abiding  and unfailing love of God in you life?  
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