We noted before in this series that the Apostle John seems especially aware of the spiritual warfare we as believers are involved in. We see that again in I John 3
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 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 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.
John is very cut-and-dry, black-and-white, matter-of fact about who we are and how we are to live as Christ-followers. There are two sides in the battle: those who know God and those who do not, those who pursue purity and those who do not; those who practice sin and lawlessness and those who practice righteousness, those who are of the Devil and those who are of the Son of God, those who are God's children and those who are children of the devil. What is John saying here? Notice the one little command John sneaks in here in verse 7: Little children, let no one deceive you. Be who you are, and don't let anyone convince you otherwise. Who is trying to? The devil and his dominion of darkness are trying to convince us that it really doesn't matter, that we are no different, and that the Son has not done what He has done: He came to destroy the works of the devil. He came to wage war on our behalf, and He has won. Let's not live like that's not true. To have spiritual victory, we need to take what Christ has done, who we are and what He has called us to seriously. Don't lose the victory in the mind before the battle cry even goes out.
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