Love and Sin

I John 3:1 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.

John has a few main themes in his letter; two of them are brought together here: love and sin.  We are to be overwhelmed by the fact that God loved us while we were yet sinners.  But this not mean God does not care of sin hangs around, and He wants it to matter to us as well.  He goes on to say in no uncertain terms that now that we have become children of God, sin needs to take a hike and get lost out there. It is inconsistent for us to say we are His children and then go on sinning. It really is an either/or proposition. He then goes on and talks more about love. Just as it is inconsistent for us to say we are His and go on sinning, it is a contradiction to say that we love God but fail to love our brothers and sisters in Christ. Sin is out; love is in.  John goes on to summarize this way:

23 And this is his commandment, that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us. 24 Whoever keeps his commandments abides in God, and God in him. And by this we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit whom he has given us.