TOUGH LOVE, 7: LOOKS LIKE A PIG, SOUNDS LIKE A PIG & SMELLS LIKE A PIG: IT’S A PIG!

1 John 3:4-10

In a nutshell: Apple trees grow apples. Christians act like Christ. Thistles produce thistles and non believers don’t look like Jesus. How we behave really does matter, because it really does reveal what we believe and who we believe in. Say you’re a Christian? Live like one!

The question of identity – who I am – is a recurring theme in this letter. This is because who we are is hugely important. The point that John makes in this passage is that it is not that hard to work out the identity of those who are following Jesus, nor of those who are following the devil.

Sin matters
John’s message is an offensive one for a culture that does not like the word “sin” and is not even convinced there is “sin” – merely lifestyle choices. Our culture actively tolerates and celebrates sin (and this attitude is too easily brought into the church).

But the reality is that everyone draws a line at which they say, “that is sin.” Everyone has a boundary line in their thinking (be it paedophilia, rape, racism, failing to recycle, or whatever) beyond which they consider behaviour unacceptable. So there is always a line, the question is simply this, Where do you draw it?

For John the answer is found in Jesus. In Jesus sin becomes deeply personal, because in Jesus we see both a God of incredible greatness and power, and also a God intimately enough connected to his creation to care about our sin. In Jesus we come before one who both created the billions of galaxies and their billions of stars, yet one who cares about the thoughts you have and the things that you do.

Sin mattered enough for Jesus to come to destroy it.

Jesus didn’t come merely to teach. He came to go to war against sin. In his own sinless life Jesus waged war against sin, and at the cross we see his destruction of the works of the devil. At the cross the devil was: Driven out [John 12:31-32]; Bound [Luke 11:21-22]; Disarmed [Colossians 2:15]; Hurled down [Rev 12:9].

This means that Christian faith is more like a battleground than a university. We align ourselves with him who came to destroy the works of the devil. We must war against sin. Purity in the church matters. God cares massively about sin: Jesus appeared to take sin away; and he will appear again [3:2] so that we might be like him – pure.

God’s Seed
John says we are “God’s seed” [v9]. In Greek this word is sperma. It is used both for literal seeds and metaphorically for sperm and human children. It is the word used to describe Abraham’s physical and spiritual descendents [John 8:33; Galatians 3:29].

A seed represents new life. It means transformation. The seed that is planted in us when we are born of God is the Holy Spirit, who transforms us.

Often people talk about all humans being “children of God” but this isn’t what John describes. We only become a child of God when we are born of God. Up to that point we are actually children of the devil (or “children of wrath” as Paul puts it in Ephesians 2:3).

We must be born again!

Sinless Seed
John is very clear here: Children of God don’t sin. God’s seed = new life, which means a new nature. Sinning goes against the grain of our new nature. This transformation of our natures was promised in the Old Testament [Ezekiel 36:27] and fulfilled by Jesus [Romans 6:2-4].

Once we have been born of God sinning is incongruous; it is against our natural disposition. To keep on sinning contradicts the purpose of Christ’s appearing. Stopping sinning is evidence that we have seen and known Jesus [v5]. Seeing transforms us: one day we will see Jesus literally [3:2]; now we see him spiritually. Both “seeings” are real, and both are transforming.

When we sin it is evidence that we are not seeing as we should.

John’s special concern is how we treat other believers – other seed. If you sin against your brother you are not at that point seeing God, and failing to love our brothers is failure to love God – which is sin!

What About Ongoing Sin?
While John says in this passage that followers of Jesus will not sin, he has already made it clear that we do all sin [1:8]. This is not a contradiction! What John is emphasising here is our change in orientation – it is no longer easy for us to sin, as it once was.

What then of backsliders? Those people who once gave every appearance of being righteous but now look anything but? My own experience is that often such people live with an awareness of the unnaturalness of what they are doing. Even when they are enjoying their sin they are aware that it is sin.

So how should we treat such people? John is clear – in large measure we have to go on appearance – don’t pretend a pig is a cow! If someone is acting like an unbeliever they have to be treated like one. They need to be brought to repentance, stop sinning, and start living like a child of God.

The seed is meant to produce fruit.


Application Questions
• Why are all human boundary lines which say, “over this line is wrong,” inadequate?
• When has it been hard for you to sin, even though you wanted to?
• What sin has it been hard for you to let go?
• In what way do you need to apply Christ’s destruction of the works of the devil in your life?
• What would it mean for our church to become increasingly fruitful.