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1 John 3:8
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6 Whoever abides in Him does not sin. Whoever sins has neither seen Him nor known Him.
7 Little children, let no one deceive you. He who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous.
8 aHe who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, bthat He might destroy the works of the devil.  
9 Whoever has been aborn of God does not sin, for bHis seed remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God.  

The Imperative of Love

10 In this the children of God and the children of the devil are manifest: Whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is he who does not love his brother.
11 For this is the message that you heard from the beginning, athat we should love one another,  
12 not as aCain who was of the wicked one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his works were evil and his brother’s righteous.  
Commentaries:
Forerunner Commentary
What is the Forerunner Commentary?
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What Does 1 John 3:8 Mean?



1 John 3:7-8

This section shows that the Devil is the diabolical source of sin, that God's enmity against Satan is absolute, and that His enmity lies at the heart of His commitment to rescue man from Satan. He is doing it! He will do it! The major battle is already over: Christ defeated Satan. We are part of the mopping up operations, but the war goes on.

God will destroy. "Destroy" does not mean obliterate in the English sense, but it means "to break the power of." As an angelic being, Satan is not going to be destroyed in the way we think of destruction, but his power over mankind is absolutely broken because of what Christ did! He is still alive; He is still working, because God's plan, which we are part of, is being worked out. If we remain faithful, we will be victorious as Christ was.

On the other hand, if we use the English meaning of "destroy," God will destroy what Satan produces. He will destroy the system of this world that is against God. We know that in the Lake of Fire, God will destroy all of mankind that is unrighteous too.

John W. Ritenbaugh
Satan (Part 5)

Related Topics: Christ Defeated Satan | Devil, The | God's Enmity against Satan | Lake of Fire | Lake of Fire and Brimstone | Satan | Satan as Author of Human Sin | Satan as Cause of Human Sin | Satan as Instigator of Sin | Satan as the Source of Sin | Victory over Satan


 
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