Children Of God Or Sinners? Understanding 1 John 3:1-9, The World, And Our Future Glory

Many of us grew up hearing, “I’m just a sinner saved by grace.” That sounds humble, but it often leaves our hearts confused. Are we still a sinner at the core, or are we something new in Christ? Why do we still struggle, yet read verses that say a child of God does not keep on sinning?

In 1 John 3:1-9, God gives us a clear, sharp picture of the difference between a sinner who practices sin and a child of God who practices righteousness. This passage deals honestly with sin, but it also lifts our eyes to our true identity, our future glorified body, and the broken system called “the world” that hates that identity.

In this study, we will walk slowly through the text. We will look at some of the original Greek words, what “the world” means as a system ruled by Satan, why sin is lawlessness, what it means to abide in Jesus, and how “we shall be like Him” in glory. If we have ever wondered, “Am I still a sinner, or am I really born of God?”, this passage speaks straight to that question.

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Beholding the Father’s Love: 1 John 3:1-3 in Its Original Context

When we reach chapter 3, John has already laid down strong tests of real faith. In chapters 1 and 2 he talks about:

• Walking in the light, not in darkness
• Confessing sin, not hiding it
• Keeping God’s commands, not shrugging them off
• Loving our brothers and sisters, not hating them

So when we come to 1 John 3, the focus moves even deeper. John now talks about who we are and how we live. Identity and practice. Children of God or ongoing sinner. Walking in righteousness or practicing sin.

He writes:

“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 the world does not know us is that it did not know Him. 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. And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, as He is pure.” (1 John 3:1-3, ESV)

Some key Greek words help us here, but we can keep them simple.

• Agapē (love): this is God’s deep, self-giving love. Not a feeling that comes and goes, but a choice that gives and sacrifices.
• Tekna Theou (children of God): not just “people God is nice to.” This means real children, born of God, belonging to His family.
• Phaneroō (appear): to be revealed, shown openly. Jesus will be fully seen in glory.
• Hagnizō (purify): to make pure, to clean. This is both inner and outer, heart and life.

John does not say, “See what kind of love, that we should be barely tolerated sinners.” He says we are children of God now. That identity is not a future wish. It is a present fact.

“See What Kind of Love”: What It Means to Be Children of God, Not Just Forgiven Sinners

The phrase “what kind of love” is almost like John saying, “What kind of love is this?” It is surprised, amazed language. This love is strange to the human heart, almost foreign.

We were once in Adam, part of a race marked by sin and death. In that old life, we were not just people who made mistakes. We were a sinner at the root, shaped by self and pride.

In Christ, God does more than erase a record. He gives us a new name and a new birth. We move from sinner in Adam to child of God in Jesus. We belong to a different family.

John says, “we are called children of God, and so we are.” God does not just stick a label on us while we stay the same inside. His call creates what it names. When He calls us children, He also makes us children. That is why our new identity explains why the world does not understand us. A sinner fits easily into the world. A child of God does not.

If we want a deeper study on this theme in 1 John, we can look at a fuller commentary like the Enduring Word commentary on 1 John 3. It walks through the same verses with careful detail.

“The World Does Not Know Us”: How Kosmos Points to Satan’s Hostile System

When John says “the world does not know us,” he uses the word kosmos. In many places, kosmos does not mean the physical planet. It points to an ordered system of values, powers, and people in rebellion against God.

In the Gospel of John, we see this clearly:

• John 12:31, 14:30, 16:11 call Satan “the ruler of this world.”
• 2 Corinthians 4:4 calls him “the god of this age” who blinds minds.
• Ephesians 2:2 says we once walked “following the course of this world,” under “the prince of the power of the air.”
• 1 John 5:19 says “the whole world lies in the power of the evil one.”

So “the world” is a spiritual system. It runs on pride, greed, self-will, fear, and the love of human praise. It looks normal to a sinner, but strange to a child of God.

If we want a helpful overview, this article on the world-system and Satan’s rule explains how the New Testament uses kosmos for this hostile order. It reminds us that Satan’s main tool is not always open evil. Often it is a smooth system that keeps God out.

No surprise then, this world did not know Jesus, and it does not know those who belong to Him. Many of us have felt this. We stop living as a practicing sinner, our tastes change, our values change, and people look at us like we have lost our minds. John says that reaction is actually a sign that we are no longer at home in the world system.

He already told us, “Do not love the world or the things in the world” (1 John 2:15-17). A sinner loves that system. A child of God grows loose from it.

“We Shall Be Like Him”: Our Future Glory Shapes How Sinners Are Transformed Now

In verses 2 and 3, John lifts our eyes forward: “When He appears, we shall be like Him, because we shall see Him as He is.”

We are already children, but we are not yet finished. There is a future moment when Jesus will appear in glory, and in that moment, believers will be fully changed. We will be like Him, not as little gods, but as humans fully restored, spirit, soul, and body.

That promise has a present effect. John says, “Everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.” Hope and holiness always travel together. A sinner without hope feels little reason to fight sin. A child of God who knows that glory is coming starts to clean house now.

Later, we will look closely at what Scripture tells us about the glorified body. For now, the key point is simple. Our future with Jesus is so real that it pulls us away from a life of practicing sin. We are not waiting in a gray hallway. We are heading toward a face, and that changes everything.

A classic Greek-focused commentary, like the Expositor’s Greek Testament on 1 John 3, goes deeper into these verbs and nouns if we want to study them further.

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What Is “the World” in the Bible and Why Does It Hate God’s Children?

We have already touched on kosmos as a system. Now we can trace a few key verses that show how this world is ruled by Satan and why it reacts so strongly when a sinner turns into a child of God.

Key Scriptures Where “The World” Is a Satanic System, Not Just Creation

Here are some important passages, with simple notes:

• John 7:7
  Jesus says the world hates Him because He testifies that its works are evil. The system cannot stand honest light.
• John 15:18-19
  Jesus tells His disciples that the world hated Him first. If we belonged to the world, it would love us. Because He chose us out of the world, it hates us.
• John 17:14-16
  In His prayer, Jesus says we are “not of the world” just as He is not. We are still in it, but not from it. Our source changed.
• John 12:31, 14:30, 16:11
  Satan is called “the ruler of this world,” yet he is judged. The cross breaks his claim, even while he still works. A sinner lives under that rule, often without knowing it.
• 2 Corinthians 4:4
  The “god of this age” blinds unbelieving minds so they will not see the light of Christ. This is why arguments alone cannot convert a sinner. Hearts need God’s light.
• Ephesians 2:1-3
  We were dead in sin, walking “according to the course of this world,” under a dark ruler, carrying out the desires of the flesh. That is a picture of a practicing sinner.
• James 4:4
  Friendship with the world is hostility toward God. To love the world system is to stand against God.
• 1 John 2:15-17; 5:19
  The world is full of the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and pride of life. The whole world lies in the evil one.

If we want a more topical overview, this article on “the world system” gives a helpful big-picture summary.

These passages together show us why the world cannot be neutral. It is a spiritual environment that shapes a sinner to stay blind and happy in sin.

Why the World Cannot Recognize Children of God

Paul says in 2 Corinthians 4:3-4 that the Gospel is veiled to those who are perishing because their minds are blinded. In 1 Corinthians 2:14 he says the natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit.

So when God saves a sinner, He is not just smoothing a few rough edges. He is pulling that person out of a whole system, with its own stories, heroes, and idols.

The world measures life by:

• Success that makes self big
• Pleasure that feeds the flesh
• Power that puts others lower
• Identity that centers on self, not God

When someone starts following Jesus, the old pattern breaks. A former sinner chooses purity where the world offers lust. We tell the truth when a lie seems easier. We forgive when revenge feels natural. We give when it would feel safer to keep.

So our co-workers, friends, or even family may feel irritated or confused. They might say, “You used to be fun. What happened?” John gives us the answer: the world does not know us because it did not know Him.

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“We Shall Be Like Him”: The Glorified Body Promised to Overcomers

Now we come back to John’s promise, “We shall be like Him.” That is not just a nice phrase. Scripture gives real detail about the kind of body Jesus received and the kind we will receive.

What the Bible Shows Us About Jesus’ Resurrection Body

The Gospels show us Jesus after His resurrection in simple, concrete scenes:

• Luke 24:36-43
  Jesus appears among the disciples. They are afraid, thinking He is a spirit. He shows His hands and feet and says, “Touch Me and see.” He even eats a piece of fish. His body is real and physical.
• John 20:19-29
  Jesus appears in a locked room. Doors cannot keep Him out, yet He still invites Thomas to touch the wounds in His hands and side. There is both continuity and new power.
• John 21:1-14
  He stands on a shore, cooks breakfast, and talks with His friends. He remembers them, speaks, and restores Peter.

So His resurrection body:

• Can be touched
• Can eat food
• Bears the marks of the cross
• Is not bound by locked doors or distance
• Is fully alive, solid, and glorious

He is not a ghost. He is the same Jesus, yet raised in power. For more reflection, we can read an article like “Meet the Resurrected You” by Desiring God, which compares Jesus’ body with ours to come.

1 Corinthians 15 and Philippians 3: How Our Bodies Will Be Like His

Paul gives the clearest description in 1 Corinthians 15:42-44, 50-54. We can think of it in pairs:

Our Body Now	Our Glorified Body
Perishable	Imperishable
Dishonor	Glory
Weakness	Power
Natural	Spiritual

“Spiritual body” does not mean “not physical.” It means a body fully ruled by the Spirit of God, not by sin or decay. Our current bodies are good, but broken by the fall of Adam and Eve. Our future bodies will be whole.

Philippians 3:20-21 adds that Jesus “will transform our lowly body to be like His glorious body.” That is the same idea John has when he says, “we shall be like Him.”

A helpful summary of these traits can be found in resources like this article on glorified bodies, which gathers many of these verses in one place.

Overcomers, those who stay faithful to Jesus, share this victory. We will not be called a sinner in any sense in that future state. No more sin, no more war inside, no more death.

Overcomers and the Hope That Drives Holy Living Now

In Revelation 2–3, Jesus speaks to churches and keeps using one word: “overcomes.” He makes promises:

• Eating from the tree of life
• Not hurt by the second death
• A new name
• White garments
• Ruling with Him
• Sitting with Him on His throne

Overcomers are not spiritual superstars. They are believers who keep trusting and obeying Jesus, even when it is costly.

John connects this same idea in 1 John 3:3. Those who have the hope of being like Jesus in glory begin to purify themselves now. They do not stay in the pattern of a sinner who makes peace with sin. They fight. They confess. They repent. They get back up.

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Sin as Lawlessness: Understanding 1 John 3:4 and the Origin of Sin

John now turns from our identity and hope back to the hard truth about sin.

“Everyone who makes a practice of sinning also practices lawlessness; sin is lawlessness.” (1 John 3:4)

“Sin Is Lawlessness”: What Hamartia and Anomia Mean in Simple Terms

Two Greek words open this up:

• Hamartia (sin): missing the mark, falling short of what God commands.
• Anomia (lawlessness): living without law, against God’s law, in rebellion.

In this verse, John speaks about “everyone who does sin,” with a present tense verb. He has in mind a pattern, a way of life. So a sinner, in this sense, is someone who keeps practicing sin as their normal path.

We are not talking about a single failure that we later confess. John already said in 1 John 1:9 that believers still need to confess sins and find forgiveness. Here, he draws a line: ongoing practice of sin is lawlessness. It is not a small slip. It is open rebellion.

For a useful study on the phrase “sin is lawlessness,” we can look at this discussion on 1 John 3:4 or a summary like the Enduring Word notes on this verse.

Sin From the Beginning: From the Garden to the Devil’s Rebellion

John later says, “the devil has been sinning from the beginning” (1 John 3:8). Sin did not start with us. It began with a proud creature named Lucifer who refused God’s rule.

Scripture hints at this in passages like Isaiah 14 and Ezekiel 28. These chapters speak about proud kings, but many in the church have seen in them a picture of Satan’s fall: pride, self-exaltation, and rejection of God’s place.

Then in Genesis 3 we see the same pattern in humans:

1. God gives a clear command.
2. The serpent questions God’s word.
3. The woman sees that the fruit looks good and wise.
4. Adam and Eve choose independence and eat.
5. Shame, fear, hiding, and death enter the story.

Lawlessness always follows this pattern. We hear God’s word, doubt it, desire our own way, and disobey. Every sinner walks some form of that path. This is why John uses such strong language. Sin is not just “being human.” It is choosing to live as if God is not King.

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Abiding in Christ: How 1 John 3:5-6 Says We Do Not Keep Living in Sin

John now ties sin to the purpose of Jesus’ coming and to the word “abide.”

“You know that He appeared in order to take away sins, and in Him there is no sin. No one who abides in Him keeps on sinning; no one who keeps on sinning has either seen Him or known Him.” (1 John 3:5-6)

“In Him There Is No Sin”: Why Jesus Came and How He Takes Away Sin

Jesus “appeared” (again, phaneroō) to take away sins. Not just the penalty, but also the power. Scripture shows this in many places:

• John the Baptist calls Jesus “the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29).
• 1 John 2:1-2 says He is our advocate and the atoning sacrifice for our sins.
• 2 Corinthians 5:21 says God made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, so we might become the righteousness of God.

“In Him there is no sin.” He is the only human who never sinned, not even once. So if we say we belong to Him, yet stay in the normal pattern of a sinner, something is off. We are living as if He never came to deal with sin.

John is not saying a believer never stumbles. He is saying someone who remains a practicing sinner, with no real fight, has not truly seen or known Jesus.

For more on how 1 John 3:5 fits in the whole letter, a study like this overview of 1–3 John can be helpful.

What It Means to “Abide” in Christ and Why Abiders Do Not Keep On Sinning

The word for abide is menō. It means remain, stay, live in, make our home. Jesus uses the same word in John 15 when He speaks about the vine and branches.

To abide in Christ is to keep:

• Trusting Him
• Obeying His word
• Walking in His presence
• Relying on His Spirit

John again uses present tense verbs: “keeps on sinning.” A person who lives in a settled pattern of sin shows that they do not live in Jesus.

So we can ask hard but healthy questions:

• Am I a sinner who practices sin and only uses religious words as a cover?
• Or am I a child of God who practices righteousness, but sometimes stumbles and then runs back to Jesus?

Abiding does not mean we never fail. It means that when we fail, we do not stay there. We confess, repent, and keep walking.

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Righteous Practice vs Practicing Sin: 1 John 3:7-9 and the Mark of a Sinner

Now we reach the heart of John’s contrast between the practicing sinner and the practicing righteous person.

“Little children, let no one deceive you. Whoever practices righteousness is righteous, as He is righteous. Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning… No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God’s seed abides in him; he cannot keep on sinning, because he has been born of God.” (1 John 3:7-9)

“Let No One Deceive You”: Who Really Is Righteous in God’s Eyes

John knows how easy it is to be fooled. We can say we believe in Jesus and still live like a normal sinner. We can know the right words and yet ignore the way we live.

He writes, “Let no one deceive you.” The test is simple: “Whoever practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous.”

This does not mean we earn salvation. It means that when we are born of God, a new pattern starts. Our lives begin to look more like Jesus. 1 John 2:29 says, “everyone who practices righteousness has been born of Him.”

So if a person calls themselves a Christian but continues in open, unrepentant sin, they are either deceived or trying to deceive others. John invites us to let actions speak louder than labels.

For a deeper look at 1 John 3:9, this detailed commentary explains how the Greek verbs show an ongoing practice, not a one-time act.

“Of the Devil” or “Born of God”: Two Spiritual Families With Two Ways of Life

John uses strong family language:

• “Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil”
• “No one born of God makes a practice of sinning”

To be “of the devil” is to share his pattern of rebellion. Jesus told some religious leaders in John 8:34-44 that they were of their father the devil because they wanted to do his desires.

To be “born of God” is to receive God’s life inside us. John speaks of “God’s seed” remaining in the believer. That picture means God has planted His own life, His Spirit, in us. A new nature grows.

Paul says the same thing in different words:

• In Romans 6:1-14 we died to sin with Christ and now walk in newness of life. A sinner is no longer our only identity.
• In Galatians 5:19-24 he contrasts “the works of the flesh” with “the fruit of the Spirit.” The two lists show two ways of life.

We can sum it up this way:

Family	Source	Normal Practice
Of the devil	Old nature, flesh	Practicing sin
Born of God	New nature, Spirit	Practicing righteousness

John is not teaching sinless perfection here. He has already spoken of confession and cleansing in 1 John 1:9. He is drawing a line between a life ruled by sin and a life ruled by God.

How to Know if We Are Still Sinners or Truly Children of God

John’s letter gives us honest questions to ask ourselves:

• Do we confess our sins and agree with God about them (1 John 1:9)?
• Do we keep His commands, or do we shrug them off (1 John 2:3-4)?
• Do we love our brothers and sisters, or do we live in hate and bitterness (1 John 3:14)?
• Do we practice righteousness, or do we practice sin (1 John 3:7-9)?

Assurance does not rest on a memory of a past prayer alone. It rests on a present faith that clings to Jesus and a present pattern that shows we are not a practicing sinner anymore.

The hope of the Gospel is simple and strong. Any sinner can turn to Jesus, be born of God, receive a new heart, and begin a new life of righteousness by His power.

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Living As Children Of God In A World That Does Not Know Us

We started with confusion: are we still just a sinner, or are we something new? In 1 John 3:1-9, God gives us clarity.

We have seen that:

• “The world” is a fallen system under Satan, shaping a sinner to stay blind and proud.
• God’s love makes us children of God now, not only forgiven sinners, but adopted sons and daughters.
• We are promised that we shall be like Him, sharing in a glorified body like Jesus, free from sin and death.
• Sin is lawlessness, a deep rebellion that began with the devil and showed up in the garden.
• To abide in Christ means to stay in Him, and those who abide do not keep living as practicing sinners.
• There are two ways of life: practicing sin as a sinner, or practicing righteousness as one born of God.

We will still stumble, but we do not settle into sin as home. We do not accept the old label as our deepest truth. Our deepest name is “child of God,” and that identity reshapes our desires, choices, and future.

If we feel pulled back into old habits, we can return again to this chapter. Let it remind us who rules the world system, who lives in us, and who we will be when we see Jesus face to face.

Let us turn from sin, trust Jesus, abide in Him, and walk as true children of God in a world that does not know us, but a Father who knows us fully. That is the hope that carries every former sinner into eternal joy.