Know Your Family

Who We Are

The book of 1 John provides a roadmap for identifying what a real Christian looks like and does. There are distinctive marks of a Christian, just as there are indicators for other identities—a soccer player practices soccer, a painter comes home covered in paint, a mechanic has oily hands.

When people spend time with you, do they quickly recognize you as a follower of Jesus Christ? The term "Christian" originally meant "little Christ" because followers' lifestyles, behaviors, actions, commitments, devotions, beliefs, and practices reminded others of Jesus.

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. 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.

— 1 John 3:1-2

When you become a Christian, you are adopted into God's family and regenerated to become an actual child of God. We are children now, and we will become like Him when He appears. This identity brings privileges, inheritance, and union with Jesus.

John emphasizes this because children of God act completely differently from children of the world—eventually, we will even look different. There is no third group: you are either a child of God or a child of Satan. Children of God practice righteousness; children of Satan do not.

What We Do

Everyone who hopes in Him purifies himself as He is pure.

Everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure. Everyone who makes a practice of sinning also practices lawlessness; sin is lawlessness.

— 1 John 3:3-4

Whoever practices righteousness is righteous, as he is righteous.

— 1 John 3:7

A child of God engages in spiritual purification—an ongoing process of holiness and sanctification. This means actively investigating your behavior to see if it aligns with God's Word, like the Reformers who examined the law not to earn favor, but to honor God and pursue purity.

Purity applies to areas like sexual purity, rejecting worldly views on gender and marriage; abstaining from drunkenness while being filled with the Spirit; evaluating shows, songs, and friendships for their influence. A new creation does not live the same as before—bullying, abuse, or indifference contradict this.

True Christians spend time in prayer, studying God's Word, serving other believers, and loving brothers and sisters in Christ. A person who does not practice righteousness or love their brother reveals they are not of God.

What We Don't Do

No one who abides in him keeps on sinning; no one who keeps on sinning has either seen him or known him. 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. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil. 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.

— 1 John 3:6-9

The key word is "practice"—like practicing a sport or instrument to make it habit and muscle memory. A soccer player practices soccer, not volleyball; a violinist practices violin for hours daily.

Children of God do not practice sinning—they do not make habits of it. Habits form through repetition until they become automatic, like chewing a lip until it bleeds or turning to pornography when bored. Christians break sinful habits and replace them with godly ones: studying Scripture, praying, serving believers, evangelizing.

Repentance means thinking critically about sin until godly actions become habit. Examine your life: how much time do you spend on pure, holy things? Make a practice of righteousness, not sin. This distinguishes children of God from children of the devil.