I John 3: 4- 24  John talks about the practices of one's life... to practice sin.. or to practice righteousness.. this is what shows the character of our hearts. As God's children, if.. we have come out of the world's ways of doing things.. and are walking according to His Word and will.. the we will have changed our practices.. 

The person who practices sin.. who breaks the Law, who hates his brothers, who delights in doing evil, who ignores those who are suffering, and who refuses to trust in Jesus... this person is "of the devil; for the devil has sinned from the beginning."  John says.. "and the children of the devil are obvious... " 

And.. as Paul wrote.. so were we all.. "And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world , according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest. " ( Eph. 2:1-3)

 Paul goes on to say.. "But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.. " (v4-6) 

John is saying the same thing.. "And you know that He appeared in order to take away sins; and in Him there is no sin. No one who abides in Him sins; no one who sins has seen Him or knows Him."  As we are "made alive" in Christ, we are forever God's children and no longer abide in sin or death.  Hallelujah!

Does that mean that we can't sin.  No.. as John has already covered.. we have not lost our sin nature.. and it does matter how we live.. We are called to righteousness.  We must "practice" righteousness. We need to abide in righteous living.  We are God's children and "His seed abides" in us.  As it is obvious who the children of the devil are.. it is should be obvious who the children of God are.. and again John returns to his theme song.. "we should love one another".   

"We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brethren."  John goes on to remind us that love is not  an emotion.. but an action. "We know love by this, that He laid down His life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren."   Love is proven, not by our words, but by our deeds. "Little children, let us not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and truth." 

John asks his readers to test themselves on this..to examine what's in our hearts...  Does our heart assure us or condemn us? If our heart assures us that we are walking in the ways that please Him, we can have confidence.  But, if our heart condemns us.. ".. we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; " and "if we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness ." 

Father in heaven,  how great is Your love to us! So thankful that You have given us life and forgiveness and righteousness through Jesus Christ the Son.  Continue that work in our hearts that we might live as Christ has shown us.. loving one another in word and deed.  You know our weaknesses and You have given us overcoming power by the blood of the Lamb.  Help us to walk in complete surrender, abiding with You, and becoming all that You have purposed for us to be, in Christ our Lord.  In His Name we ask this, amen.