Anyone who has been a Christian for a length of time understands that living the Christian life can be done in one of two ways. We can either live it legalistically or we can live in realistically. Living the Christian life legalistically means we are focused on the law. We might tend to take everything to the nth degree in order to believe that we are doing it right. This tends to cause us to focus on externals. Are we doing this? Are we say that?

Unfortunately, living the Christian life from a legalistic emphasis actually forces us to focus on ourselves and how we feel we are doing. We tend to look at outward expressions and judge our "holiness" based on those things. Of course, God focuses on the heart of the person and He proves this throughout His Word.

Living the Christian life from a realistic viewpoint means we look not at the requirements of the law, but at our relationship with God in Christ. As I focus on my relationship with Him, things should come more naturally to me. Of course, it goes without saying (but probably needs to be said anyway), that if I am basically unaware of what my relationship with Jesus actually means based on His Word, I will utterly flounder.

The Word of God is the Guide He has presented to us and the Holy Spirit (for those who are truly saved), are being transformed by His indwelling Presence. We can do this the easy way or the hard way. The easy way of course is to be in the practice of submitting our will to Him so that His will for us will be worked out in and through us. The hard way is where we continue to live the way we want to live, forcing Him to sometimes take drastic measures to bring about the growth He wants and needs to see in each of His children.

The apostle John opens 1 John 3 with by reminding us just how great the Father's love for us is and it is a love we should appreciate and value.

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. And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.

The first three verses above tell us some wonderful things. John says God loves us so much that we, who are truly saved, are called "children of God." He then states that this is the reason the world does not "know" us (or appreciate us, understand, or like us). They don't know (or understand), us because they do not know God and because of that the world thinks we're literally whacked. They laugh at us, shake their heads at us and in some cases, persecute us. This is due to the fact that Satan is the god of this world, allowed to be that god by God Himself, who will one day return physically to this world, judge it and then set up His Millennial Kingdom and rule over it. This will prove that He is the rightful owner of this earth.

The next several verses are a bit confusing to many. I've met some Christians who believe this section teaches that Christians should strive for and can reach a state of sinless perfection here in this life. This is absolutely not true and I believe when viewing things in their context (taking into consideration the teaching of the entire Bible), it is very difficult if not impossible to come away with this belief. Other Christians throw up their hands in frustration asking, well who can actually live the Christian life?!

Everyone who makes a practice of sinning also practices lawlessness; sin is lawlessness. 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.

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. By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother.