1Jn 3:7-3:11 - Righteousness vs. sin

Calvin

3:7: Good works are a necessary evidence of new life. (Gal 5:25 - Our walk must accord with our life.) "For many would gladly persuade themselves that they have this righteousness buried in their hearts, while iniquity evidently occupies their feet, and hands, and tongue, and eyes."
3:8: Likewise, sin is necessarily evidence of the devil's lordship in our lives. There is no middle ground. Either Christ or the devil is in control. The devil was not created as wicked, but became so through defection, now to operate on earth only as God permits, being unwillingly restrained by God's will. Where Johns speaks of birth to God or the devil, he refers not to some imagined equality of power between the two, but only to the trend of one's life. Whereas in Jesus "from the beginning" refers to no point in time, but to His eternal being, in the devil it refers to his having been apostate since creation - he has no eternal nature as a created being. The contrast is between Christ the eternal fount of righteousness and Satan the defected temporal fount of sin, the followers of each identified by their accord to the source they follow. Those who are ruled by sin cannot be of Christ, for where Christ's power is, the Devil is put to flight along with sin.
3:9: We may not be totally free of sin, but we strive wholeheartedly to obey God. This erroneous belief [total, instant freedom] was held by the Pelagians, Catharians, and some Anabaptists. As regeneration is a process, so then is our righteousness, for the one causes the other. Insofar as regeneration has progressed, so far - and only so far - are we made free of sin as the Spirit of God restrains our fleshly lusts. With the Holy Spirit - the seed of God within us - sovereign in us, His power represses and breaks the rule of sin over us. The Holy Spirit's rule in our hearts necessarily keeps us from sin. His continued grace in us gives us 'inflexible perseverance.' This is not an elimination of our free will, but a renewal of it. Just like the rest of ourselves, our free will was corrupted by sin, but is now reborn to righteousness through God's grace, and as such necessarily wills in accord with the Spirit. Good works carry no merit, but are only the outward sign of God's own work within us, which He chooses to count to our credit. The Holy Spirit once imparted, remains. We may - by Satan's efforts against us - hide and stifle it at times, but it remains present, potent, and ready to reassert itself within us. This regenerate nature cannot be inherited, as though the Holy Spirit were passed to us in procreation. This freedom from sin which the Holy Spirit imparts is not a license - a freedom to do as we will, but our protection and restraint. (Jer 31:33 - God's Law is written on our hearts, how can we disobey it and count ourselves His?)
3:10: Our adoption is proved or disproved by our life. Where that life is pious and holy, there is a son of God; where there is no fruit, there is a son of the devil. This is not to say we will be recognized as such (sons of God) in the world for that - as has been said - is reserved for another time.
3:11: To do righteousness is to walk in His commandments 'as far as human weakness will permit.' Whom God calls, He regenerates by His Spirit. As love to brother is one of the primary pair of Laws, it is held forth here as an evidence of adoption, and implies all that pertains to righteousness.

Matthew Henry

3:7-3:10: When told that profession and baptism free us from care and accuracy in our Christian life, beware! He who practices [true] religion is righteous, which practice must have integrity and conscience. The habitual sinner is inspired by the devil, does what is pleasing to the devil, and belongs to the devil's kingdom. This devil is intent on ruining God's works, but the Son of God came in holy war against the works of the devil - coming in the flesh to conquer. Renewal by grace abides. Religion is not an acquired skill, but a new nature. (1Pe 1:23 - we are born of the seed of God's Word.) Having God's renewal within, we cannot sin by habit or desire - only by weakness in temptation. For God's presence reminds us of sin's evil nature and gives us hearts to despise that sin. Where the mind and spirit are turned against the sin the flesh performs, those sins are not held to the account of the person, who will tend to repentance under those circumstances. (Gen 39:9 - "How can I sin against God" is the heart of all Christians.) Those of the devil's seed neglect religion [as the doing of righteousness], and hate their brothers. Where such are in the church, they hate their 'fellow' Christians. Given that, it should be clear that love of our brothers is but an extension of our love for Christ - as we love what He loves.

Adam Clarke

3:7: Both the idea that we cannot be saved from sin in this life, and the idea that sin cannot do any harm to us because of our adoption are deceptions. We are righteous as He is, other than our being limited by nature where He is limitless by essence.
3:8: The devil maintains sin by living in the hearts of his children, as well, leading them astray and convincing them that they cannot be saved from sin in this life. "He knows that if he has a place there throughout life, he will probably have it at death; and, if so, throughout eternity." Christ Jesus came for the very reason that He might loose the bonds of sin, and destroy its power and influence.
3:9: Adam puts forth a tale of Socrates as argument against the process of purification in favor of instant and complete purification.
3:10: Here is the crux of the issue, by which we stand or fall before God, regardless of our doctrines. Those who are God's will do anything they can to comfort and support another human, as God made them all, and all are therefore brothers, and should be loved as such.
3:11: This love we were taught of God from the start. We all depend upon one another, and love makes that dependence pleasant.

Barnes

3:7: There is deception in the belief that man can continue in sinful practices as a child of God. Only the one that leads a righteous life is truly righteous, and such a one knows that his righteousness rests in nothing he is in himself, but only on God's grace. This proof supercedes all claims to justification, all conformance to church order, all zeal for church orthodoxy, all visions, all boastings of peace and joy. (Mt 7:16-23 - the fruits tell of the tree - whether it be good or bad. So our actions tell of our spirit -whether it be good or bad.) Our righteousness is to be like His in kind, if not in degree. The fulness of our righteousness is reserved for that hereafter in which we will have complete freedom from sin.
3:8: Those characterized by a life of sinfulness are the devil's own. Were this to indicate perfect sinlessness as a necessary character of Christianity, even the holiness believers would be eliminated from Christianity's roles by it. However, even a true Christian will resemble Satan and be under his influence when they do sin. So a life of habitual sin is a life habitually under Satan's influence, and thus not under God. The earliest records we have of Satan show him as a sinner - although he was created holy, as were the other angels (Jude 6 - some of the angels left their proper domain, and were thus condemned to darkness.) Satan introduced sin to the world, and has continued to practice it habitually ever since. Those that join him in habitual practice, join him indeed. Christ's incarnation was for the purpose of destroying all the devil's plans for wickedness, and his control over people's hearts. (1Ti 3:16 - He was revealed in the flesh. Mt 8:29 - demons were concerned that He might be coming ahead of schedule, Mk 1:24 - for they were quite aware who He was. Heb 2:14 - In dying, He broke the devil's power of death, freeing us from our due penalty.) If this was Christ's work, how then can a follower of His continue in sin?
3:9: This is a favorite proof-text of the holiness perfectionists. But the implication of the verse, in this case, is not that some attain perfection - if that is how it's to be taken - but, that ALL must be perfect, which is unsupportable from the records of Scripture and from the history of God's people since. Since this cannot be the meaning of the text, it seems clear that John rather speaks of characteristic habit. "...there is something abiding in the heart of the true Christian ... which will prevent his sinning." That something is the seed of grace sown by God in our soul, and watered by the Holy Spirit. (Mt 13:26, Mt 13:37-38 - the one who sows is Christ, the seed is His Word, taking root in the good earth of our souls.) The seed of religion, once planted in the soul, remains there as a vital principle preventing God's child from becoming a habitual sinner, and that seed so continues in the soul that the soul cannot fall away and die. Conversion is permanent. Rather than proving perfection - which none can seriously believe they've attained - the verse shows the permanence of renewal; that one once saved cannot so fall as to be counted with the transgressors once more. God has given us rebirth into real, spiritual life which can never become extinct.
3:10: The test of our true character is whether we live in righteousness, and show love toward our fellows. This love shown is a part of that righteousness that proves our lineage. Only a righteous man can be a true Christian. Brotherly love is an essential of that righteous character. (Jn 13:34-35 - it is, after all, a commandment of our Lord to so love each other; and He Himself points to it as a proof that we are His followers.)
3:11: This is the rule given by Christ from the start (Jn 13:34-35 - the command delivered.)

Wycliffe

3:7-3:8: The peril represented in potential deception is cause for the tenderness of the address. Doing righteousness is a present tense, denoting habit. Deeds of righteousness come from a character of righteousness; which cannot exist apart from regeneration. As with righteousness, so with sin: the wording presents it as a present and habitual act. As such, it, too, comes from character, and that character finds its lineage in the devil. Christ has undone the bonds which held together the devil's works when He died on the cross. Satan is no longer a solid phalanx in his attack on us, but a confused and defeated foe.
3:9-3:11: Rebirth is a past action with continuing [i.e. - permanent] results. Such rebirth cannot be accompanied by a habit of sin - for that would show our lineage to be elsewhere. (Jn 1:13 - believers are born of God, 2Pe 1:4 - and escape the lusts of the world to partake of His divine nature.) 'In this' refers back to the life of victory over sin being previously described. Our lineage can only be one of two possibilities: to God as father, or to the devil as father. There is no third party. Love of our brethren is the highest expression of our righteous character.

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown

3:7: "He who sins is, so far as he sins, 'of the devil.'" The Antinomian deception was an attempt to declare sin 'OK' for the believer. Being righteous comes only by God's justification of us in Christ (Ro 10:3-10 - faith believes in Christ's work, resulting in righteousness.) This justification within, causes a righteous life without. "Works do not justify, but the justified man works." The fruit doesn't make the tree, only shows its nature.
3:8: The sinner is not born of the devil, for the devil has no creative power. He is, however, a son of the devil by imitation and corruption. Satan fell shortly after his creation, bringing in that fall the root of sin. He has continued sinning ever since, and seduces others to join him. Christ was He who bruised and crushed the serpent's head, destroying sin's awful consequences. We cannot do what our Lord came to destroy.
3:9: All reborn of God, having been renewed to a higher nature, cannot but refrain from the habit of sin. Rebirth and sinfulness are mutually exclusive states. God's Word, implanted by the Holy Spirit is a continual source of sanctification for us. We show our regeneration in that we immediately move to be cleansed of any sin which enters by fleshly betrayal. Because our birth is from God - and His seed now remains in us - sin can have no place in us. (Ge 39:9 - How could we sin against God?) God's seed is 'at utter variance with sin,' hates all sin, and desires ever to resist sin. When we do sin, it is due to our own lapse - our failure to be instant with the sword of the Spirit. "Sin is ever active, but no longer reigns." The law of God is the principle we follow, although the old nature rebels. (Jn 8:34 - the sinner is slave to his sin. Ps 18:22-23 - His law is always before us, and we keep ourselves from iniquity. Ps 32:2 - We are blessed when God doesn't consider us guilty, and when we don't deceive ourselves. Ps 119:113 - We hate duplicity, love the Law. Ps 119:176 - We don't forget His commandments.) There is no middle ground between being God's child or Satan's. Brotherly love is the token (not the good works) marking us as God's own.
3:10
3:11: The message is an announcement as of something good; not just a command. The Gospel message is that we love our brethren in Christ, our fellow children, the family of God.

New Thoughts

It is intriguing that where the Pelagian / Clarke view offers a test we are hopelessly unable to pass, the Classical / Barnes view offers re-assurance beyond measure. Not a false hope, but a full understanding of what God has done for us! I am so thankful that my God does not expect the impossible of me (although I ought to expect the impossible of Him), but rather works to enable me to be more than I am. I am thankful that He works in a way that ensures that I'll not forget my need for His cleansing touch on my life. But there is another side to this. God, I'm concerned when I look at my life. I don't see that the fruit of it says much of anything good about my tree, and I beg You to prune away my deadwood; to change my very nature, that I might bear the fruits of righteousness. I know that to some extent I have to recognize that I'll always fall short of the goal of true righteousness, but I also know that this is not a sufficient excuse for my state. Lord, the anger and frustration that dog me each day are not the signs of Your abiding presence. The coldness I often feel toward others is not the love You show and ask me to show. Such things have to make me ask: am I Yours? I know we've met. That is undeniable. I know I've changed in some areas - my interests have largely turned toward a greater understanding of You - but am I truly Yours? I have to believe I am, for Your visitation could not have been fruitless, could it? Yet I seem to myself - never mind others - to be so far from what I ought to be. God, help me for the present to hold to the assurance that Your seed will preserve me; will keep me from falling away. Help me for the present to know if my path is true to Your desire, or if it's only following my own. Help me to know - once more, beyond any possible shadow of turning and doubt - that I am Yours; that You truly are my God; that You truly have called me Your child. I need to know Your touch. I need the sustaining presence of my God with me to face the strains that present themselves these days. Lord, I'm overwhelmed by circumstances - and this ought not to be. So I come to You this morning - this Sunday [2/6/00] - asking for Your touch. I come asking for an undeniable, reconstructing, renewing, life-changing, never-the-same-again visit with my Father today. Change me and I will be changed. Change me from within, burn away the sin, cleanse that which remains, comfort all my pains. Lord, change me. I cannot continue in this state. I cannot go any farther without knowing You are with me. Here and now, I stand with Moses and say "if You won't go with me, I'm not going." I love You, Lord. This much I know. I may not love You well, or even as I ought to, but I love You. I need You. I need Your presence within, I need You reminding me how I ought to be, I need You pointing out the traps and pitfalls before I cheerfully throw myself at them. I need You. Come to me, and let my blind eyes see. Come to me, and set me free! Let Your Spirit cover me.