“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.” (1 John 3:1)

According to what the Apostle John states here, not every human being is a child of God. Only those who have faith in Christ as Savior and Lord are. Such a statement is not bound to go over well in our politically correct culture which demands tolerance of all religions and lifestyles not matter how bizarre or immoral. Our culture teaches, through the media, academia, and community, that everyone of every religion will go to heaven if that is what they believe. Hence these words of John will seem extremely offensive to many, even some Christians.

John also tells us that those who continue to live in and advocate for sinful lifestyles have no fellowship with God, even if they claim to be Christians. This would include many so called righteous people who boast about their good works and their love for others. The fact that they are boasting and/or seeking recognition or fame for what they do shows that they lack the humility of Christ. Often the only reason they do good deeds is to exalt self, to be liked and respected and so no one will notice their “insignificant” faults and “minor” indiscretions. They think that even God won’t mind such flaws because their good so far outweighs their bad.

What John calls sin is not within their vocabulary because it smacks of Christian intolerance for the rights of all people to choose their own lifestyles. The lifestyle the Christian has chosen should bear witness to the truth of the gospel and at the same time convict other people of sin. The Christian should always act with love. Love is a positive regard for other people, not just those who love us, not just our relatives and friends, but our enemies as well. Love is shown by self-sacrifice and taking care of the needs of others. Love does not ignore or whitewash sin but tells others that their sin and unbelief will lead them to hell. Love weeps for those who reject the grace of God in Christ Jesus who demonstrated the epitome of love by dying on the cross. And Jesus will enable us to love as He did.