What defines you? For some families, it’s traditions. For others, it’s personality traits, work ethic, humor, or shared habits. But what defines the family of God?
In this powerful message from 1 John, we’re reminded of one defining truth:
We are born of God.
That’s not just poetic language. It’s identity. It’s transformation. It’s the mark of what Christians truly are.
The Mark of the Family
Josh begins with a funny reflection about his own family traditions and quirks... how every family has markers that shape identity.
Some families are loud. Some feed everyone who walks through the door. Some work hard.
Some laugh loudly. Every family has a way of saying: “This is what we are.”
And John says the same thing about believers.
“See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God. And so we are.”
This is the defining mark of the Christian life: We are children of God.
Christianity Is a Lifelong Transformation
One of the most important ideas in this sermon is that John writes with a sense of timeline.
Not just moments. A whole life.
John says:
"Beloved, we are God’s children now… but what we will be has not yet appeared.”
There’s both a present reality and a future promise.
Right now: We belong to God and we are His children
But one day: We will fully be like Jesus
And that changes how we understand spiritual growth.
Abiding Is Not a Moment
John repeatedly uses the phrase:
“Abide in Him.”
To abide means:
- remain
- dwell
- stay connected
Abiding is not a one-time decision. It’s a lifetime of returning to Jesus again and again.
Some seasons:
- faith feels strong
- obedience comes easier
- love overflows
- Other seasons:
- we struggle
- we fail
- we wander
But the overall direction of the Christian life is growth toward becoming like Christ.
The Hope of Becoming Like Jesus
One of the most encouraging truths in the message is this: God sees the future version of you. The redeemed version. The healed version. The resurrected version.
John writes:
“When He appears we shall be like Him.”
That means your current failures are not the end of the story. If you belong to Jesus, your future is transformation.
What About Sin?
This passage contains some difficult verses.
John says:
“No one who abides in Him keeps on sinning…”
At first glance, that can sound crushing because every Christian still struggles with sin.
However, earlier in the same letter, John already acknowledged believers still sin:
“If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves.”
So what does John mean? He’s talking about the direction of a life. Not perfection but persistence. There’s a difference between failing and repenting or embracing sin and refusing repentance altogether. The Christian life is marked by a growing desire to leave sin behind because we long to become like Jesus.
Born Again Means More Than a Moment
Let me challenge the shallow cultural version of “born again” Christianity that treats salvation as merely praying a prayer once without real transformation.
Biblically, being born again means:
- the Spirit changes you
- your desires begin to change
- your life slowly becomes more like Christ
Not instantly perfect.
But genuinely transformed over time.
Nicodemus and the Invitation to New Life
To explain this, lets look at John 3 and Jesus’ conversation with Nicodemus. Nicodemus comes to Jesus secretly at night, curious but confused.
Jesus tells him:
“You must be born again.”
Nicodemus can only think literally:
“Can a grown man enter his mother’s womb again?”
But Jesus is talking about spiritual rebirth. The Spirit creates new life in people.
And just like wind, you can’t always explain it perfectly but you can see its effects.
The Spirit Changes People
One of the most beautiful parts of the message is the reminder that spiritual transformation is often gradual. There are moments where believers recognize the work of God in each other—not because of appearances or status, but because the Spirit is present.
That’s the mystery of the Christian life.
The Spirit quietly reshapes people from the inside out.
The Family Crest of God’s People
Later in 1 John 5, John weaves together three inseparable realities:
These are kind of like the “family crest” of believers. Not separate virtues. One unified life.
Christians are people who:
- believe in Jesus
- love God and others
- obey God out of love
You cannot separate these things without damaging the whole picture.
Faith That Lives
John’s vision of Christianity is not abstract.
Real faith produces:
- love for people
- desire for holiness
- perseverance through failure
- ongoing transformation
And importantly:
Love for God always includes love for His people. John directly challenges the idea that someone can claim to love God while rejecting His church.
The family of God matters.
Growing Toward Jesus
Josh beautifully explains that believers grow unevenly over time.
Sometimes:
- love grows faster than obedience
- obedience grows faster than understanding
- faith grows while other areas struggle
But over a lifetime, the Spirit continues shaping us.
The goal is not perfection overnight.
The goal is becoming like Jesus.
The Mark of the World vs. the Mark of God
Toward the end of the Bible in Revelation ther is the idea of spiritual “marks.”
The world has its marks:
- selfishness
- rebellion
- pride
But God’s people bear a different mark:
- faithful belief
- loving obedience
- enduring transformation
Final Thought
So what are we?
We are not perfect people.
We are not people who never struggle.
We are not people who always get it right.
We are children of God.
And through the work of the Spirit, we are slowly becoming like Jesus.
