He
who sins is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. To this end the Son of God was revealed: that he might destroy the works of the devil.
1 John 3:8
1 John 3 [1.] See how great a love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God! For this cause the world doesn’t know us, because it didn’t know him. Beloved, now we are children of God, and it is not yet revealed what we will be. But we know that, when he is revealed, we will be like him; for we will see him just as he is.
1 John 3 [7.] Little children, let no one lead you astray. He who does righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous. He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. To this end the Son of God was revealed: that he might destroy the works of the devil. Whoever is born of God doesn’t commit sin, because his seed remains in him; and he can’t sin, because he is born of God.
1 John 3 [10.] In this the children of God are revealed, and the children of the devil. Whoever doesn’t do righteousness is not of God, neither is he who doesn’t love his brother.
Meaning:
1 John 3:8 contains one of the clearest statements in the Bible about why Jesus came: “To this end the Son of God was revealed: that he might destroy the works of the devil.” The apostle John wrote to churches troubled by false teachers who claimed that how a person lived did not matter. John answers that sin belongs to the devil’s side, and that Jesus came to undo the devil’s work.
- He Who Sins Is of the Devil:
“Little children, let no one lead you astray”: John writes as an elderly pastor to believers he loves. Some teachers were saying that spiritual knowledge mattered more than moral behaviour. John insists that a life of continuing, unrepentant sin reveals whose family a person really belongs to. He is not saying that a believer who stumbles is lost; earlier he wrote that “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us the sins” (1 John 1:9). He is describing a settled pattern of life.
- The Devil Has Been Sinning from the Beginning:
“for the devil has been sinning from the beginning”: From the first temptation in Eden, Satan has opposed God and drawn people into rebellion. Jesus said of him, “He was a murderer from the beginning, and doesn’t stand in the truth” (John 8:44). Sin is not merely breaking rules; it is siding with God’s enemy against God’s good purposes.
- The Son of God Was Revealed:
“To this end the Son of God was revealed: that he might destroy the works of the devil”: The word “destroy” means to undo, loosen or break down. Jesus came to dismantle everything Satan had built: lies, guilt, bondage, sickness and death. In the Gospels He cast out demons and described His ministry as binding the strong man and plundering his house (Mark 3:26-27). Peter likewise preached that Jesus went about “healing all who were oppressed by the devil” (Acts 10:38).
The decisive blow came at the cross. There Christ “stripped the principalities and the powers” (Colossians 2:15), and through death He brought “to nothing him who had the power of death, that is, the devil” (Hebrews 2:14-15). John has just said that “he was revealed to take away our sins” (1 John 3:5); taking away sin and destroying the devil’s works belong together.
- Born of God:
The verse that follows explains the result: those who are born of God do not go on living in sin, because God’s life is in them (1 John 3:9). Christ’s victory is not only outside us but within us, as the Spirit gives new desires and power to live righteously.
The Significance of 1 John 3:8 for Believers
- Living on the Winning Side:
Believers need not feel helpless against sin or Satan. “For sin will not have dominion over you” (Romans 6:14). Because Jesus has destroyed the devil’s works, we can resist temptation in His strength and turn quickly to Him when we fall.
- A New Family Likeness:
Children resemble their father. Those born of God are called to show His character in righteousness and love. “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation” (2 Corinthians 5:17).
Cross-References:
Mark 3:27: "But no one can enter into the house of the strong man to plunder, unless he first binds the strong man; and then he will plunder his house." Jesus’ own picture of destroying the devil’s work.
Hebrews 2:14: "that through death he might bring to nothing him who had the power of death, that is, the devil," The cross defeats the devil.
John 8:44: "He was a murderer from the beginning, and doesn’t stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him." Jesus describes the devil’s character from the beginning.
1 John 4:4: "greater is he who is in you than he who is in the world." The believer’s confidence in Christ’s greater power.
Conclusion: 1 John 3:8 teaches that a life given over to sin belongs to the devil’s side, because he has been sinning from the beginning, and that the Son of God came to destroy the devil’s works. Jesus did this through His ministry of deliverance and supremely at the cross. Believers can therefore live with confidence, resisting sin in Christ’s strength and reflecting the family likeness of their heavenly Father.
PIB Scriptures are derived from the World English Bible