1John 3:7 - Ultimate Heavenly Originals

"Little children, let no one be deceiving you.  The [one] doing the righteousness is righteous, just as that One is righteous."

-The sad truth is that little children are easily deceived.  They are naturally trusting.  And John continues to be concerned for his readers, these believers.  He cares about them, with the care of a father.  He is concerned that somehow they may be persuaded to compromise in this area of righteousness, of doing what is right.

-Deception is fundamentally about perverting or otherwise hiding the truth, or some aspect of it.  This is why John has throughout this letter been emphasizing the truth, reminding his readers what they know.  And WHO they know.  They know Him Who IS righteous (3x).  And faithful.  He is pure.  There is no sin in Him.  He is the Holy One.  He is the True Light in Whom there is no darkness whatsoever.  

-And He is the God of love.  Make no mistake, the person who has been accepted by God and made right in His eyes is in fact the one who does what is right.  They are like Him, increasingly so.  They act like their heavenly Father, the One Who so loved them and begat them.  And so, they will love, like their Father, the God of love.  They will love those who are sons and daughters of their Father, their brothers and sister in Christ.  And beyond that, the followers of Jesus the Righteous One (Who lives in them!) will be practicing all other forms of righteousness.  They will pursue this lifestyle of doing (trying to do) what is right.  The doing is not the means to the end - it IS the end.  It is the result, the byproduct, it is the outflow of who they are.  Their deeds reveal their true identity.  So, make no mistake, do not deceive yourselves or let anyone else deceive you into thinking any differently.  The one who is really in right standing in God’s eyes will do what is right, just like Him.  All the time?  Maybe not entirely.  But consistently, and trending upward, for sure.  But "like Him" was the whole idea to begin with.  Image bearers - that was the original intent.  Which means we, God's children, are (becoming) brand new contemporary replicas of the original, ultimate heavenly originals... Truly remarkable!