In 1 John 3:1-31There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews: 2The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him. 3Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. (John 3:1‑3), we have a kind of parenthesis which comes between the close of chapter 2 and chapter 3:4, where the subject of righteousness is treated more fully. John had been exhorting the family of God to abide in Christ that, when He shall appear, those who labored might have confidence and not be ashamed before Him at His coming. “If ye know that He is righteous, ye know that every one that doeth righteousness is born of Him.” Then he pursues the subject of righteousness in the following verses, beginning at verse 4. It is plain in reading from that point that he is occupied with practical righteousness. “Little children, let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as He is righteous.” But then the Spirit of God lets us know that we have no power to be consistent in our relationships, which is the meaning of righteousness, unless we are strengthened by the grace of our God.
I suggest that this is at least one of the motives why the Apostle was inspired, on entering into the subject of righteousness, to make this digression. It is worthy of divine love, and assuredly with the deepest purpose and consideration of us. It is to give us the true spring and power of righteousness. Hence John brings the Father in here. Whenever it is a question of grace, we hear of the Father; where it is a question of righteousness, it is rather the name of God that is used. God has moral claims, and He does not abate these claims in the case of a Christian. On the contrary, responsibility on our part must rise in proportion as He makes known His grace and truth.
But then let us not forget that His grace gives power, a thing righteousness never does. You may have the fullest right to a thing, but that does not guarantee that you will get what you ought to receive; there must be a spring of power enabling the person to meet your demands. So our God does with us. His full intention is to have us according to Christ here, while we wait to be perfectly according to Him in heaven. But in order to accomplish either the one or the other, it must be by the dealings of His grace, and it is in this way that He works. The Father sends His Son that we may see and believe on Him unto life everlasting, and John has such a sense of the efficacy of Christ that, for him, to see Him is to be like Him. If you see Him, says he, as it were, you are sure to follow in His steps. John will not allow that anyone who is unlike Jesus has ever seen Him. Now there is nothing that gives a better idea of the transforming power of Christ than this. John does not admit of a person having seen Jesus without being like Him. This may be hindered by the flesh here, but the day is coming when all hindrances will be gone. We shall see Him perfectly then, and we shall be perfectly like Him when we do.
Adapted from The Bible Treasury