Little Children, Let No One Deceive You. Whoever Practices Righteousness Is Righteous, as He Is Righteous.

flowchart TD
    A(((Righteousness))):::green
    A ==> B(“None is righteous, no, not one” (Rom. 3:10).):::green
    A ==> C(“Little children, let no one deceive you. Whoever practices righteousness is righteous, as he is righteous” (1Jn. 3:7).):::green
    B -->|<strong>Out of Context</strong>| D(<strong>Heresy of Antinomianism</strong><br>False teachers encourage sin by misrepresenting Scripture: they cite 1Jn. 1:8-10 &lpar;all have sinned&rpar; but deny 1Jn. 3:6-10 &lpar;not all practice sin&rpar;, claiming universal unrighteousness while ignoring the full council of God.):::red
    C -->|<strong>Out of Context</strong>| E(<strong>Heresy of Legalism</strong><br>False teachers who teach that <strong>you must perform</strong> righteousness in order to <strong>earn or merit</strong> salvation.):::red
    B ==>|<strong>In Context</strong>| F(<strong>Christianity</strong><br>No one is righteous enough to earn or merit salvation, but a person who &ldquo;does not practice righteousness is not of God&rdquo; &lpar;1Jn. 3:10&rpar;. Transformation is the evidence of grace received, not the basis of salvation, and not the same as perfection.):::green
    C ==>|<strong>In Context</strong><br>&bull; Jesus was righteous<br>&bull; Noah was righteous&mdash;even before the cross &lpar;Gen. 6:9&rpar;.<br>&bull; Christians who practice righteousness are righteous &lpar;1Jn. 3:7,10&rpar;| F
    D -->|&bull; They don't abide in Christ's teachings because they do not have God &lpar;2Jn. 1:9&rpar;.<br>&bull; They're unregenerate because God's seed is not in them &lpar;1Jn. 3:9&rpar;&mdash;They are not regenerated by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.| G(<strong>Consequence</strong><br>&bull; Children of the Devil &lpar;1Jn.3:4-10&rpar;.<br>&bull; Sons of the evil one &lpar;Matt. 13:36-43 ESV&rpar;.<br>&bull; Slaves of Depravity &lpar;2Pe.2:17-19 LEB&rpar;.):::darkred
    E -->|They confuse justification with the regenerating and sanctifying work of grace, making obedience the ground of acceptance rather than its fruit &lpar;Phil. 3:9&rpar;.| H(<strong>Consequence</strong><br>&bull; Severed from Christ, fallen from grace &lpar;Gal. 5:4&rpar;.):::darkred
    F ==>|Regeneration is effected solely by the power of the Holy Spirit, and its proper evidence appears in the holy fruits of repentance, faith, and newness of life.| I(<strong>Result</strong><br>&bull; Full assurance that we know Christ &lpar;1Jn. 2:3-6&rpar;.<br>&bull; Full assurance of genuine faith &lpar;2Cor. 13:5&rpar;. ):::green
    classDef red stroke:#f00
    classDef green stroke:#0f0
    classDef darkred stroke:#8B0000

Little children, let no one deceive you. Whoever practices righteousness is righteous, as he is righteous (ESV Study Bible, 2008, 1 John 3:7).

Dear children, don’t let anyone deceive you about this: When people do what is right, it shows that they are righteous, even as Christ is righteous (New Living Translation, 2015, 1 John 3:7).

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References

• ESV Study Bible (ESV Text Edition: 2016). (2008). Crossway.
• New Living Translation. (2015). Tyndale House Publishers.

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