How does 1 John 3 fit with Paul's writings in Romans and Ephesians?
First John 3 fits with Paul’s writings because both present the same Gospel reality: by believing, a person receives the indwelling Holy Spirit, is placed in Christ, and is called a child of God. Written after Paul’s letters, 1 John 3:1 confirms this assurance of the Father’s love and sonship, even while the world does not know believers.
Les teaches that the test is simple: if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, which is the Holy Spirit, he is not His. If you have the indwelling Holy Spirit, you are in Christ. How do you get the Holy Spirit? By believing the Gospel. When you believe, God does it all—He puts Himself in us, puts us in Him, and gives assurance. Les then takes us back to 1 John chapter 3, verse 1, to show how beautifully it fits with what Paul is writing in Romans and Ephesians. He notes that 1 John was written quite some time after Paul’s letters, which is why it fits so beautifully. In verse 1, John writes to believers: 'Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons, or the children, of God. Therefore the world knoweth us not.' Les asks if we have experienced this—the world not knowing believers, even their own church people.