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.
For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil: John is determined to keep the physical coming of our Lord into this world before his readers so that he might answer the ridiculous claims of the false teachers who denied the appearing of the Son of God in human flesh. The Son of God was "manifested," or made visible, for a definite purpose. "Destroy" is luse, from luo, "to loosen, dissolve, sever, break, demolish" (Vine 302). "The works of the devil" has reference to all the evil accomplishments that the devil has wrought in his efforts to defeat God’s purpose for the human race. Vincent quotes Westcott: