Love One Another | 1 John pt. 6

When we think of love, we usually consider its dictionary definition as an intense feeling of deep affection. But Jesus' death on the cross redefined how we ought to think of love. It is not just an emotion, but an active demonstration of putting our lives aside to serve others. John illustrates to us why we should love others the way Jesus did and the benefits we receive through Christ in the passage below.

Read 1 John 3:11-24

(v. 11-13) John again brings attention to the Lord's command to love one another, which has been an essential aspect of Christianity from the beginning. In addition, John presents Cain as an example of what NOT to act like as children of God. In Genesis 4, we can see Cain's hatred for his brother, Abel, when God accepts Abel's offering but refuses Cain's. As a result, Cain's anger leads him to murder Abel. The reason for Cain's sinful action is given: Cain's deeds were evil, but Abel's were righteous. This shows us the tendency of the "children of the devil" to hate those who are of God. Knowing this, as followers of Christ, we must be prepared for the world to hate us.

(v. 14-15) Our love for other Christians signifies that we have "passed out of death into life." It is a sign that our faith is genuine, and we can be confident of our salvation in Christ. On the other hand, having hate in our hearts for others blinds us from Christ and ultimately leads to our eternal death. Hatred is the equivalent of murdering a person in our hearts; living with this hatred mindset means we do not have access to eternal life in heaven.

(v. 16-18) The true standard of love was set when Jesus' died on the cross to pave the way for our salvation. He showed us that love was not a feeling but an active demonstration. If we follow Christ's footsteps, we are called to "lay down our lives" for other believers by selflessly putting others first and considering others' interests before our own (Philippians 2:3-4). John also addresses the importance of generosity in living up to this standard of love; we must be quick to offer aid and must not withhold our possessions from those in need. These actions represent our love, which signifies our genuine commitment to Christ. John summarizes these verses with an applicable command: "Let us not love in word or talk but in deed and truth."

(v. 19-22) By demonstrating our love for others, we can assure ourselves that we are of the truth and are living in a way pleasing to God. However, there may be times when our hearts criticize us even when we've done nothing wrong. In these times, we have the privilege of having an omniscient Father because he knows everything. We can compare the feelings of our hearts against God's word to determine how we stand in His eyes. In contrast, when our hearts do not condemn us, we feel confident before God that we are walking in Him. With this heart posture, we can also be sure that God will answer our prayers - not just because of our obedience but because God's will for our lives becomes what we desire.

(v. 23-24) God's commandments to us are to believe in His Son and to love each other, two orders that go hand in hand. Believing in Jesus goes beyond acknowledging His existence; it also means putting our complete faith in Him and trusting that we can receive salvation through Him. If we are to imitate Jesus, we must also imitate His demonstration of love in our own lives. Those who genuinely follow Him have the assurance that Christ abides in them because of the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives.

To summarize, believers are called to love each other even when the world may chastise us for it. Our love signifies our "set apart" nature and displays the sincerity of our faith. By this, we can be confident of our salvation and eternal life in heaven. However, those who have hate in their hearts are murderers in God's eyes and do not have access to God's salvation. In addition, our definition of love was rewritten when Jesus sacrificed himself for our sins. If we are to follow Christ, we must also love others through our actions. This type of love brings us confidence and assurance that we are pleasing God, and we know Christ truly abides in us if we've been given the Holy Spirit to guide us through our lives.

How often do we say the words "I love you" but fail to show our love through our actions? Those words are certainly nice to hear, but do they even mean anything if we can't prove our love for others? It can be difficult to rethink our definition of love when the world is constantly telling us that "love is a feeling." However, John challenges us to go beyond declaring our love to demonstrating our actions through deed and truth. So, I encourage you: next time before you say, "I love you," think of how you can instead show it by putting aside your life to serve the person. It not only shows Christ's love to that person, but also gives us confidence that we are pleasing God and that we can live with Him in heaven for eternity.

- Lena

Sources:

https://www.blueletterbible.org/comm/guzik_david/study-guide/1-john/1-john-3.cfm?a=1162001

https://www.gotquestions.org/Cain-and-Abel.html