Character Witness: Love One Another!

Introduction

The Apostle John reiterates a command given by Jesus: "love one another." What does it mean to love one another in this context? How should we express our love for one another in truth? And who, specifically, are we commanded to love in this passage? My purpose today is to exegete the Scripture to answer these simple but tough questions by breaking it down into three sections: The message, demonstration of love, and actions and truth.

The Message

1 John 3:11–15 ESV

11 For this is the message that you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another. 12 We should not be like Cain, who was of the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own deeds were evil and his brother’s righteous. 13 Do not be surprised, brothers, that the world hates you. 14 We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers. Whoever does not love abides in death. 15 Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.

The message heard from the beginning is to love one another. This is a new commandment given by Jesus during the last meal He had with His disciples before His arrest: John 13:34 “34 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.” This message is given again in John 15:9–17 “9 As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. 10 If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. 11 These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full. 12 “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. 13 Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. 14 You are my friends if you do what I command you. 15 No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you. 16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you. 17 These things I command you, so that you will love one another.” At the end, Jesus states, “These things I command you, SO THAT (reason) you will love one another.” Therefore keeping the commandments of Jesus demonstrates the individual is abiding in His love and demonstrating love towards one another, which includes laying down one’s own life for His (Jesus) FRIEND’s. I stress Jesus’ friends because those that keep His commandments are considered that (keep that in mind). Yes, here He is speaking to the disciples. However, in Jesus prayer in John 17:26 “26 I made known to them your name, and I will continue to make it known, that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them.”” He prays for the love between He and the Father may be in all those who believe. Furthermore, in 1 John, John is giving the instructions to all who believe in Jesus.

John gives an example of what love is not and that example is Cain. John warns to not be like Cain who was of the evil one and murdered his brother Able because his deeds were evil but his brothers were righteous. In Genesis 4:6–7 “6 The Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry, and why has your face fallen? 7 If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is contrary to you, but you must rule over it.”” God warns Cain about the sin of anger, its desire, and what he must do. However, we know how the story ended. Jesus warns about the same things in Matthew 5:21–22 “21 “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.’ 22 But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire.” To act in such a manner is to act like one who is of the world who follows the patterns of the evil one. As John states, believers have passed from death and into live. Why? Because we love the brothers and whoever does not love abides in death. Therefore, John concludes with this: Everyone who hates his brother or sister is a murderer and no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.

One more note I want to make in this section is this: John makes mention of brother as the object of love in this passage. When I read you the passage out of John 15, Jesus told the disciples to love one another and they are His FRIEND’s if they do what He commanded. When people read this and quote it, they often do so with the understanding Jesus and John is talking about all people as the object of love. Not so. The object of love Jesus and John is talking about when giving this specific command are your fellow believers in Jesus Christ. Those are your brothers and sisters and those are your friends because they are the children of God and friends of Jesus if they do what He commands. Yes, we have the command to love your enemies (the world that hates you) and pray for those who persecute you but this command to love one another is strictly talking about the love between believers in Jesus Christ our LORD. One more additional thought. This is does not include blood relatives. Your relationship to Jesus transcends all other relationships. Let me remind you of a few passages: Matthew 10:34–39 “34 “Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. 35 For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. 36 And a person’s enemies will be those of his own household. 37 Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. 38 And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. 39 Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.” Mark 10:28–31 “28 Peter began to say to him, “See, we have left everything and followed you.” 29 Jesus said, “Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands, for my sake and for the gospel, 30 who will not receive a hundredfold now in this time, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and in the age to come eternal life. 31 But many who are first will be last, and the last first.””

Demonstration of Love

1 John 3:16–18 ESV

16 By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. 17 But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him? 18 Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.

“By this” serves as a sign post or road map to understanding the various topics John presents in this letter. The use of this is to explain what he meant previously.

We know love because of the love demonstrated by Jesus who laid His life down for us. Therefore, we too ought to lay our lives down for our brothers and sisters in Christ. Remember Jesus statement about “Greater love...” in John 15. That is to lay one’s life down for his friends. However, what does it mean to lay one’s life down?

According to this passage, an example of laying one’s life down for his/her brother or sister is providing one’s needs. What are needs? Things that are necessary for life (food, drink, clothing). However, this is more of a warning than anything. “But if” highlights a contrasting action. That action is to have material or world goods and see a fellow believer in need but close his heart against him, how can God’s love abide in him? Think about that for a second. The issue is to the ability to provide but do not because you shut your affections from him. We would say things like, “not caring” or “lack compassion” and that would be right. Many of us see other Christians struggle but make excusing about why we will not meet their NEED. I stress NEED because there is a difference between a NEED and a WANT. John identifies how we are able to discern the difference but before I highlight that I want to us understand laying down our lives may also require us to lay down our life. However, if were to die for love, we do not make the sacrifice for others. We do so for Jesus and Him alone.

Now to the discerning part. How do we determine whether or not our brothers and sisters have a want or need? John statement in verse 18 begins to leads us there. First, he says let us not love in word or talk which means let us not only say the loving things like, “I love him/her/them so much and I pray for (insert name)” or give them words of love and encouragement. Do that along with if you are able to supply their need, act and do so in truth. The discernment regarding the action is guided by truth.

Action and Truth

1 John 3:19–24 ESV

19 By this we shall know that we are of the truth and reassure our heart before him; 20 for whenever our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and he knows everything. 21 Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God; 22 and whatever we ask we receive from him, because we keep his commandments and do what pleases him. 23 And this is his commandment, that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us. 24 Whoever keeps his commandments abides in God, and God in him. And by this we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit whom he has given us.

Again, John uses “By this” as a guide for telling you about “loving one another” in truth. The actions of an individual must be driven by the truth. How are we to know we are of the truth and reassured (convinced) our heart before Him (in His presence) or to say we are acting in truth and convinced in our ways we are abiding in Jesus (same values and actions). John highlight two ways: condemnation and confidence.

First, if our hearts condemn us (convicted), God is greater than our heart and knows everything. This means when we fail to act, we are convicted of our sin by the Holy Spirit who teaches and guides us into all truth. That comes with the understanding that God is greater than our hearts and knows everything. When we fail to act and are convicted, we have a relationship with God where we can confess our sins and ask for help with removing the barriers that keep us from acting in truth. One who acts in truth will act in accordance to God commandments, thus his or heart will not be condemn which means confidence before God or confidence in His presence. This confidence goes back to the understanding that God is greater than our heart and knows everything. Therefore, “whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do what pleases Him.” Again, to ask and receive is predicated on knowing God. To know God, one knows His character and His will. God is not a genie in a bottle.

John makes plain God’s commandment is to believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ (reputation/character) and love one another, just as He has commanded.” Whoever does this abides in God and God in Him. Finally, John states it is by the Spirit to whom Jesus has given us that we know that the Father and the Son abides in us.

Conclusion

The children of God keep His commandments and therefore abide in Him and His love. Although we are taught to love your neighbor, love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you; John states the new commandment of Jesus which is to love one another. This is to love your fellow Christian and to do so sacrificially by being willing to lay down you lives. Anyone who ignores this commandment or any commandment of Jesus abide in death and eternal life is not in them. Although that is a strong statement, it is true. Why? Well as we know the one who abides in the love of the Father and the Son has the Spirit given by Jesus, thus keeps the commandments. And if that person should fail to do so, he or she will feel convicted of their sin, confess it to God, and lean on His power and will to overcome those barriers. The person who abides in death keeps their heart shut to brothers and sisters in Christ, thus looking like the world. Therefore brothers and sisters, consider what has been taught and examine your actions. No longer can we act in ignorance. Let us act in truth by loving one another.