Love One Another God's Way

1 John 3:11-24.

The call to love one another echoes through centuries of Christian teaching, yet it remains one of the most challenging commands for believers to live out authentically.

This isn't the superficial, emotion-driven affection our culture celebrates, but something far deeper—a divine love that flows from God Himself and transforms everything it touches.

In this passage we examine the one critical, distinguishing characteristic of Followers of Christ-

The Love of God radiating from deep within them, outwards to a world lost in a darkness of its own making.

A genuine love that cannot help but produce genuine actions-

All grounded in the ultimate expression of love-

The sacrificial love of Christ for all humanity

Offered to us while we were still lost in our own darkness and depravity.

The Love of God is not just an emotion-

It is action born of our eternal identity as Children of God.

In this first letter of Apostle John, there is a natural break that divides the letter into two parts

And it occurs right here.

From chapter one to chapter three, verse ten, the emphasis is the Light and Truth of God

Starting here at verse eleven, the emphasis shifts to love in the community

The over-all theme sums up Christ’s life and teachings.

As His life exemplified love through His sacrifice

And gives us the road map to follow to love one another

as He loved, and still loves us.

This passage shows us three things about loving God’s way:

The danger of hatred (Cain),

The pattern of sacrificial love (Christ),

The foundation of confident, Spirit‑filled obedience

So, We start with-

1- A Tragic Example

1 John 3:11–15 NLT

This is the message you have heard from the beginning: We should love one another. We must not be like Cain, who belonged to the evil one and killed his brother. And why did he kill him? Because Cain had been doing what was evil, and his brother had been doing what was righteous. So don’t be surprised, dear brothers and sisters, if the world hates you. If we love our brothers and sisters who are believers, it proves that we have passed from death to life. But a person who has no love is still dead. Anyone who hates another brother or sister is really a murderer at heart. And you know that murderers don’t have eternal life within them.

Genesis 4 tells a powerful story of the destructive impulses of humanity, driven by self pride and envy.

The story of Cain and Abel is well known in the first century Christian community

Referenced in Matthew and Luke as well as Hebrews and Jude.

John starts with a reference to-

1 John 3:10 NLT

So now we can tell who are children of God and who are children of the devil. Anyone who does not live righteously and does not love other believers does not belong to God.

This is the message heard from the beginning-

A message that has transcended time

We should love one another.

John is clear in stating that Cain was acting of his own selfish desires.

If not directly influenced by Satan, Cain is certainly being inspired by Satan.

Corrupted emotions of jealousy and bitterness lead Cain to his destructive behavior

In a nutshell, we see that Abel’s sacrifice was pleasing to God and Cain’s was not.

The contrast between Light and dark cannot be overstated here.

If you live in God’s light and love, you will expose what is dark.

That often provokes hatred or resistance from the world

Cain’s response to rejection is hatred leading to death

Abel’s sacrifice was accepted and that reflects the Love of God that brings us Life.

John echoes the Sermon on the Mount (Jesus teaching)

Matthew 5:21–22 ESV

“You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.’ But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother (Raca, in Aramaic) will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire.

The point here is-

Hate → devaluing a person → in God’s eyes, you’ve already crossed into murder in the heart.

But here's the hope—the opposite is equally true.

Those who demonstrate godly love, who freely forgive without expectations,

who genuinely value their neighbors, bring life, healing, and goodness to everyone around them.

These are nothing less than divine qualities at work in genuine followers of Christ.

Christ is our ultimate example, and we are encouraged to search out our own hearts-

Checking for any part of bitterness or hatred that might be holding us back from the blessing that God has for us.

Real love, defined by God’s standards, is a vital key to our identity as true Christian believers.

So if Cain is the bad example- There has to be a good example, right?

Let’s explore that some more...

2-Grace in Action

1 John 3:16–18 NLT

We know what real love is because Jesus gave up his life for us. So we also ought to give up our lives for our brothers and sisters. If someone has enough money to live well and sees a brother or sister in need but shows no compassion—how can God’s love be in that person? Dear children, let’s not merely say that we love each other; let us show the truth by our actions.

John uses Christ to make his case in point.

The Life, Ministry, Sacrificial Death, Resurrection and continued Divine Intercession for us

Is our model to follow.

We ought to be the same self-sacrificing example to our neighborhoods and communities around us.

In verse 17, John shifts the paradigm slightly

Has enough money’ literally means ‘has this world’s goods’—possessions, resources.

‘Life’ later is a different word, zoe—God’s kind of life.

When we close our hearts and our wallets, we’re refusing to share the ‘goods’ (bios) God gave us,

And we’re also refusing to share God’s life (zoe) with others.

Worldly possessions can interfere with Godly living and Godly generosity

God’s Son possessed so much more than we could ever imagine-

Yet He didn’t selfishly hoard it to Himself.

But gave the totality of Himself, voluntarily for all of humanity.

This brings us to John’s second point -

As Paul puts it in

Philippians 2:5–8 NLT

You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form, he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross.

One chapter over in 1 John 4,, the Apostle expounds on what he wrote in his Gospel

John 3:16 NLT

“For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.

1 John 4:9–10 NLT

God showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him. This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.

Our God is a caring God

And loving-Kindness, (Hesed) Lloyds favorite word-

Is a primary characteristic of the God of the covenant.

In His life, Jesus taught us about loving God's way through the parable of the Good Samaritan.

The Samaritan, often despised by the Jews, demonstrated love by helping a wounded traveler who was disregarded by others.

Jesus challenged societal norms by showing that love transcends boundaries of race, religion, and social standing.

This biblical account highlights that loving God's way means extending compassion and mercy to all, especially those considered outsiders.

Reflecting on the early church in Acts, we notice a community marked by radical love.

Believers shared their possessions and cared for one another's needs. This demonstration of love wasn’t just a moral obligation; it was a reflection of the love Christ showed.

Their unity and sacrificial love for each other served as a powerful witness to the world.

This historical moment teaches us that loving God's way is fundamentally about living in community and serving one another selflessly.

John reminds his audience that Love that doesnt motivate us to benefit our fellow man is nothing but religious rhetoric

John was eager to see it in his own community

And we strive for it today-

For the Church to show VISIBLE signs of love and

Acts of love and sacrifice-

Let me show you what this can look like in very ordinary ways among us-

Like the thirty+ guys that came for the Men’s Breakfast recently.

Or the many that gave our church building a Spring cleaning and sprucing up around the grounds.

From trimming trees, to spreading mulch...

To a good deep clean of the inside

Including one individual who got so enthused by his work,

He changed out all six light bulbs in the two front porch lights when only two of the bulbs were burnt out...

These may seem small, but they’re real, visible, actionable expressions of God’s love, not just words

As one lady so eloquently put it, “It is an HONOR to clean our church AND to come along side our brothers and sisters in Christ, too”

Let's not merely say we love each other. Let's show the truth by our actions.

The world is watching, waiting to see if our faith produces visible signs of love and sacrifice.

When believers gather to serve, clean, encourage, and support one another—not to impress God, but because He first loved us—the gospel becomes tangible.

This is the message heard from the beginning: we should love one another.

Not with Cain's jealous heart, but with Christ's sacrificial love.

Not with empty words, but with concrete actions.

Not in our own strength, but through the Holy Spirit living within us.

The question isn't whether we understand this command.

The question is whether we'll live it out, becoming known in our communities not just as theological guardians, but as true lovers of the unlovable.

That's when the world will know we belong to Christ.

In your home, consider how you might show love the way God does—unconditionally.

If you’re feeling frustrated with a family member who seems unreachable, take a moment to pray for them, asking God to show you their heart.

Speak words of encouragement instead of Criticism

This is what loving God’s way looks like at home

At work, you may encounter colleagues who are difficult to love. Perhaps there's someone who never seems to pull their weight, leading to resentment in the team.

Offer to help them with their tasks or share resources that can assist them.

By treating them with kindness and respect, you reflect God’s love,

This is loving God’s way in the workplace.

3- A Firm Foundation

1 John 3:19–24 NLT

Our actions will show that we belong to the truth, so we will be confident when we stand before God. Even if we feel guilty, God is greater than our feelings, and he knows everything. Dear friends, if we don’t feel guilty, we can come to God with bold confidence. And we will receive from him whatever we ask because we obey him and do the things that please him. And this is his commandment: We must believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and love one another, just as he commanded us. Those who obey God’s commandments remain in fellowship with him, and he with them. And we know he lives in us because the Spirit he gave us lives in us.

Apostle John’s audience had something in common with todays church.

We tend to be fragmented and fragile

Why else are there so many denominations- Just in America?

John stresses that the unity of our actions, gives us confidence in our faith.

John’s church was fragmented and fragile as well.

Religious piety has been weaponized in the church multiple times in the last two millennia.

Which is exactly why we can carry over these last fives verses directly to our generation, today.

These fives verses are Johns directive to church leadership as well as the church body as a whole-

In dealing with how do we Love one another in the church body.

First and foremost:

We must continually remind ourselves that God is in charge AND in control-

We are not.

With that comes the acknowledgement that God is greater then everything else-

So when those moments of self doubt creep in- And they will,

We can lean into the safety of accepting God’s Sovereignty and Authority.

Our actions will show that we belong to the Truth.

Giving us confidence when we stand before God.

Even in moments of self imposed guilt-

And mark this in bold hilites

GOD IS GREATER THEN OUR FEELINGS

He knows everything already

There is no hiding anything from Him.

And where does that guilt and doubt come from?

Who has ever said to themselves-

“Well I dont know if I am really saved...”

What did Satan challenge Adam and Eve in the Garden-

“Did God really say...?

If you have -

Confessed with your mouth and

Believed in your Heart that

Jesus Christ is Lord and Saviour

And you have surrendered your life to Him

You are saved.

The evidence that this faith is real is that it leads you into obedience and love for others.

That’s exactly John’s point in this passage.

So we can approach Him with BOLD confidence

So John says: if your heart condemns you, look to God’s greater knowledge.

Then, once your heart is settled, live a life of obedience and loving action, which further strengthens your confidence

John gives us three anchors for our confidence:

V 23- Believe- We must believe. Have faith in Jesus Christ.

The confidence of our faith transcends any church,

Other believer, or Pastors.

The Words of Holy Scripture must hold more firm then any words of man.

V 22-23, Obey- We must obey, AND do the things that pleases Jesus.

In following Jesus closely...

We commit to doing firm acts of love for one another

That are unmerited acts of kindness.

(Orange Julius in Aberdeen mall sign)

V 24, Depend on the Holy Spirit- The only way to commit to this by submitting to and being filled by the living presence of the Holy Spirit

This moves us from a life trying to “live it right”

To an elevated level of spiritual connection with the triune God.

This does not give us ooky spooky glow in the dark special powers.

John is clear here that Jesus Christ lives within us because the Holy Spirit lives within us.

And our souls can be at rest knowing we are in right fellowship with God the Father.

The Holy Spirit is not some bit player messing with our emotions

His presence in us is the concrete assurance of our faith and the reality of God’s life changing impact on our lives.

In Closing:

We can only love one another God’s way if we:

Look to Christ’s sacrifice,

Open our hands in practical generosity, and

Rest in the Spirit’s presence and assurance

Ask God this week: ‘Who are you calling me to love your way?’—and then act on it.