1 John 3:11-24 Christ Call to Biblical Love vs the Worlds Love of Self.
vs. 11-13 A lesson of love and hate from the History of Cain and Abel.
A Rift in the Family (3:11–17) A recent story in a popular magazine gave some suggestions for “How to Heal a Family Feud.” It was sprinkled with anecdotes of families torn apart by petty squabbles, carefully nursed grudges, perceived and real hurts, and substantial doses of anger. But there were also stories of happy endings as old wounds were healed and divided families were reconciled. The story included practical advice for bringing about such happy endings—prompt action, candidness, clearing the air, moving ahead step by step and so on. It sounds simple enough. Why is it, then, that rifts and feuds in the family we know as the church are so seldom resolved with such clean and happy endings? And, more to the point for our discussion, why is it that John’s own church could not settle its dispute and restore the bonds of fellowship?
To interpret the rift in his church family, the Elder uses the story of the first family and its two sons, Cain and Abel. This story does not have a fairy-tale ending with everyone living happily ever after. But two features of the story make it useful. First, the story of Cain and Abel is not the story of a two-sided feud, like the fabled Hatfields and McCoys, but the account of the evil actions of one brother, Cain. In his evil actions, Cain showed that he was no true brother to Abel. Second, Cain’s evil act created such a great rift in the family that we can longer even speak of a break in the family: it created two entirely separate families.
Typical of the epistle, the contrast between these families is spelled out in absolute terms. Abel represents the children of God, who are characterized by righteousness (v. 12), life (vv. 12–15), love and pity (vv. 13–14, 17), righteous conduct (vv. 16–18) and fellowship (vv. 13–15). Cain represents the children of the devil (v. 10), who are known by evil (v. 12), death and murder (vv. 12–15), hate (vv. 13–14, 17), unrighteous conduct (vv. 16–18) and hostility to the children of God (v. 13). These descriptions do not mean that Abel never did anything wrong or that Cain never did anything right. Rather, John’s dualistic language points both descriptively and prescriptively to the identifying characteristics of those in the light and those in the darkness. John now picks up one of these identifying marks as he speaks of the children of God as those who are to love each other.
Disobeying the message (3:11–13)* The command to love each other is the message you heard from the beginning (compare 2:7, 10). Indeed, it was given by Jesus himself (Jn 13:34; 15:12, 17). But earlier the Elder had summed up “the message we have heard from him” (1:5) as “God is light.” There is clearly a close connection between these statements (Haas 1972:87). For love originates with God. Those who are then born of God and live in the light must and will reflect God’s love to others in the family (2:9–10), just as they reflect his righteousness (3:4 10).
Cain provides a negative example at two points. First, he does not manifest love for his brother, and so shows that he belongs to the world and the sphere of death (3:12–14). But even worse, he is guilty of an act that robbed his brother of life; he is a murderer (v. 15). And although this is a story about two brothers, it is really Jesus, and not Abel, who provides the positive example for the Johannine Christians (v. 16). For where Cain hated, Jesus loved and gave the command to love. Where Cain murdered, Jesus granted fullness of life, for he himself is life (1:2; 3:16; 5:11–12, 20; John 10:10; 11:25; 14:6).
But the secessionists’ actions of false teaching and creating schism in the church mirror those of Cain, not of Jesus. For those who follow them and their teaching leave the sphere of life for the sphere of death (3:14). The Johannine Christians are to be on their guard against those who would rob them of life. But they must also take heed lest in their own actions they fail to live out the love that was commanded and modeled by Jesus himself (compare v. 16).
The Imperative of Love (3:11–17)
Jesus’ followers will be hated by the world because of their righteous conduct. Righteous conduct shows that someone has passed from death into eternal life. Love is defined by Jesus’ self-sacrificial love, which John makes explicit by asserting that love requires one to help a brother in need.