This week we have
been looking at a section of this letter that has been preserved and recorded
for us in the New Testament of the Bible, called the book of 1 John. Tuesday we
looked on as John wanted followers of Jesus throughout
history to clearly understand that the more that their lives demonstrated a genuine
and authentic relationship and connection with Jesus as a result of how they
loved others as Jesus had loved them, the more that those in the world that
were hostile to Jesus would be hostile to them.
John introduced a
well-known and generally accepted fact for followers of Jesus throughout
history to remind the readers of this letter
throughout history that because the lifestyle we are committed to living
reveals who we are committed and connected to, those who demonstrate a warm
regard and interest in others that is marked by a selflessness in their relationship
with others provide the evidence that are no longer eternally separated from
God as a result of their selfishness and rebellion against God. Instead, their
love for others reveals the reality that they have experienced the
transformational activity of God that has moved them into eternal life in the
relationship and connection with God that they were created for.
By contrast, John explained that the person who does
not live a lifestyle that demonstrates a warm regard and interest in others
that is marked by a selflessness in their relationship with others reveals the
reality that they still remain separated from God as a result of their
rebellion against God. Because, as we discovered last week, the lifestyle we
are committed to living reveals who we are committed and connected to. John
wanted the members of the church at Ephesus, and followers of Jesus throughout
history, to clearly understand that what spills out of our heart produces a
lifestyle that reveals where we are truly at when it comes to whether or not we
have a genuine and authentic relationship and connection with Jesus.
And because of that reality, John introduced another
well-known and generally accepted fact to the readers of his letter throughout
history to make it unmistakably clear that those in the world that are hostile to Jesus and place themselves in
opposition to Jesus would be hostile to those who were committed to live a
lifestyle that demonstrated a genuine and authentic relationship and
connection with Jesus. And it is that hostility to those who were committed to a lifestyle
that demonstrated a genuine and authentic relationship and connection with Jesus
that provided the evidence to reveal the reality that they were still eternally
separated from God as a result being committed to a lifestyle of rebellion against God.
And as John
continued this section of his letter, we see John describe what a lifestyle that
demonstrates a warm regard and interest in others that is marked by a
selflessness in their relationship with others looks like in the day to day
life of a person what has a genuine and authentic relationship and connection
with Jesus. Let’s look at these verses together, beginning in 1
John 3:16-18:
We know
love by this, that He laid down His life for us; and we ought to lay down our
lives for the brethren. 17 But whoever has the world's goods, and
sees his brother in need and closes his heart against him, how does the love of
God abide in him? 18 Little children, let us not love with word or
with tongue, but in deed and truth.
Now when John uses the word know here in verse 16,
this word literally means to arrive at a knowledge of someone or something.
This idea of knowing is the idea of a past experience that has ongoing and
continuing results. John is talking about someone who truly knows what God’s
love is and how God’s love was demonstrated. In addition, when John uses the
word ought, this word means to be under obligation to meet certain moral or
social expectations.
John’s point here is that God’s love was made known
and demonstrated in the most powerful way possible through Jesus willingness to
allow Himself to be treated as though He lived our selfish and sinful lives, so
that God the Father could treat us as though we lived Jesus perfect life. And
Jesus willingness to demonstrate His love for us by allowing Himself to be
treated as though He lived our selfish and sinful lives should have ongoing and
continuing results in the lives of His followers. And that ongoing and
continuing result is that followers of Jesus should live their lives in a way
that is driven by the obligation to lay down their lives for one another.
So John’s command to followers of Jesus throughout
history, if communicated in the language that we use in our culture today,
would sound something like this: Just as Jesus was willing to give up His life
for us in order to demonstrate His love for us, we are under obligation to be
willing to give up our lives for one another as followers of Jesus. John then asks a
rhetorical question to reveal a stark reality: “But whoever has the world's
goods, and sees his brother in need and closes his heart against him, how does
the love of God abide in him?”
Now the reason why this question is rhetorical is
due to the fact that the answer to this question is so obvious that it does not
require an answer. When John uses the phrase “closes his heart” this phrase was
an idiom of the day that meant to shut off the center and seat of one’s
emotions from another. John asked this rhetorical question to reveal the
reality that the person who has the resources needed to maintain a life and
observes another who lacks the resources needed to maintain life and responds
to that need by shutting of their emotions that the need provokes within them,
does not demonstrate the reality that the selfless, other-centered love of
Jesus remains a part of their life.
John here is reminding the readers of this letter
throughout history of the reality that love is a verb. You see, unlike our culture, which views and talks about
love as though it were a noun, the letters that make up the Bible talks about
love as a verb. Here is a clear and simple definition of love that the John is
talking about here: Love is giving someone what they need most when they
deserve it the least. Biblical, selfless, sacrificial, other centered love
actively gives someone what they need the most when they deserve it the least.
And because of that reality, in verse 18, we see
John urge the members of the church at Ephesus, who, as we have seen throughout
this series, were every near and dear to his heart, “Little children, let us
not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and truth.” John here is urging
followers of Jesus throughout history to demonstrate a warm regard and interest
in others that is marked by a selflessness in their relationship with others
not only in what words they spoke to one another. John here is urging followers
of Jesus throughout history to demonstrate a warm regard and interest in others
that is marked by a selflessness in their relationship with others not only in how
they exercised their tongues.
Instead John is urging followers of Jesus throughout
history to demonstrate a warm regard and interest in others that is marked by a
selflessness in their relationship with others in how they exercised their
actions. John is urging followers of Jesus throughout history to demonstrate a warm
regard and interest in others that is marked by a selflessness in their
relationship with others in a way that was in line with the message and teaching
of Jesus that forms the content of the Christian faith and that is to be an
ongoing reality in their life.
And it is here, in
this section of this letter, that we discover a timeless truth when it comes to
connecting in true community. And that timeless truth is this: True connection and community
with God produces a life that loves as Jesus loved. Just as it was for followers
of Jesus in John’s day; just as it has been for followers of Jesus throughout
history, true connection and community with God
produces a life that loves as Jesus loved.
The timeless reality is that because of the
timeless principle that the lifestyle we are committed to living reveals who we
are committed and connected to, those who demonstrate a lifestyle that is
driven by a warm regard and interest in others that is marked by a selflessness
in their relationship with others provide the evidence that they are living in
true connection and communion with God.
By contrast, those who does not live a lifestyle
that demonstrates a warm regard and interest in others that is marked by a
selflessness in their relationship with others reveals the reality that they
still remain separated from God as a result of their rebellion against God. As
followers of Jesus, Jesus willingness to demonstrate His love for us by allowing
Himself to be treated as though He lived our selfish and sinful lives should
have ongoing and continuing results in our lives. And that ongoing and
continuing result is that, as followers of Jesus, we should live our lives in a
way that is driven by the obligation to lay down their lives for one another.
Just as Jesus was willing to give up His life for us in order to demonstrate
His love for us, as followers of Jesus we are under obligation to be willing to
give up our lives for one another.
And the timeless reality is that, as followers of
Jesus, we are to demonstrate a warm regard and interest in others that is
marked by a selflessness in our relationship with others not only in what words
we speak to one another or by how we exercise our tongues. Instead as followers
of Jesus, we are to demonstrate a warm regard and interest in others that is
marked by a selflessness in our relationship with others in how we exercised
our actions. As followers of Jesus, we are to demonstrate
a warm regard and interest in others that is marked by a selflessness in our
relationship with others in a way that was in line with the message and teaching
of Jesus that forms the content of the Christian faith and that is to be an
ongoing reality in our live.
As followers of Jesus, we are to be constantly
reminded of the reality that love is a verb. Unlike our culture, which views and talks about love as
though it were a noun, the letters that make up the Bible talks about love as a
verb. Love is giving someone what they need most when they deserve it the
least. Biblical, selfless, sacrificial, other centered love actively gives
someone what they need the most when they deserve it the least. And the
timeless reality is that true connection and community with
God produces a life that loves as Jesus loved
So here is a question
to consider: What is the lifestyle that you are committed to living producing?
Is the lifestyle that you are committed to living producing love? Hate?
Indifference? What does your life reveal about how you view love? Is love a
noun or a verb in your life?
Because, as we have
discovered, true connection and community with God produces a life that loves
as Jesus loved...
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