Love One Another I. Base Text: 1 John 3:11-4:21 II. Context A. 1 John 1. 1 John associated with John the Apostle, author of Gospel of John, 2/3 John, Revelation 2. Time is disputed, generally seen either as ca. 61-67 or ca. 85-95 CE; later date more consistent with all evidence 3. It is assumed that John wrote from Ephesus based upon tradition and his activity in that area (cf. Revelation 1:1-3:21) 5. He does not seem to write to any specific congregation; hence 1 John reckoned as one of the "catholic," or universal letters 6. His audience is fellow Christians; intimate language like "my little children" may indicate that he writes to Christians who already know him (1 John 2:1, 5:23) B. John begins by exhorting Christians toward doing Jesus' commandments, walking as He walked (1 John 1:1-2:14) 1. John's authority rooted in his experience with Jesus as Word of Life; writes so all would have association with Apostles, as Apostles have association with God (1 John 1:1-4) 2. God as light, in Him no darkness: hence Christians are to walk in light, confess sin, know God in Christ by doing His commandments, walking as He walked (1 John 1:5-2:6) 3. Christians to follow the "new old" commandment, to love one another as Jesus loved us; John then encourages Christians in different phases of their walk in faith (1 John 2:7-14) C. John continues by warning Christians about the ways of darkness and error and to strengthen them in their standing as God's children (1 John 2:15-3:10) 1. Christians not to love the world, for it is passing away (1 John 2:15-17) 2. Christians warned about antichrists; they were among Christians, have departed; do not believe Jesus is the Christ; Christians have assurance in their anointing, holding firm to what they have heard from the beginning, practicing righteousness (1 John 2:18-29) 3. Christians as children of God, have received great love from Father; those of God in Christ do not sin, while those of the evil one persist in sin and hate their brother (1 John 3:1-10) D. John continues in the theme of love and hate, exhorting Christians to love one another (1 John 3:11-4:21) III. Meaning and Application A. Love and Hate (1 John 3:11-18) 1. In 1 John 3:11-18, John shifts his argument based upon the conclusion of 1 John 3:10, building upon 1 John 2:7-11 and anticipating 1 John 4:7-21 2. John finally spells out the "old commandment" from 1 John 2:7-11 as the message heard from the beginning from 1 John 2:24 in 1 John 3:11: to love one another (cf. Leviticus 19:18, John 13:34) 3. Yet keeping with the theme of 1 John 3:10, John provides the negative example, one of hatred, speaking of Cain (1 John 3:12) a. Cain's offering to God was not accepted; Abel his brother's was; Cain, motivated by anger, kills his brother (Genesis 4:1-8) b. Yet the text there never explicitly explains why his sacrifice was rejected; John here declares it was because he was of the Evil One, his works were evil, and his brother's were righteous (1 John 3:12) 4. John then reveals his purpose in this exercise: Christians are not to marvel if the world hates them (1 John 3:13) a. Grounded in 1 John 2:15-17: if the world and the Father are at such odds, it makes sense for the world to be against God and His purposes b. Expected by Jesus in Matthew 10:21-26, John 15:18-19, 33; demonstrated in John 8:34-47 c. It should not come as a surprise to Christians that they will suffer in the world, and that the forces of the world should oppose them strongly (cf. 1 Peter 4:12-16) 5. John then provides another form of assurance for Christians, condemnation of the antichrists: loving the brethren, for those who do not love abide in death, are murderers, and do not have eternal life abiding in them; yet we know love through Jesus, who sacrificed Himself for us, and we should prove willing to lay down our lives for Christians (1 John 3:14-16) a. John makes a strong identification here: those who do not love are guilty of hate, and that hate means they are murderers! b. As he will go on to show, God is love (1 John 4:8), and God is the Source of life (Acts 17:28): therefore, to love is to share in life and give life; to not love is to deny life and to pull away from life, leading to death c. The "antichrists" may speak of life, but they do not manifest true love for fellow Christians, and in fact deny the great demonstration of God's love in Christ in His crucifixion! d. Since they would lead Christians away from the truth and love of God in Christ, they act as murderers, severing people from their source of life! e. 1 John 3:16 makes for a great comparison with John 3:16, both declaring the love of God manifest through Christ's sacrifice, but with 1 John emphasizing the imperative for us to follow in His footsteps if necessary (cf. 1 John 2:6) f. Other Apostles had already died for their faith, willing to sacrifice their lives for the sake of their fellow Christians; no Gnosticizing teacher would prove so willing! 6. True to form, John continues by clarifying the practical nature of true love: if you have material prosperity but do not have compassion on your brethren, the love of God is not in you; our love must be in deed and truth, not just in words (1 John 3:17-18; cf. Matthew 25:31-46, James 1:22-25, 2:14-26) 7. John's instruction about love and hate resonate through the centuries a. While most of us will not be called upon to lay down our lives physically for the brethren, the dangers John discusses remain quite real b. The world still has antipathy towards the Christian message since it upends the status quo c. Christians must still demonstrate their love in works; it is much easier to talk the talk than to walk the walk, making good on what we know is true d. We still ought to be a living spiritual sacrifice, seeking others' best interest (Romans 12:1, Philippians 2:1-4) e. John's categorizations remain apt: Gnosticizing tendencies remain in the religious world, and therefore assurance can only be for those whose faith has demonstrably informed not only how they think but also how they act toward and for others! 8. We have either passed from death to life or we have not; we either demonstrate love or remain in hate and murder; our love is either in deed and truth or remains only lip service, and we know in which ways we ought to go! B. The Truth and the Spirit (1 John 3:19-4:6) 1. John shifts again regarding assurance, establishing the truth in the Spirit in 1 John 3:19-4:6 2. By loving in deed and truth, we can know we are of the truth, and have assurance despite our heart (1 John 3:19) 3. John declares that even if our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and knows all things; if our heart does not condemn us, we have boldness before God, and we will receive what we ask, for we do His commandments and what pleases Him (1 John 3:20-22) a. What does he mean by our heart condemning us? b. Some suggest guilt over past sins; perhaps possible in some circumstances, but John speaks of the possibility of our heart not condemning us, which would speak toward present concerns c. If in reading what he has written and we feel the guilt of not measuring up, our heart is condemning us: John is assuring such people that God is greater than our heart, knows all things, and recognizes if we are repentant and seek to glorify Him in what we do d. But if in reading what he has written we see, on the whole, that we are doing His commandments, loving our brethren, then we can have great boldness in faith in Him (cf. Ephesians 3:12, Hebrews 4:16, 10:19, 35, 1 John 2:28, 4:17, 5:14) e. We again must warn against absolute and de-contextualized interpretations of 1 John 3:22: John is not suggesting that Christians will absolutely get millions of dollars, fancy cars, and perfect health if they pray for it; James 4:3 still applies f. If we keep His commandments and do what is pleasing in His sight, we know that His purpose is not to provide the niceties of life but continued spiritual strength, sustenance, and what we actually need, and will pray and receive toward that end (cf. Matthew 6:19-34, Philippians 4:10-13, esp. 1 Timothy 6:3-10) 4. John then reminds us of the commandment and the consequences of holding to it: to believe in the Name of Jesus, and love one another as He commanded us; doing this means we abide in Him, He in us by the Spirit He gave us (1 John 3:23-24) a. Consistent with John 3:16, 8:31, 13:34, 15:4, 9-10, 20:30-31, 1 John 2:24, 27-28, 4:13 b. A great summation of the core of John's message: to be in Christ is to trust Him as Lord, demonstrate that trust through love, and maintain assurance of one's presence in God because of the presence of the Spirit and His fruit in one's life c. 1 John 3:24 an important verse to demonstrate how God's presence in the believer is manifest through the Spirit (cf. Romans 8:9-11, Ephesians 3:14-19) 5. Having mentioned the Spirit, John then turns to warn and assure Christians regarding the true Spirit vs. false spirits (1 John 4:1-6) a. John identifies the need to test spirits, since false spirits have gone out into the world: the spirit that confesses Jesus Christ in the flesh is to be believed; the one who denies it is the antichrist of whom John spoke formerly (1 John 4:1-3; cf. 1 John 2:18-29) b. A clear demonstration that John's opponents, the "antichrists," are Docetics, those who claim Jesus only seemed to be flesh and not actual flesh, and thus never incarnated, never crucified, never resurrected c. Another time to insist against absolutist interpretation: just because someone accepts Jesus as come in the flesh does not automatically mean they should be trusted in all respects; false teaching can take other forms (e.g. Galatians 1:6-9) d. John writes in a specific context: the error regarding which he is concerned is this docetism and perhaps incipient Gnosticism, and writes specifically against it e. Even though these antichrist forces are in the world, John assures his fellow Christians that they will overcome them, for God is stronger than they; they are of the world, but Christians are not of the world; the world listens to them, but God listens to Christians (1 John 4:4-6) f. The world again is not rocks and trees, but sin and evil, akin to Ephesians 6:12 g. A great assurance, and one very necessary: the forces of error will not win, because God is greater than evil, and His truth will win the day h. Not only that, but those who listen to God listen to those who are of God and speak His truth; those who refuse to listen to those who are of God and speak His truth are none of His (1 John 4:6) 6. While we must always remember John is speaking to Christians in a specific time and context, we can derive great lessons for application from 1 John 3:19-4:6! a. Our heart is not always trustworthy; internal guilt can paralyze, as the Evil One knows well; therefore, we must remember that God is greater than our heart b. When we feel guilt or anxiety, we must test and make sure that we are seeking to practice the faith in Christ or whether we deservedly feel that guilt or anxiety and need to repent (cf. 2 Corinthians 7:8-10) c. But if we are practicing the faith, we must trust in God over our heart, fully entrust ourselves in Him, and maintain confidence that He will give what we ask according to His will in faith (Matthew 7:7-11, 18:19, 21:22, John 14:13-14, 16:23-25, 1 John 5:14-15) d. The core of Christianity remains belief and love: belief informs our disposition before God; love informs our behavior toward God and others (Romans 1:17, 13:8-11, 1 John 4:7-21) e. The Spirit as the down payment on salvation, presence of God with Christians (1 Corinthians 3:14-16, 6:19-20, Ephesians 1:13, 2:20-22) f. Yet many deceitful spirits exist, and we must exercise discernment: those under the influence of the Spirit of God will confess the truths of God in Christ as revealed from the beginning; those who do not are the antichrists; likewise, those who hear the truths of God as spoken by His people are known to God, but those who will not listen to God's truths as spoken by His people are none of His (Galatians 1:6-9, 1 Timothy 6:3-10, 2 John 1:7-9)! g. We also should maintain every confidence that God and His truth will prevail, for He is stronger than the world and its forces, and not be surprised when worldly people agree with worldly perversions of God's truth! C. Love One Another (1 John 4:7-21) 1. John then enters into his grand discourse on love, 1 John 4:7-21 2. Main premise: we are to love one another, for love is of God; those who love God are born of Him, know Him; those who do not love not of God, for God is love (1 John 4:7-8) 3. Demonstration of God's love: sending Jesus into the world; we know love not because we first loved God but He loved us, sending His Son as the propitiation for our sins (1 John 4:9-10; cf. John 3:16, Romans 5:6-11, 1 John 2:1-2) 4. Reinforcement: as God has loved us, we ought to love one another (1 John 4:11) 5. 1 John 4:12 sets the tone for the rest of the passage: no one has seen God, thus God's demonstration of His presence is through love: if we love one another, God abides in us, His love perfected in us (cf. John 1:18) 6. We know His presence because of the Spirit He gave to us (1 John 4:13; cf. 1 John 3:24) 7. Further reassurance: John and Apostles have bore witness to Jesus as the Son of God; those who confess Jesus as Son of God abiding in God; we have come to know and believe in God's love for us; if we abide in love, we abide in God, and He in us (1 John 4:14-16) 8. John returns to the idea of perfection in love: when perfected in God's love, we can have boldness on the day of Judgment, since Jesus lived and died in the flesh; perfect love casts out fear; fear involves punishment; one in fear not perfected in love (1 John 4:17-18) 9. Reinforcement of 1 John 4:10: we love because God loved us (1 John 4:19) 10. Concluding exhortation: one who says he loves God but hates his brother a liar, for how can a man say He loves God whom he has not seen while hating his brother whom he does see?; thus, those who love God are to love their brother as well (1 John 4:20-21) 11. John's argument deserves its fame, for he succinctly expresses God as love, God's love for us, and why we must love one another; this is the one emphasis lacking in Docetism, incipient Gnosticism 12. As before, we do well to avoid making absolutes out of many of John's statements a. 1 John 4:15: in John's time, antichrists denied Jesus as the Son of God; today, many will confess Jesus as the Son of God but still teach doctrines contrary to His purposes, and we can have no confidence that God abides in such people (Galatians 1:6-9) b. 1 John 4:18: it is absolutely true that fear and love are in opposition and at odds, and we should not fear, yet again, we frequently succumb to fear, and this verse should not be decontextualized and absolutized into saying that true Christians will never be afraid; true Christians will continue to trust in God despite their fears and seek to overcome their fears in God and His perfect love! 13. So much can be gained from this passage! a. God is love: not love is God, but in a world where God is often portrayed in judgmental terms, we do well to remind everyone that the God of the Bible is love, and His judgments flow from love of justice, righteousness, and all that is good! b. God as embodying love, therefore, defining love (cf. 1 Corinthians 13:4-8a) c. God as loving us; we learn of love through how God has loved us d. That love must be shared with others; we cannot expect to truly benefit from God's love if we do not love one another e. If you cannot love man made in God's image, how can you love God? If you cannot treat others as you want God to treat you, how can you expect God to continue to show favor toward you? f. If we are living in faith, seeking to obey God, loving Him and others in truth and deed, then we have no fear of the Judgment day; if we have reason to be afraid of the Judgment day, we need to repent (Matthew 24:41-25:46) 14. As God has loved us, let us love others! IV. Conclusion A. John continues to encourage Christians with assurances and warnings B. Trust in God in Christ, confess Him in the flesh, love others as God has loved us, and you will abide in God, He in you through the Spirit, and you have reason for confidence, boldness in prayer and expectation C. But if you exhibit a lack of trust in God in Christ by not confessing Him in the flesh, not loving others as God has loved us, then you do not abide in God, but are of the Evil One, and guilty of hating and murdering your brethren! D. Let us love God and one another in Christ and obtain eternal life! E. Invitation/songbook Scripture, Meditation, and Application 1: Hereby know we love, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren (1 John 3:16). 1 John 3:16 is parallel to John 3:16. Both emphasize God's love manifest in Christ and His sacrifice. Yet 1 John 3:16 goes further, expecting Christians to prove willing to show love to one another as Christ has shown them. Let us expend ourselves for the benefit of others (Romans 12:1, Philippians 2:1-11)! 2: And this is his commandment, that we should believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, even as he gave us commandment (1 John 3:23). John captures the essence of Christianity: belief and love. We entrust ourselves to God in Christ, seeking His way; to do so requires us to love God and one another in thought, word, and deed. Let us trust in the Lord Jesus and love others as He has loved us! 3: Beloved, believe not every spirit, but prove the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets are gone out into the world (1 John 4:1). In the midst of spiritual famine, any sort of spirituality looks appealing. John's warning is apt: just because something is spiritual, has spiritual power, or involves a spiritual experience does not make it right. As there are doctrines of God, there are doctrines of demons; let us test the spirits by the Word of God (cf. 1 Timothy 4:1)! 4: He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love (1 John 4:8). God is love: not love is God, as so many today would like to claim. God's character is best defined by love, seeking the best interest of the other, even though it has cost Him greatly. When we think of God, let us always remember that He is love first and foremost, and all He is and does is rooted in love (Romans 8:31-33)!