14 We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death. 15 Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him. 16 Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. 17 But whoso hath this world’s good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him? 18 My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth. 19 And hereby we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before him. (1 John 3:14-19 KJV)
The Outworking of Love
The beloved apostle can hardly mention sacred love without expanding on its importance, as he does here with various arguments and motivations:
It is a sign of our justification and our transition into a state of life: “We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love the brothers and sisters” (1 John 3:14). By nature, we are children of wrath and spiritually dead. Through the gospel, our state is changed—we pass from guilt and death to the right of eternal life, through faith in Jesus: “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on them” (John 3:36). This transition can be known by the evidence of our faith, and love for our fellow believers is one such sign.
This love is not mere party loyalty or affection for those who share our denomination or opinions. It begins with a general love for humanity: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” We love people as God’s creation, made in his image—“for in the image of God has God made mankind” (Genesis 9:6)—and as those whom God loves in Christ. God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so we should love the world too, seeking the salvation of those still lost: “My heart’s desire and prayer to God for the Israelites is that they may be saved” (Romans 10:1). This love also extends even to our enemies.
It includes a special love for the Christian community—the universal church—because it is Christ’s body, redeemed and sanctified in him. This love particularly expresses itself toward those we know personally or hear credible reports about. They are loved not merely for themselves, but for God’s sake. It is ultimately God and Christ we love in them. This is the fruit of faith in Christ and a sign we’ve passed from death to life.
Hatred for fellow believers, on the other hand, is a sign of remaining under the sentence of death: “Whoever does not love remains in death” (1 John 3:14). The apostle argues clearly: “Anyone who hates a brother or sister is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life residing in him” (1 John 3:15). Hatred, in its nature, opposes life and seeks its destruction. Cain hated and then killed his brother. Hatred closes off compassion and can lead to violence. It often cloaks believers in false accusations and exposes them to persecution.
So the apostle, knowing human nature and the full reach of God’s law, rightly says that hatred is murder. And a person with a heart shaped by hatred cannot have eternal life in them: “The mind governed by the flesh is death” (Romans 8:6). Eternal life, as Jesus says, is a spring of water within us “welling up to eternal life” (John 4:14). So this inner life proves whether we have passed from death to life. Justification and sanctification are inseparable: “You were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God” (1 Corinthians 6:11).
God and Christ’s example should stir us to love: “This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters” (1 John 3:16). God gave his Son for us—and the Word who was God became flesh to do this. That the eternal God would redeem the church with his own blood is a miracle of love. We should love those whom God has so deeply loved, if we love God at all.
This love should make us willing to suffer, even to the point of death, for the sake of the church: “We ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters” (1 John 3:16). Whether in service, or in risking ourselves for those more valuable to the church’s work than we are—“They risked their lives for me. Not only I but all the churches of the Gentiles are grateful to them” (Romans 16:4)—we should be ready to give up our lives. We must be detached from this life and confident of a better one.
This love must also be compassionate and generous to those in need: “If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person?” (1 John 3:17). God allows some believers to be poor to exercise the charity of those who are rich. And those with wealth must love God and others enough to share it. The apostle even calls this love to others “the love of God,” because loving God in others is true love for God. Where there’s no love for people, there’s no real love for God.
The apostle encourages that our love be genuine and active: “Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth” (1 John 3:18). Christians should avoid empty talk and flattery. True affection must show itself in service and sacrifice.
This kind of love proves our sincerity in the faith and gives us confidence before God: “This is how we know that we belong to the truth and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence” (1 John 3:19). It is a great blessing to know we are sincere in our walk with God. Those who love in truth can stand with boldness before God, despite what the world may say. The surest way to this confidence and peace is to overflow in love and in the works of love toward fellow believers.