Scriptural text: 1 John 3:11-24
The Gospel of Loving One Another (1 John3:11-14). In the eleventh verse, John reminds his fellow disciples in the beloved community that love is the essence of the gospel of Jesus Christ. In the gospel of John, the apostle quotes the Lord Jesus declaring love as the distinguishing characteristic of His followers. “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another. The Lord Jesus establishes the new law of love which greatly exceeds the requirements of the black letter law. Church members comprise the family of God. As they mature as Christ’s disciples, they acquire the greater facility and precision of sharing Christ’s love in meeting the direct needs of each other and creating a more just society to enable each person to actualize his or her God given talents and natural abilities.
John advises the disciples against following Cain’s examples that belong to the devil. What were Cain’s reasons for murdering his brother? John describes Abel’s actions as righteous and Cain’s as the reverse. There are four motivations for murder: love, brage (anger), jealousy and money. The new law of love challenges us to resist murder within our hearts. The world’s hatred should not surprise the disciples. The world hated our Lord and accordingly hates us as Christian values clash with the principles and social mores of the dominant culture.
Jesus Shows Us How to Love (1 John 3:15- 18). Christ’s sacrifice of His life for humankind, past, present, and future, is the clearest and most fundamental example of selfless love. In the gospel of John, the apostle defines our Lord’s gift of Himself as the greatest act of love. “Greater love has no man than this that he lay down his life for his friends.” In this epistle, John exhorts the beloved community to cultivate the character and willingness to emulate our Lord’s example.
Agape is sacrificial, redemptive, moral, ethical, rational and selfless. How do we profess the love of God if we are unwilling to part with our material possessions and money? John asks this powerful question in the seventh verse? James concurs with John’s underlying premise with his statement, “Faith without works is dead.” Our hearts being at rest (peace) in Christ’s presence is an indication of integrity. Achieving this attribute is a lifelong process for disciples of our Lord. The heart is the center of our being. When we mature spiritually by aligning our thoughts, words, deeds, we obtain integrity which yields Christ peace in our hearts.