Love

1 John 3:11-15


The basic message to the Christian believers is crystal clear and unchanging. John puts it this way, ”We are to love one another.” To be living in genuine fellowship with God, whose dominant characteristic is love, is to reflect that same quality in all of our relationships. Now that we committed ourselves without reservation to the center and source of all love, it is obvious that we are to love one another. The reality our relationship to God is proven by the nature of our relationship to each another.
    I’ve learned that human nature has a way of “believing” truth but not carrying it out in actual life. No believer would say that although God is love they have no responsibility as a follower to live that way. If you are a Christian believer you will act like one. God forgives failure, but not an intentional decision to keep doing what’s wrong.
    While the practice of doing what is right demonstrates love for the other person, if that person is Jesus then get ready for opposition. Luke says that if you love one another “Don’t be surprised if the world hates you” (v. 13). How could that be; love should prompt love? Right, but Luke says that Christian love for one another will be met by hate in the non-Christian world. Actually, the answer is not difficult because love has a way of reminding the other of the lack of that important ingredient in their own life. Your act of selfless concern reminds me of my lack, and for that reason I react against you and what you have done. It’s a sort of sad story but everything seems to have an alternative – even love.
    Now in the paragraph comes the wonderful assurance that “we have passed from death to life because we love each other” (v. 14). This old world we live in is marked by death. Everything has its terminal point and life ends in death. Even the earth on which we live, and the universe that surrounds it for that matter, are involved in disintegration. It’s all destined to extinction. Not so the believer. We have already taken the necessary step. Because Christ died for our sins and we have accepted that gift by faith we have moved “out of death” (ek) and “into life” (eis). Don’t live there any more!  The new address is “100 Eternal Life Court” not “-10 Here and Gone Alley.” It would never have happened had we not learned how to love one another and the power to make the move came from the love that God’s love created in our hearts. Never could have made it on our own.  So change my address in your directory. I’m on my way to the new hom