Understanding Christian Love – Part 1
1 John 3:11-18 (11-12)
May 22, 2022
This morning we return to our study of 1 John
And it is a study we have called “Obvious Christianity”
We just spent about a month looking at verses 1-10 of this chapter
And understanding the reality of
Personal righteousness and purity in the life of a believer.
It is very accurate to say that “Christians live righteous lives”
1 John 3:9-10 “No one who is born of God practices sin, because His seed abides in him; and he cannot sin, because he is born of God. By this the children of God and the children of the devil are obvious: anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor the one who does not love his brother.”
Christians live righteous lives.
But we also notice that as John concluded that thought,
He immediately introduced us to his next thought.
At the end of verse 10 John listed a second reality of the Christian life.
John said, “nor the one who does not love his brother.”
That is to say that anyone who does not love his brother
Is also “not of God”
It is another distinguishing characteristic between the children of God and the children of the devil.
It is another obvious attribute that sets the redeemed apart from those who are still enslaved to their sin.
So beginning in verse 11
John starts articulating for us this second reality which is LOVE.
And what we get in verses 11-18
Is in reality nearly a CARBON COPY of what we got in verses 1-10.
IT IS STILL A PATERNITY TEST.
In the first 10 verses
• John gave us undeniable characteristics about Christ
• And showed us that Christ and the devil are total opposites.
Remember that?
1 John 3:5 “You know that He appeared in order to take away sins; and in Him there is no sin.”
Talking about Jesus, John said, “in Him there is no sin.”
We remember.
• Jesus never sinned.
• He was perfect and flawless in holiness.
The devil is the exact opposite of Jesus.
1 John 3:8a “the one who practices sin is of the devil; for the devil has sinned from the beginning.”
The devil knows nothing but sin.
• He is a liar and the father of lies
• He was a murderer from the beginning.
• He comes only to steal, kill, and destroy.
So John pointed out that Jesus and the devil are polar opposites
As it relates to their righteousness or their purity.
You can’t have two more opposite beings than them
When you are discussing the reality of righteousness.
And that distinction then helped us to identify their offspring.
• You recognize children of Christ by their righteousness.
• You recognize children of the devil by their lawlessness.
That would have been PATERNITY TEST NUMBER 1.
Well, in the second part of this chapter
John issues A SECOND PATERNITY TEST
And this one works the same way.
John will again compare Jesus and the devil
Only this time John will use THE CRITERIA OF LOVE.
And once again we will see that
The devil and Jesus are on total opposites of the scale.
Look at verse 12
“not as Cain, who was of the evil one and slew his brother.”
The example John uses is “Cain”,
But that is only because Satan never became flesh and walked among us.
John is simply quick to point out that Cain “was of the evil one”.
Cain here is a representative of the devil.
And then down in verse 16 you get the opposite example of Christ.
“We know love by this, that He laid down His life for us;”
Once again then you see the total contrast between Jesus and the devil.
We have the devil who slays his brother.
We have Jesus who saves his brother.
POLAR OPPOSITES.
And you see that John is doing it again.
He is holding up for you the devil and he is holding up for you Christ and he is asking which one you resemble?
IT IS ANOTHER PATERNITY TEST.
SO
In the first segment of 1 John 3 we repeatedly made the statement that “Christian’s live righteous lives”.
Now we take the next step and say that “Christians love their brother”.
This is another fruit.
This is another obvious attribute.
This is a distinguishing mark.
SO THIS MORNING,
Let’s begin looking at these next 8 verses
And see if we can’t understand why love (along with righteousness)
Is a defining characteristic of the children of God.
We’re going to divide these 8 verses into 3 points.
#1 LOVE IS THE EXPECTATION OF CHRISTIANITY
1 John 3:11-12
By that statement I mean,
There is no version of Christianity
That does not include brother love.
If your faith or doctrine or theology
In any way allows you to hate your brother in Christ,
Then your faith or doctrine or theology is not Christian.
(11) “For this is the message which you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another;”
“from the beginning” doesn’t necessarily refer to the beginning of creation, though it could, rather it refers to the beginning of your Christian faith.
In other words John is saying,
“From the first moment you ever heard the gospel,
Present in that message was the requirement to love one another.”
The criteria or command for love
Was NOT AN AMENDMENT added to Christianity at a later date,
That has always been the command.
Let me say it another way.
Jesus never saved anyone apart from the absolute expectation
That they love their brother.
This is universal and obvious Christianity.
• It is foundational.
• It is “from the beginning”
• It is Christianity 101
If you are redeemed and have failed to see this,
Then you have failed to understand the very basic expectations
Of what Christ demands of you.
Right there with righteous living is brotherly love.
“For this is the message which you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another.”
John 13:34-35 “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. “By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”
John 15:12-13 “This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you. “Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends.”
That was the night before Jesus died.
We talked about earlier in our study of 1 John
How this was a “new” commandment.
It was old in the sense that God had always commanded His people to
“love your neighbor as yourself.”
It was a new commandment in the sense that Jesus totally exploded our understanding of what love is.
He said, “love one another, just as I have loved you.”
Same command, but totally new understanding.
But love was always the expectation.
Romans 13:8-10 “Owe nothing to anyone except to love one another; for he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law. For this, “YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT ADULTERY, YOU SHALL NOT MURDER, YOU SHALL NOT STEAL, YOU SHALL NOT COVET,” and if there is any other commandment, it is summed up in this saying, “YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.” Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.”
THE EXPECTATION HAS ALWAYS BEEN LOVE.
And let me just BRIEFLY EXPLAIN WHY that is the case for a moment.
It is because:
Love is the best attribute to describe
God’s behavior toward humanity.
If we wanted to use the best word to describe GOD’S NATURE
We would use the word “Holy”,
For that is the only word used in triplicate to describe God.
He is never called “Love, Love, Love” or “Mercy, Mercy, Mercy”.
He is only called “Holy, Holy, Holy”
When talking about His nature we use the word holy.
But when describing God’s behavior toward humanity,
The best word to use is LOVE.
John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.”
• And we talked about His BENEFICENCE toward humanity, that He has “good will toward men.”
• And we talked about His BENEVOLENCE toward humanity, that He “sends rain on the just and the unjust”
And certainly we talk about His REDEEMING LOVE for His elect.
But love is the best word to describe God’s behavior toward humanity.
Jesus highlighted this love in His Sermon on the Mount.
Matthew 5:43-47 “You have heard that it was said, ‘YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR and hate your enemy.’ “But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. “For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? “If you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same?”
• What is it that causes God to sustain the lives of even those who hate Him?
• What is it that causes God to provide for even those who are His enemies?
• What is it that causes God to endure with great patience those who reject Him?
IT IS LOVE.
He sacrifices Himself on behalf of even His enemies.
Even the unredeemed awaken every morning
And enjoy the benefits of God’s love.
That is how God treats humanity.
To be certain,
• One day He will judge His enemies…
• There is coming a day of reckoning…
But the reality is that
Every single moment that even the unredeemed live,
They do so because of God’s love demonstrated toward them.
That is true even for the unredeemed.
It is certainly true for those whom He has saved.
Psalms 103:8-12 “The LORD is compassionate and gracious, Slow to anger and abounding in lovingkindness. He will not always strive with us, Nor will He keep His anger forever. He has not dealt with us according to our sins, Nor rewarded us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, So great is His lovingkindness toward those who fear Him. As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our transgressions from us.”
Titus 3:3-7 “For we also once were foolish ourselves, disobedient, deceived, enslaved to various lusts and pleasures, spending our life in malice and envy, hateful, hating one another. But when the kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared, He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by His grace we would be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.”
Romans 5:7-8 “For one will hardly die for a righteous man; though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”
What else can we say but that God loves us?
Perhaps John says it the clearest later in this epistle.
1 John 4:7-8 “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love.”
John says it there:
• “love is from God”
• “God is love”
And this is why love is the expectation of Christianity.
Since love is the perfect way to describe
How God behaves toward humanity (all of humanity)
Then love must be the way in which God’s children behave,
Especially toward their brothers.
Ephesians 5:1-2 “Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children; and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma.”
And that is what John is referring to here.
John is NOT here talking about our love for the unredeemed.
Now, certainly WE ARE commanded to love our enemies.
Jesus said that in verse we read a moment ago.
Matthew 5:43-44 “You have heard that it was said, ‘YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR and hate your enemy.’ “But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,”
Clearly we are commanded to love even our enemies, for that is what God does.
But how much more are we commanded to love our brothers in Christ!
We are certainly commanded to love them.
And this is what John is referring to.
• It is absolutely foundational that Christians love other Christians.
• It is absolutely the expectation of Christianity that you love those for whom Christ died.
In fact, if you don’t do that,
You are missing the whole point of Christianity.
It only proves that you do not know God.
For God does love His enemies,
But He has especially shown love to His children.
THIS IS SIMPLE.
Love is the Expectation of Christianity.
But I love the thoroughness of John.
He doesn’t just leave it at that and go on.
John wants to make sure we are clear
On what he means when he tells us to “love one another”
(12) “not as Cain, who was of the evil one and slew his brother.”
Immediately John gives us some CRITERIA
By which we can understand what he means.
When he tells us to “love one another” he then shows us what love is not.
What “the evil one” does is NOT love.
And if we act like him then we are not of God.
So let’s look at this example here of Cain.
And as we said a moment ago,
Cain is used because he is a clear child of the devil in Scripture.
(12) “not as Cain, who was of the evil one and slew his brother. And for what reason did he slay him? Because his deeds were evil, and his brother’s were righteous.”
You know the story.
Genesis 4:1-8 “Now the man had relations with his wife Eve, and she conceived and gave birth to Cain, and she said, “I have gotten a manchild with the help of the LORD.” Again, she gave birth to his brother Abel. And Abel was a keeper of flocks, but Cain was a tiller of the ground. So it came about in the course of time that Cain brought an offering to the LORD of the fruit of the ground. Abel, on his part also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of their fat portions. And the LORD had regard for Abel and for his offering; but for Cain and for his offering He had no regard. So Cain became very angry and his countenance fell. Then the LORD said to Cain, “Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen? “If you do well, will not your countenance be lifted up? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door; and its desire is for you, but you must master it.” Cain told Abel his brother. And it came about when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother and killed him.”
It’s actually a story that I think gets greatly misunderstood.
It is an important story to our understanding of the gospel.
• We have 2 boys.
• We have 2 offerings.
• God accepts one and rejects the other.
And we must recognize that God didn’t just accept or reject the offering, God accepted or rejected the man.
“the LORD had regard for Abel and for his offering; but for Cain and for his offering He had no regard.”
It’s not just about accepting the gift, but even the giver of the gift.
Now some have been confused as to why God accepted Abel, but not Cain.
SOME HAVE SAID
Well Abel “brought of the firstlings” and Cain didn’t and since Abel brought the first and Cain presumably brought the last God accepted Abel and not Cain.
OTHERS HAVE SAID
Well Abel brought a blood sacrifice and Cain brought produce and that is why God accepted Abel and not Cain.
Both of those explanations are wrong.
The writer of Hebrews clarifies it.
Hebrews 11:4 “By faith Abel offered to God a better sacrifice than Cain, through which he obtained the testimony that he was righteous, God testifying about his gifts, and through faith, though he is dead, he still speaks.”
The reason God accepted Abel and his sacrifice and not Cain’s
Is because Abel came in faith, Cain did not.
This is confirmed by John who says in our text this morning that Cain’s “deeds were evil, and his brother’s were righteous.”
It is only by faith that righteousness is credited to us.
• Abel came in faith and God justified him.
• Cain came with works and as Isaiah said, “all our righteous deeds are as a filthy garment” before God.
This also helps you understand why Cain hated Abel so much.
When God pronounced the curse on Adam do you remember what God cursed?
THE GROUND.
Genesis 3:17-19 “Then to Adam He said, “Because you have listened to the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree about which I commanded you, saying, ‘You shall not eat from it’; Cursed is the ground because of you; In toil you will eat of it All the days of your life. “Both thorns and thistles it shall grow for you; And you will eat the plants of the field; By the sweat of your face You will eat bread, Till you return to the ground, Because from it you were taken; For you are dust, And to dust you shall return.”
And what did Cain bring?
“the fruit of the ground”
I want you to think about what it took for Cain to bring an offering from the ground to God.
• The plowing
• The watering
• The weeding
• The waiting
IT WAS WORK!
Abel brought “the firstlings of the flock”
Now that’s not to say that
There was no effort involved with Abel’s offering,
BUT IF YOU COMPARE IT SIDE BY SIDE
IT IS CLEAR WHICH BOY WORKED THE HARDEST.
When we explained it to our youth we compared Hannah and Abigail.
• Later this summer Hannah is likely to bring buckets of squash and jalapenos
and tomatoes to the church, because she works the garden.
• Abigail is likely to bring eggs because she raises chickens.
No offense to Abigail, but for every minute Abigail spends working for her chickens, it is not a stretch to say that Hannah spends an hour if not more.
It is far more work to bring a tomato than it is to bring an egg.
Now put yourself in Cain’s shoes.
• You brought that which was the result of your labor and God wouldn’t accept you.
• Your brother brought that which was not the result of labor and God did accept him.
There is the gospel.
God wants faith, not works.
But Cain was furious.
And Cain killed Abel.
WHY?
“Because his deeds were evil, and his brother’s were righteous.”
• Abel exposed Cain.
• Cain hated God, but you can’t kill God.
• So Cain lashed out against the one God accepted.
WHAT DOES ALL THIS MEAN?
Cain was filled with jealousy which is the opposite of love.
Cain was willing to sacrifice his brother in order to benefit himself.
We have said to many times before, but
“The opposite of love is not necessarily hate. The opposite of love is self”
Abel’s righteous life made Cain’s sin look even worse.
So in order to benefit himself, Cain killed Abel.
NOW CERTAINLY THAT IS AN EXTREME STORY,
But it is one that is played out in our world over and over and over again.
We see babies aborted, but it certainly isn’t done out of love for the baby.
• People choose to sacrifice the baby for their own selfish interest.
We see it in the redefined sexual relationships of our day
• Where immorality and lust and living together is all preferred over the
commitment of marriage.
• It is a situation in which people seek to gratify their own cravings at the
expense of another.
• I’ll convince you to do what God will judge you for because it pleases me.
We see greed or extortion or even price gouging and robbery
• In which someone seeks to benefit financially off of the misfortune of another.
Gossip / Slander or even these bold “self-defense” posts
• That are so prevalent on social media where in order to defend my reputation
or my self-interest a person will verbally bash someone else.
The response of Cain literally saturates our world.
We see the results of “the evil one” all over the place.
AND JOHN IS CLEAR,
That is NOT what we’re talking about
When we talk about the Christian’s expectation to “love one another.”
Genuine God-like love is self-sacrificing not self-gratifying.
God’s love sacrifices self for the good of another.
A quick consideration of “The Love Chapter” is well worth it here.
1 Corinthians 13:4-8 “Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails”
We see words like “patient” or “kind” or “not jealous”
• Cain’s response to his brother was none of those thing.
• Cain was not kind, but in jealousy he chose to slay his brother.
We see things like “does not seek its own” or “is not provoked” or “does not take into account a wrong suffered”
• And we see so very little of that in our culture.
• Instead of self-sacrificing we are in a world that is self-seeking.
• It is the “make sure I get mine” mentality, and when I don’t, I send the coach an email or lambast someone on social media.
• The world doesn’t understand how to overlook a wrong that is suffered, but everyone must pay.
We read that “love does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices in the truth”
• We certainly don’t find this in the world.
• The very ADVERTISING that saturates our culture is that which tells us that unrighteousness is where the real rejoicing is.
THE POINT IS THAT OUR WORLD KNOWS NOTHING OF LOVE.
I know our world loves to throw out the words “I love you”
Or likes to champion “love” as the chief goal of humanity.
But it is important for you to understand that
What the world calls love is anything but.
• Love is to suffer long with no time limit.
• Love is when you respond to a sharp rebuke with kindness.
• Love is when you rejoice at someone else’s triumph without jealousy.
• Love is when you downplay your own successes and never broadcast them.
• Love is when you do what is right by another.
• Love is when you forgive the wrong you suffer and refuse to fire back.
• Love is when you don’t laugh at another’s wickedness which will ruin them, but
rejoice when they walk in righteousness.
This is what God does.
This is how God behaves toward humanity.
And this is what God expects from His children
When they relate to their brothers and sisters.
And Jesus said: “by this shall all men know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”
There is no room for bitterness or anger or slander or enmity
Or lack of forgiveness or rudeness between Christian brothers.
The world has those things, Christians are called to behave like God.
Philippians 2:1-4 “Therefore if there is any encouragement in Christ, if there is any consolation of love, if there is any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and compassion, make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose. Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.”
1 Corinthians 3:1-3 “And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual men, but as to men of flesh, as to infants in Christ. I gave you milk to drink, not solid food; for you were not yet able to receive it. Indeed, even now you are not yet able, for you are still fleshly. For since there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not fleshly, and are you not walking like mere men?”
When there is jealousy and strife among you
There is no other way to say it other than you are acting like a baby!
Any baby can scream or bite or go over in the corner and pout and throw a hissy fit when they don’t get their way.
We can’t walk “like mere men” we are called to imitate God.
• The Christian is expected to walk in love.
• The Christian is expected to not take record of wrongs.
• The Christian is expected to forgive.
• The Christian is expected to respond in kindness
• The Christian is expected to sacrifice themselves for the good of another.
THAT IS WHAT CHRIST DID.
And that is what He expects of us.
“This is the message which you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another.”
Ephesians 4:1-2 “Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love,”
Colossians 3:12-14 “So, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience; bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you. Beyond all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity.”
1 Thessalonians 4:9-10 “Now as to the love of the brethren, you have no need for anyone to write to you, for you yourselves are taught by God to love one another; for indeed you do practice it toward all the brethren who are in all Macedonia. But we urge you, brethren, to excel still more,”
Hebrews 13:1 “Let love of the brethren continue.”
1 Peter 1:22 “Since you have in obedience to the truth purified your souls for a sincere love of the brethren, fervently love one another from the heart,”
1 Peter 4:12 “Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though some strange thing were happening to you;”
IT IS SIMPLE OBVIOUS CHRISTIANITY.
And more than the expectation, it is also the proof.
CHRISTIANS LOVE THEIR BROTHER.
Up in verse 10 John said those who don’t are not of God.
So this morning we are taking again this paternity test.
We have God who sacrifices Himself that He might love others.
And we have the evil one who sacrifices others because he loves himself.
And then we simply have to ask, “Which one am I?”
• Do I use people for my own personal gain?
• Do I corrupt people for my own satisfaction?
• Do I swallow the wrongs done to me or do I demand restitution?
• Do I rejoice in the victory of others or am I more interested that my
accomplishments are recognized?
I realize Cain is an extreme example,
But you realize that murder was in Cain’s heart
Long before it was in his hand.
This morning I would simply ask you to examine your life to see if
There is any self-sacrificing love like what God shows for humanity.
This is the expectation and even proof of Christianity.
We’ll talk about the others next time.
