Last week we noted that this world has a faulty view of love. We often think of love as a feeling that we get when we are with or think about another person. However, as we have observed, this faulty view of love results in disaster. In the next section of 1 John 3, we are challenged to love instead as Christ loves. True Christianity is founded on true love. Love is not selfish lust. Love is selfless action. True love can be defined as self-sacrificial, others motivated, and Christlike.
John begins with the observation that we know what true love is because we see it demonstrated by Christ. To love others is the great command given by Christ in John 15:12-14. While Cain sacrificed Abel’s life for himself, Christ sacrificed his own for us. This sacrifice, in turn, motivates us to sacrifice for others. True Christlike love is sacrificial. We are not to love with words or beautiful speeches but with tangible action. F. F. Bruce notes, “When John speaks of love, it is no sentimental emotion that he has in mind, but something intensely practical.” James states in James 2 that the only true love is love that meets others’ needs.
Love must be prepared to meet the needs of others, whatever the cost and self-sacrifice. The world’s need is not for heroic acts of martyrdom but heroic acts of material sacrifice. Often, we describe our church as a friendly church or a church filled with love. But in doing so, we must remember that love is an action. True love acts toward others with tangible acts of kindness. It does not simply state that it loves. It works (often sacrificially) for the good of the other. If you are not tangibly serving your fellow members in ways you can, you cannot say that you genuinely love them.
But how can we do this? Self-sacrifice for others is not natural. If I give up my time, I will not have any time of my own. If I give up my finances, I may not be financially stable. If I give up my abilities, I may be taken advantage of. To which the answer is yes. This is true. But we must recognize two critical passages. First, Galatians 2:20 indicates that the power to love others comes because we are no longer living for ourselves but for Christ. At salvation, we gave our lives to God; they now belong to him, not us. Life is not about pleasure or comfort but God’s kingdom. Second, Matthew 6:25-33 informs us that God will supply all our needs when we seek Christ’s Kingdom.
Authentic believers love one another: not selfishly but selflessly. So they will hunger for Christian fellowship. They do not give up meeting together but love to worship, pray, and talk about spiritual topics. They love to serve one another in tangible ways. The commentator Burge states, “This entire section suggests that the church is to become a life-giving community. It should be a place where men, women, and children are healed, not hurt; where the rich take genuine responsibility for the poor; where lives flourish both spiritually and materially. Conflict, struggle, rejection, community fragmentation – all can lead to despair and doubt.”
Now, what does this tangibly look like? First, We must constantly seek to serve those in our body in need. This may be simple or complex. As we become aware of needs in our body, we should rally to meet them: Working on homes or cars, providing childcare, helping financially or with meals, and so on.
Second, If you have a need, you must let us know. We cannot actively love you if we don’t learn how to love you actively. Often, we suffer in silence because we don’t want to put anyone else out. After all, is this not the American way? And while there is the truth that we ought to work with our own hands and care for ourselves, there are times in life when the burden and need are too great for us. In these times, God has given you a family in Christ to help. So please let us know.
Third, we must give! You are not your own, and it begins with your finances. Everything you have is from God and for God. As a result, you ought to obey God and give regularly. When you fail to give your tithes (a minimum of 10%), you are stealing from God and missing out on his blessing. But when you recognize that everything you have is from God and for God, and you acknowledge that life is for God, and you recognize that God will supply your need, you tangibly love others by giving to the church so that we might serve others. I don’t know who gives what, and I don’t want to know. But I know that if we all gave as we were commanded, we could have an incredible impact on the community around us as we love by using those funds.
Do you love like Christ? Or do you love like Cain? Is your love selfish and all about your comfort? Or is your love self-sacrificial, others-motivated, Christlike love? This is Christ’s command that we love one another.