How We Love (First John 3:13-16)

In this passage John contrasts love and hate. As mentioned earlier, this is a method John uses elsewhere in his writings to drive a point across. Previously in this book John calls his audience his, "Little children". Here they are called brethren or brothers. Considering the fact he just finished talking about brotherly love in the past passage, I don't think this is coincidence.

Verse 14 tells us that love for each other is what distinguishes children of God from children of the devil (see verse10). The obligation to love has been taught from the beginning of Christianity (verse 11). It's because we love love each other that we've "passed" from death; migrated or moved away from spiritual death.

There's an obvious and common misinterpretation of this verse. John is NOT saying this is "the" or even "a" condition absolving us from past sins. Our brotherly love is evidence of our certainty and knowledge of salvation. It's not the condition that saves us! It's the evidence we present based on the knowledge that we've passed from death to life. Guy N. Woods wrote the following about this verse. "This does not mean that love alone is the basis of our acceptance before God. What it does mean is that love is the base on which all other virtues rest."

The "does not love" of verse 14 is followed in the next verse with "whoever hates". This indicates the two are identical in meaning. John is showing that in the absence of love there is hate. It means that if we're not demonstrating love, we are demonstrating the attitude and spirit of a murderer. Murder is hate carried out in an action. John is saying without love we are carrying that hate. Wow! Ever think of it like that? Jesus Himself forbade the attitudes that lead to murder in Matthew 5:21-22. Unnecessary anger violates in spirit the command not to murder.

The "we know" in verse 16 is a perfect active verb. That of course means it's from an investigation of the facts that we come to possess the knowledge of love. Beyond the obvious importance this gives the passage, this was another way John was able to take a shot at the Gnostics who thought only they possessed knowledge. The phrases "laid down" and "lay down" in this verse come from the same word used in John 10:11, 17 and 18 when Jesus talks about the good Shepherd. It's telling us that we know love. We know what it is from seeing Christ display it for us. (See Second Corinthians 5:21, John 3:16 5:13 and Romans 5:18.)

I can't remember if it this is from Guy N. Woods or Tom Miller. I apologize for not having it in my notes but concerning the part of this verse that tells us that "we also ought to lay down our lives..." we know that Christ's death was the greatest possible proof of love. If we imitate Him as we should, the same evidence of love which prompted Him will be seen in us. The willingness to give what one has for the sake of others is the essence of true love.