Love is foundational to our faith as Christians. It is the basis of all we are and all we do. This is so, because “God is love.” “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. 8 He who does not love does not know God, for God is love” (1 John 4:7-8).
In this we differ from the world. John develops this truth fully in his first epistle. “In this the children of God and the children of the devil are manifest: Whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is he who does not love his brother. For this is the message that you heard from the beginning, that we should love one another, not as Cain who was of the wicked one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his works were evil and his brother’s righteous. Do not marvel, my brethren, if the world hates you. We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love his brother abides in death. Whoever hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him” (1 John 3:10-15).
So, why is this so? God, who personifies love, demonstrated that love to its full degree in bringing about the sacrifice of His only begotten Son. Jesus said, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved” (John 3:16-17). The accord between the Father and His Son is evident in John’s words, “By this we know love, because He [Jesus Christ] laid down His life for us” (1 John 3:16). Jesus Himself said, “Therefore My Father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it again. No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This command I have received from My Father” (John 10:17-18).
Considering our heritage, that emphasis of love (and especially its impact upon our redemption), carries with it a certain expectation. Consider the final part of 1 John 3:16, “By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.”
If you ask, many Christians would assert their willingness to die for their brethren and their faith. Dire circumstances lend themselves to courage and devotion. Unfortunately, the willingness to express love in typically mundane circumstances can be more problematic. John wrote, “But whoever has this world’s goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him? My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth” (1 John 3:17-18).
It is one thing to say, “I love my brother.” It is another thing entirely to demonstrate that love in tangible ways. And yet, this is what God expects of us. Consider that God’s concept of love requires action on our part.
Paul described such love in this way, “Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things” (1 Corinthians 13:4-7). Do you show patience with your brethren? Do you have kind words and actions for them? Are you willing to humble yourself, “in lowliness of mind” esteeming “others better than” yourself? (cf. Philippians 2:3). Are you polite and diplomatic in your conversations with your brethren?
Are you selfless? Are you even keeled during potential disagreements? Do you consider your brethren to be honest? Do you assume their integrity? When things do not go as planned do you retain your loving deportment? Do you always seek and pray for the betterment of your brethren in Christ? If so, these are strong indications that the imperative to love one another has been embraced.
Ultimately, the proof is in the pudding. “My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth” (1 John 3:18). It is the basis of our fellowship with God. “And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides I love abides in God, and God in him” (1 John 4:16). In fact, it is the determining factor in our eternal salvation! “Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world” (1 John 4:17).
Love is the reason God offered His gift of redemption to mankind. It is the reason He sent His Son. It is the reason His Son willingly laid down His life. It is the reason we respond to God as we do! “We love Him because He first loved us” (1 John 4:19).
But remember, love for Jesus is seen in action — in obedience to His commands. Jesus told His disciples, “If you love Me, keep My commandments” (John 14:15). It is also seen in our behavior toward our brethren. “If someone says, ‘I love God,’ and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen? And this commandment we have from Him; that he who loves God must love his brother also” (1 John 4:20-21).
Is love characteristic of your life as a Christian?
