How Can We Know Love?

If You Know God, You’ll Know Love

Please turn with me to 1 John Chapter 3. You can find it toward the end of your Bibles. 1 John, Chapter 3, verses 11 through 24. We’ll be jumping into the middle of this letter. But let me briefly point – so far in this letter, the apostle John has been writing to Christians throughout the Church (in various local churches). And he’s been explaining how knowing God practically impacts someone’s life. To be a Christian means to have a life that’s marked by rightly aligned loves and adherence to truth. When we know love and righteousness, these are things that set Christians apart from the world. A child of God will look different from someone who’s living as a child of the devil.

And in our text this morning, specifically, we’re going to see that John circles back to a topic that shows up multiple times in this letter – he’s going to speak about the importance of love. John opens up another hallway in the same house, here, to help us more fully explore the significance of love in the Christian life. That’s what we’ll see as we give attention to 1 John, Chapter 3, here. In just a moment I’ll read for us – I’ll actually start reading at verse 10 to supply a bit of additional context. But before I read, let’s ask God to work through His Word.

[Pray and Read Text]

Love Is From God

Many people today have a view of love that’s merely human. And what I mean by this is that their understanding of love has been formed without reference to God. When it comes to explaining where love comes from, why it’s important, and who gets to define it, it’s assumed that love is simply manmade. Secular voices will assert that loving behaviors must just be biological accidents, originating from some sort of hidden mutation in the human genome. They’ll claim that love isn’t inherently noble or significant – but it’s just a human chemical reaction, a human construct, a human characteristic.

But the Bible reveals that love comes from a much different source. The Holy Scriptures introduce us to a love that precedes humanity – a love that’s ancient and expansive. We’re told about a love that’s profoundly meaningful and brilliantly multi-faceted. The Bible brings us face to face with the love of God. Love is far more than just a human feeling, a human concept, a human duty, or a product of human brain chemistry. When the Bible speaks about love, he isn’t talking about fleshly passions, middle school crushes, or the affection you have for tacos. Love isn’t something developed by us or defined by us. Rather, love is from God, as John himself will go on to say in Chapter 4, verse 7.

For Christians, this shouldn’t be a new concept. In fact, God’s love is what explains how we became Christians in the first place. We received forgiveness and favor from God, not because of our love for God, but because of God’s love for us. So our spiritual affections aren’t anything to boast about. The feeble movements of human love won’t put you or I on a podium to get a medal. We will not be able to perceive or produce genuine live, simply by looking to ourselves. Because love is from God. Not from us.

And it’s with this understanding in mind, that John writes to these Christians. He wants them to know the love of God – because knowing God and knowing love necessarily go together. And John wants his brothers and sisters to enjoy the beauty and benefits of divine love. And so John lays out three main ideas in our text to help us appreciate the important role of love in the Christian life.

First, John points out that love, when absent, takes away life. Second, John indicates that love, when present, lays down its life (to bring life). And then third and finally, John explains how love, when practiced, gives assurance of life. [Repeat?] Those are the three main ideas we’ll be see in our text this morning:

Love, when absent, takes life

So first, love, when absent, takes away life. In verses 10 through 15, John shows us the importance of love by describing the fatal consequences of its absence.

Remember, in verse 10, John has just pointed out that there’s an observable difference between those who follow God, and those who follow the ways of the devil – between the children of God and the children of the devil. And in the second half of the verse, he further spells out this difference by explaining what a child of the devil looks like. There’s no mention here of a person wearing red horns and carrying a pitchfork. Instead, John says “whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother.”

In other words, if someone is still shackled in their sin – if they’re still living for the devil instead of God – you’ll see it in two ways. These people won’t be serious about loving and following God’s commands – they won’t practice righteousness. And they won’t be serious about loving God’s people – they won’t love their brother.

And John understands that what he’s saying here isn’t new insight. In verse 11, he says, “For this is the message that you have heard from the beginning.” From the beginning of what? What message is he referring to? Well, John ultimately answers the question for us in verses 12 through 15. He’s pointing us back to the beginning of the Bible – so we’re really talking about the beginning of human history, here. He takes us back to Genesis, Chapters 3 and 4. John seems to have Genesis 3:15 on his mind, here – where God tells the first woman, Eve, that there would be enmity between her righteous offspring, and the offspring of the devil (the serpent). And then John explicitly calls our attention to the ordeal between Cain and his brother Abel that’s recorded in Genesis 4.

It’s probably familiar to many of you – Cain and Abel were sons of the first man and woman – Adam and Eve. And Genesis 4 records that these men were farmers. Cain raised crops, and Abel managed livestock. And a point in time came where Cain and Abel decided to offer a sacrifice to God. Though the text doesn’t come right out and say it, it’s implied that God had given them this idea, somehow, as a way to express their worship. We’re told that Cain brings an assorted selection of fruits from the ground – it’s not clear whether it’s the best of his crops or the worst. But Genesis 4:4 clearly tells us that Abel brought the firstborn of his flock, and the fat portions – so he was giving God first pickings, the richest sections of meat, the best that he had to offer. And God smiled upon Abel’s offering. But then we see in verse 5 that, “for Cain and his offering, [God] had no regard. So Cain was angry, and his face fell.”

At that point, God mercifully steps in and speaks to Cain. He gives him wise words of instruction and caution, in verse 7: “If you do well, will you not be accepted? [But] if you do not do well, sin is crouching at your door…” And yet Cain pushes God away here. He doesn’t love God’s Word or listen to it. And Cain doesn’t love his brother, Abel, but he instead kills him, motivated by anger and jealousy. And Genesis 4 goes on to explain that Cain receives a bitter consequence for his wickedness.

So this is what John is referencing, here. He’s pointing back to Genesis. And in verse 12, he’s tells Christians like you and I, “We should not be like Cain.” And John goes on to make it pretty clear why we shouldn’t follow Cain’s example. It’s because he was “of the evil one and murdered his brother.”

When John says that Cain was “of the evil one,” he’s identifying Cain as a child of the devil. And John isn’t just making this claim arbitrarily. Because in Genesis 3:15, remember, God declared that there would be enmity between the devil’s offspring and the offspring of Eve. And Cain proves himself to be an offspring of the serpent, by striking at the righteous offspring of the woman. Cain’s attack on Abel is a picture of the devil’s onslaught against Christ and his church. Satan was a murderer in the beginning, seeking the death of Adam, Eve, and the human race, and Cain followed in his footsteps by killing his brother. Cain is a child of the devil because he walks in hatred. And lovelessness has a fatal effect. It takes away life. It leads to death.

John goes on to explain what motivated Cain’s hatred at the end of verse 12. The problem, here, wasn’t that Abel had done something wrong, or said something offensive. But, you see, the problem was that Abel had done things right. And Cain detested it. We’re told that Cain loathed Abel because Cain’s “own deeds were evil, and his brother’s [deeds] were righteous.” And John goes on to suggest that people in the world will continue to hate Christians for the same reason.

In verse 13, John tells the Christians he’s writing to, “Don’t be surprised, brothers, that the world hates you.” Apparently, at this time, the church was experiencing significant persecution. The world was opposing them. The cultural elites were militating against them. Their neighbors were shunning them. Their family members were disowning them. We don’t know the full extent of what was going on here, but given that John is referencing Cain’s hatred for Abel here – it’s quite likely that Christians were being put to death. The world hated them.

But John says, “Don’t be surprised.” For people who have no interest in God – who don’t know love – we shouldn’t expect them to like what they see in us. They’ll feel threatened by our kindness. They’ll feel judged by our graciousness. They’ll be offended by our love. When people in the world hate us, we shouldn’t assume we must be doing something wrong. When the world persecutes Christians, and puts them to death, we shouldn’t be surprised. Because the world has been doing this to the children of God from the beginning.

Yet John doesn’t want us to be discouraged by this. So in verse 14 he points out that knowing the love of God gives us reason for great confidence, even in times of suffering and uncertainty. I’ll develop this point more later. But for, notice John’s reminder to the Church, here. He declares that for all those who love the brothers – for Christians who are walking in love – they don’t have to be afraid of the world’s threats. Why? Because he says “they have passed out of death into life” in a way that makes them eternally secure. Though the world may kill their mortal bodies, the love of God brings new life that can’t be struck down. Christians have received an invincible hope – a shield and set of armor that can’t be penetrated. Through faith, we have confidence of resurrection, and the promise of eternal life.

But even though this is the hope of the Christian, John warns at the end of verse 14 that the person who does not love abides in death. He dwells in death. And he adds to this in verse 15, by saying “Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.” In other words – the person without love takes life – the person who hates murders. And yet at the very same time, the person who hates forfeits their own life in the process. The man who hates his brother may think that he’s scoring a victory, but he’s actually sealing his defeat. Holding on to grudges, getting revenge, sabotaging people you dislike – it may seem like a road to a better life – but hatred only leads to death and destruction. A heart where love is absent doesn’t give life to anyone – it only takes life away.

So, remember, John has said that God gave us this ancient message, concerning the fatal consequences of Cain’s hatred for a reason. So that we’d love one another. But even though John points at Cain as a counterexample of love – even though he says, “don’t live like that. That’s not what love looks like,” the natural question that comes up here is what does genuine love look like? Where should we look if we want to know what it means to love.

Love, when present, lays down its life

And this is precisely what John gets to in the next section of our text. He explains in verses 16 through 18 that love, when present, lays down its life. This is the second main point we see in our text. And John makes this point – he reminds us of the true nature of love – by directing our attention to Jesus Christ.

So look down with me to verse 16. John reminds us how love can be identified when he says, “By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us.” Make sure you notice how John refers to love. He doesn’t consider it to be some sort of independent abstract concept that floats around on its own. It’s not as though the idea of love existed eternally, and then God came across it at some point and learned to love. No, love has its definition and existence in God. Love exists, because God exists.

And so John’s point here is that we can’t truly know love without knowing a person. The only way we can know the true nature of love is by knowing God – specifically, by knowing the divine Son. This is why John says, “by this we know love, that he laid down his life for us.”

But in this little phrase, John also wants to make sure we understand what Jesus did to make his love visible. Certainly, Jesus’s life was a life full of love. He acted in love when he taught his disciples, when he cast out demons, and when he healed the infirm. And yet John’s comment here points to a specific event – a specific work of Christ that shows us love in its truest, most vibrant expression. The spotlights of heaven are concentrated decisively on the cross. By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us.”

John wants to make sure we don’t forget what Jesus has done for us. The divine Son, who was crowned with glory and immortality, willingly dressed himself in the tattered rags of a mortal human nature. He drank from the muddy wells of 1^st Century Galilee. He experienced hunger and sickness, countless temptations, sleeplessness, sorrow, loneliness and rejection, betrayal, torment and mockery. And beyond all these things, Jesus voluntarily carried the guilt and curse of our sins, and was struck down under the judicial hammer of God’s wrath. Jesus subjected himself to all this, from the time of his birth, until the hour of crucifixion. And he did this – not because he was impressed by us any way. Not because we were good people – because none of us were good. We were rebels, enemies of God, selfish, profane, polluted by our evil thoughts and words. There was nothing lovely in us. And yet Jesus laid down his life, to bring us forgiveness and eternal life, because he chose to love us anyway.

So notice two things, here, about Christ’s great love. First, it comes with no conditions. I think sometimes when you aren’t getting along with your spouse, you might be tempted withhold affection from him or her. You can start play little games in your mind, and say, “my spouse needs to take the first step to break the ice. Before I show them warmth, they need to apologize. Before I acknowledge their hard work, they should affirm me.” But this isn’t how Christ loves us. He doesn’t impose standards that must be met, before we can receive love from him as some sort of payment. Instead, Christ gives his love as a gift. Genuine love comes with no conditions.

But John also points out a second aspect of Christ’s love – that it comes with no limits. When it comes to loving people with his earthly resources, Christ’s attitude isn’t “how much can I hoard for myself,” but instead he’s asking the question, “How much can I give?” Christ doesn’t limit himself to a 10% love, or a 50% love – but his is a whole-hearted, self-abandoning love. He expresses the fullness of his love by laying down the absolute fullness of his earthly resources – his very life. His love comes with no limits.

Knowing the greatness of Christ’s love brings profound comfort. It brings joy to the heavy heart. It brings hope to those who are suffering. But knowing Christ’s love also brings a responsibility. And John refers to this in the second half of verse 14 when he says, “we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers” – for the fellow believers who are with us in the Church. We should be willing to lay down our personal ambitions and our worldly goods for the sake of our brothers and sisters. Because this is how Christ has loved us. Love lays down its life for the good of others.

And John insists on this rather strongly. Which is why he comments in verse 17, “If anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him?” People who know God’s love will love others – actively, visibly.

So look at your brothers and sisters around the room here. There may be people here who are still strangers to you, or people who you might feel relational tension with from some to time – yet John urges you, here, lean in and love your fellow Christians. Open your homes to them, listen to them, help them financially, take meals to them, babysit their children, help them with yard work or with cleaning their homes, pray for them – lay down your lives, for the good of your brothers and sisters. Love mustn’t just be something we talk about at church. It does no good if we theologize about it, without having love actualized in how we live. John urges us in verse 18, “Little children, let us not love in word or talk, but in deed and in truth.”

Love, when practiced, gives assurance of life

And John urges us into this, because he knows that when we live according to this love, it testifies to us that we are genuine children of God. Love, when practiced, gives assurance of life. And this is my third and final point this morning. Love, when practiced, gives assurance of life.

John says, “By this [by loving in deed and in truth] we shall know we are of the truth and reassure our heart before him.” And he’s simply pointing out here – since it’s impossible for a child of the devil to love as God loves, love is indisputable evidence of a converted heart. Even though our love will still be unrefined and imperfect – if you have the ability to love others freely, without making demands – with the generous heart of Christ – this is evidence that you have life.

And God himself wants you to know this, and be comforted by it. He wants his people to see the fruit of love in their lives, so that they can have confidence that He is in us, and we are in Him. Because from time to time, we’ll be tempted to doubt. John recognizes that our hearts probably won’t feel any sort of powerful divine presence within us. In fact, as he points out in verse 20, our hearts may actually cry out to accuse us – that our personal history is too vulgar – our crimes are too many. Our hearts may claim that we’re too far out to sea for God’s mercy to reel us back in.

But whenever our heart condemns us, God is greater than our hearts, and he knows the condition of our souls better than our hearts do. He knows everything. And God is the one who tells us here, that if you have love, you have life. If there is a new force of love in your life that’s growing, and driving out your old patterns of jealousy and anger, then rest in knowing – you are a child of God. And if your heart says otherwise, it doesn’t know what it’s talking about. Don’t listen to your heart. Listen to God. If you know something of what it means to love, like Christ loved you, then you have ammunition to fend off the attacks of doubt and despair.

John wants us to understand, there’s tremendous encouragement to be found in living as a child of God.  We’re granted increased confidence in our judicial standing before him – verse 21. We’re given confidence in our prayers – verse 22. And we’re given confidence of his indwelling presence with us in verse 24. When we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ – Jesus is the foundation of our peace with God. And when we love one another – love is the fruit of our peace with God. And both the foundation and the fruit reassure us of the same reality – that God’s saving love has come to us.

Do You Know Love?

Do you know this love? Have you grieved over your hard-heartedness toward God? Have you admitted the wrongness of your selfishness, your lusts, and your greed? Have you cried out to Jesus, to take away the penalty for your sins, and to give you a new heart? Because the one who calls on Jesus won’t be turned away. The love he has, he gives freely, and perfectly. Do you know the love of Christ?

Because if you do, you’ll love your brothers and sisters. You’ll love both rich and poor – the social elites and the socially awkward – you’ll love in the midst of storm and calm. You’ll love without expecting repayment, from a generous heart. And the one who loves this way can be reassured – you are a child of God. Oh, may the people of our church in Mt Pleasant, MI know the love of Christ, and practice it, until we enjoy its fullness in glory. Please pray with me: