If you haven’t noticed already, John has three main things that he talks about in the book of 1 John: he talks about love for others, he talks about walking in God’s light, and he talks about having fellowship with God and with other believers. Love, light, and fellowship. These are John’s main themes in 1 John. Today, we’re going to circle back to love.
Let’s read 1 John 3:11-18, “For this is the message you heard from the beginning: We should love one another. 12 Do not be like Cain, who belonged to the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own actions were evil and his brother’s were righteous. 13 Do not be surprised, my brothers and sisters, if the world hates you. 14 We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love each other. Anyone who does not love remains in death. 15 Anyone who hates a brother or sister is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life residing in him. 16 This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters. 17 If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person? 18 Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.” (NIV)
John, in talking about love again, gives us the one command that we have heard from the beginning: that we should love one another. He’s speaking specifically about brothers and sisters in Christ here. Again, not that loving other persons is unimportant, because it is, and it is commanded, but John is speaking specifically about other believers. John then presents two persons side-by-side, with whom we are meant to draw comparisons and to use as an evaluation for ourselves.
John presents Cain as one person to compare and Christ as the second person. By doing this, John is asking his readers to look at the two examples he’s given and to ask themselves, “Do I want to be like Cain, or do I want to be like Christ?” And then to go a step further and ask, “Am I more like Cain, or am I more like Christ?” We’re meant to compare them, and hopefully, we’re meant to see that Christ is clearly the person we want to be more like, and that then we will do what we can to love more like Christ and not like Cain. So let’s make this comparison between Cain and Christ.
Let’s look again at verses 12-15 to read what John says specifically about Cain, “Do not be like Cain, who belonged to the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own actions were evil and his brother’s were righteous. 13 Do not be surprised, my brothers and sisters, if the world hates you. 14 We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love each other. Anyone who does not love remains in death. 15 Anyone who hates a brother or sister is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life residing in him.”
Do not be like Cain. Let’s give a recap about Cain. Remember that he was the first-born son of Adam and Eve, all the way back in Genesis. Remember that Cain had a younger brother, Abel. Remember that they both made a sacrifice to God, Abel, we’re told, brought the fat portions of the firstborn of his sheep, the first and the best. Cain however, just brought some of what he had reaped from the ground, not the first, and not the best. Abel’s offering was received with favor, while Cain’s was not. Cain became angry, and he murdered his brother Abel.
Think about why. Why did Cain murder Abel? The passage we read in 1 John tells us that Cain belonged to the evil one, so we know that evil had taken root in Cain’s heart, and that is one factor in the murder. We also understand that part of Cain’s anger was jealousy. He was jealous that Abel’s offering had been accepted with favor and his had not. He was jealous for God’s favor, but he went about trying to get God’s favor in all the wrong ways. Perhaps Cain was even feeling a little greed, greed for wanting to be seen in a favorable way. Again, 1 John tells us that he murdered Abel because Cain was evil and Abel was righteous, so we see what I think is one of the main motives for murder in this, that Cain felt CONVICTION that his actions were out of evil desires and impure motives, while Abel’s offering was an act of righteousness.
Have you ever experienced anything like this? That someone in the world treats you badly, not because you’ve done anything to hurt them, but simply because they feel convicted by your good actions? I heard about another woman pastor who is bi-vocational, who gets referred to at her other job as the “good little church girl”. It bothers her, and rightfully so. She wondered why it was that the atheists don’t get referred to as “bad little godless girls”. This is a prime example. I’m quite sure that the reason that she has been given this hurtful and callous label at work is because of the conviction others feel simply because of her presence and life choices. Another wise pastor told her this, “You represent the light. The light scares people in a dark world, so they tease because they hope that it will make your light a little dim so it doesn’t shine so brightly on them.”
And that is an excellent understanding of Cain’s conviction. Abel’s light shone brightly and it shined on Cain’s darkness. Rather than be humble about it, and repent of it, he sought to destroy the light in Abel.
We can also understand Cain’s actions as irreverent toward God and God’s standards, and even selfish.
John goes on to say this about Cain as well, that by not loving his brother Abel, he was choosing to remain in death. And John makes the wider statement that anyone who chooses to not love their brothers and sisters is remaining in death. The Greek here for death is thanatō, which tells us that John isn’t talking about physical death, he’s speaking of spiritual death. If you, like Cain, choose to continue not loving your brothers and sisters in Christ, you are choosing spiritual death.
And, this is a reminder that the love we are called to for other believers is agape, the kind of love that Jesus has for us. We don’t want to be like Cain in this. We don’t want to choose spiritual death.
John also says in verse 15 that hatred was at the root of Cain’s murdering Abel. We’ve talked about this before through 1 John, that hatred is the opposite of love. That if you hate, you cannot love, and if you love, you cannot hate.
I want to read this passage from Matthew 5:21-24, these are the words of Jesus during the sermon on the mount, “You have heard what was said to people who lived long ago. They were told, ‘Do not commit murder. Anyone who murders will be judged for it.’ 22 But here is what I tell you. Do not be angry with a brother or sister. Anyone who is angry with them will be judged. Again, anyone who says to a brother or sister, ‘Raca,’ must stand trial in court. And anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire in hell. 23 “Suppose you are offering your gift at the altar. And you remember that your brother or sister has something against you. 24 Leave your gift in front of the altar. First go and make peace with them. Then come back and offer your gift.” (NIRV)
Again, those who are being talked about when Jesus says “brothers and sisters” are other believers. It’s the same word that John uses, adelphō, which refers to other Christians. So Jesus was talking about the way we’re meant to treat fellow disciples. He says it’s not just murder that will be judged, but hatred in your heart. The term ‘raca’ means fool, and it’s a term of contempt, a term of hatred. We summarize this passage sometimes to say that if you hate your brother or sister in your heart, you have murdered them in your heart, and you’re just as guilty. And, when we look at the words that are spoken and what they mean, that summarization is true! It’s not just the physical act of murder that is evil, but even hatred in your heart toward another believer that is evil. So Jesus urges his disciples to go and make peace with those who you might have hatred for because hatred for others is not compatible with love for God!
Then John shifts our attention to Christ. He tells us not to be like Cain, and he doesn’t just leave us there to imagine then how we should be, he gives us the perfect example. He says to be like Christ, to love like Christ, who laid down His life for us. He willingly gave up His life to save us. Now, in this time and society, we will likely not ever have to actually give up our physical lives to save a brother or sister in Christ. So what should our attitude be then?
Hear the words of Philippians 2:1-4, especially verse 3, “Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, 2 then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. 3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, 4 not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.”
Laying down your lives might not be possible, not in the way we usually think, but treating others from a heart of humility, placing the needs of brothers and sisters above our own is possible!
John adds this, “If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person?” (v. 17) Loving like Jesus includes giving what you have, when possible to brothers and sisters in NEED. That might not be very much, but we can give what we have. Listen to 2 Corinthians 9:6-7, “Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. 7 Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” If we can’t gladly and generously give to our brothers and sisters in Christ, then we are not loving as Christ loved.
I’ll always remember one of the most eye-opening things my dad ever told me about Jesus’ ministry. One day, he sat me down, probably because I was being a little judgy about something, and he took me through several places in the New Testament where Jesus had life-changing encounters with people. In each one of those encounters, he pointed out that before He called out their sin, or told them some truth about themselves, Jesus always met their physical needs first, before their spiritual needs. He told me that it wasn’t that their spiritual needs weren’t important, of course they are! Their spiritual needs were the most important thing of all. But he pointed out a simple truth that people won’t listen to your explanations about why they need the Bread of Life if they actually need bread. And if Jesus, the Bread of Life ministered first by feeding people and healing people, we should do the same.
John then closes with this, in verse 18, “Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.” Loving like Christ is done not only with words and speech, but with actions and in truth.
Matthew 25:34-43 has Jesus giving this Kingdom truth, “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’ 37 “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’ 40 “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’ 41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42 For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’” (NIV)
The Kingdom is full of those who fed the hungry, clothed the poor, visited the sick. Yes, truth must be spoken, Jesus never passed up an opportunity to proclaim the truth of the Kingdom, but as I just read, love and truth go hand in hand, and you cannot have one without the other.
Ephesians 4:15 is a great reminder of this as well, “Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of Him who is the head, that is, Christ.” (NIV)
1. Growing Up with God: Why is it so crucial to meet people’s material needs, not just to pray for, talk to, or witness to them?
2. Growing Deeper with the Body: How could you love someone in the body this week according to the definition in 1 John 3:16-18? Talk with God about this, and try to come up with some specific ideas.
3. Going Out: Repeat question 2 with someone in your life who is a pre-Christian.