1 John 3:16-23
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. 17 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? 18 My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth. 19 And by this we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before Him. 20 For if our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and knows all things. 21 Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence toward God. 22 And whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do those things that are pleasing in His sight. 23 And this is His commandment: that we should believe on the name of His Son Jesus Christ and love one another, as He gave us commandment.
Knowing love and what it is can only be for those who understand what it means that Christ died for us as a willing sacrifice. This was to die in our place, shedding His blood in place of ours from our death as sin’s due to appease His wrath in holiness. This is the death of death in the death of Christ. Because we who He calls out are to follow as disciples, we are to imitate Christ in loving others up to the point of giving up our lives, whether in what we live for or what we die for. This means that in practice we should be seeing our brothers’ needs and giving what is necessary to sustain them as an expression of the grace of love God shows us from the cross to eternity. If we refuse to meet real needs, we close off our hearts and refuse to love as Christ loved us and gave His life for us. This is not a philanthropic effort nor works to earn God’s favor, but a response to the love shown us to others whom He created. If we truly love, it will transcend mere words and enter into actions. This urging, this moving desire to express love as His through us proves we are His, and should settle our doubting hearts of our standing in Christ. There is no condemnation here (Romans 8:1) when we know our hearts are right with God and we are living in gratitude to obey all He has said, as it is written in the scriptures. This pure motive of grace lived out from the heart gives confidence in prayer for the things we ask for which show love and glorify the giver of all good things. We trust, obey, love, and rely on His provision because of the God-given faith that allows us to believe in Jesus Christ and so love each other by and for His grace. He commands us both to believe and to love others with action, not just believe for our own rescue from sin. It is not about us, but Christ in us and the love lived out for others as He demonstrated.
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