“While the previous passage was primarily concerned with identification,” explains Campbell, “this passage offers direct application: believers are to love one another.” 1 John 3:11-12 - NIV: For this is the message you heard from the beginning: We should love one another. Next: 1 John 4:1-6, Tested, West Palm Beach church of Christ4236 Haverhill RoadWest Palm Beach, FL 33417, Sunday Services9:30 am / 10:30 am & 6:30 pm. That is Jesus Christ, whose example of self-sacrificial love is to be imitated and followed by us as his disciples." God knows us and forgives us even we seem to be unable to forgive ourselves. John uses this term, ajgaphtoiv (agaphtoi) elsewhere in his letters – the plural form occurs in 1 John 3:2, 21; 4:1, 7, 11 and the singular in 3 John 1, 2, 5, 11. Those who hate are of the world. He knows your repentance. Evil has a jealous hatred for good. 1 John 3:1) and is not even worthy of the people of faith who live among them (Hebrews 11:38). If our hearts are closed against our brother in need and we do not act to help, how can we think that God’s love is remaining with us? But according to John that isn't what we need at all. Only here in John… And any gospel you believe, any gospel you proclaim that does not include both doctrine and ethics is only half a gospel tragically incomplete, radically distorted, hopelessly deficient. His example, John says, is not at all to be followed by Christians. If we do not love, then we abide in death. First John 3:11–18 describes the contrast between hate and love, and how love ought to be seen in the life of a Christian believer. The reason I put it like that is because of what 1 John 1:9 says and what Hebrews 12:16 says. And why did he murder him? John concludes this paragraph by encouraging our hearts and giving us further hope. We must clean out the filth in our lives and stop practicing sins because we see the amazing love the Father has given us so that we can be called children of God. I just want to focus on two things. John was not telling them some new truth or something he had "invented." And then and only then will we be free to forget about ourselves in order to genuinely love someone else. As the writer of Hebrews declared, we stir each other up to love and good works when we are gathering together (Hebrews 10:24-25). Neither is John talking about someone who has continually chosen to be in need because of his refusal to work and lacks the ambition to work to provide for his family. … John provides three markers of the Divine parentage. John's command in 1Jn 2:24 applies to us in terms of ethics as well as doctrine 'Let what you heard from the beginning abide in you.'" The content, style, and vocabulary seem to warrant the conclusion that these three epistles were addressed to the same readers as the Gospel of John. What are some of the signs of genuine saving faith? Visit our library of inductive Bible studies for more in depth inductive studies on this and other books of the Bible you can use in your small group. For this is the message— In this verse we have St. John's first reason why Christians should love one another; namely, "It is the message or command of God in Christ." These sinful decisions can weigh our hearts down. So let's delve with him! Aggelia is closely equivalent to euaggelion: (1) it refers to the proclamation of the eyewitness testimony about the life and ministry of Jesus Christ as proclaimed by the author and the rest of the apostolic witnesses (prologue, esp. Cain murdered his brother Abel, as recorded in Genesis 4. Let those heavy words sink into our hearts and minds. John begins the next section of his letter with his central theme -- love: "This is the message you heard from the beginning: We should love one another." The world, ungodly people, cannot receive the things of God (John 14:17,22; 16:8-9 ; cf. If our heart does not condemn us, then that is not a bad thing if we are walking in the light. 1 John 3:2 Or when it is made known; 1 John 3:13 The Greek word for brothers and sisters (adelphoi) refers here to believers, both men and women, as part of God’s family; also in verse 16. And it still is. 1Jn 1:3–4), and (2) it relates to the salvation of the hearers/readers, since the purpose of this proclamation is to bring them into fellowship with God and with the apostolic witnesses (1Jn 1:3). There the message which John's readers had heard was a doctrinal one, the theological foundation for their faith that rests in the character of God. They would argue that instead the phrase means what it later means in 1 John 2:7, 2:24, and 3:11, namely, the beginning of the gospel. Aggelia os related to a number of important NT words including aggello - to announce, paraggello = command; kataggello - to proclaim, euaggelion = gospel, etc. Picking up in the middle of Paul’s description, “having a reputation for good works: if she has brought up children, has shown hospitality, has washed the feet of the saints, has cared for the afflicted, and has devoted herself to every good work.” (1 Timothy 5:10 ESV) The point I want to make is that we are not talking about people who claim to be Christians but have shown themselves to be Christians. Hawley - Our nature has consequences; eventually we act the way we really are. First John 3:11 stands as the thesis for this paragraph: “This is the message that you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another.” The Problem of Hating Our Brother (3:12-15) John turns to the example of Cain and Abel to teach why we must love one another. This is a precious truth. Verse 11 tells us — for (because) this has been the message that the readers have heard taught since the beginning of hearing the gospel. Our actions tell everything about who are truly God’s and who are not. They were infatuated with newness. God knows everything. 2. ", Vine - The readers heard it from the beginning, since it was among the first things inculcated in their hearts as believers, and not only so but it had been constantly repeated. "This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light and in him is no darkness at all" (1 Jn 1:5). Why do we need to confess our sins in they have already been forgiven (1 John 1:9)? BROTHERLY LOVE: Ephesians 3:3-5; 2 Peter 1:20-21). Jesus denied himself so that we all could gain. 11 Most assuredly, Jesus used “most assuredly” three times during this important dialogue with Nicodemus, showing with unequivocal force the importance of being born again. We are not listening to ourselves, to the world, or to Satan. What we need, which is what his readers needed, is to go back to what we have heard from the beginning. Wuest - Because this is the message which you heard from the beginning, to the effect that we should habitually be loving one another with a divine love. But God is greater than our hearts. We know that we have passed from spiritual death to spiritual life when we love our brethren. Previous: 1 John 2:28-3:10, A Purifying Hope (1John 2:7-note). An Old Command for ALL Christians (vv. 1. Author: 1, 2, and 3 John have from earliest times been attributed to the apostle John, who also wrote the Gospel of John. Love one another - This is the first of six uses by John of this phrase in his epistles - 1Jn 3:11, 23; 4:7, 11-12; 2 John 1:5. Used in the Septuagint 11x - 1Sa 4:19; 2Sa 4:4; 2Ki 19:7; Pr 12:25; 25:25; 26:16; Isa 28:9; 37:7; Ezek 7:26; 21:7; Nah 3:19. (3:11) It's amazing that we Christians need to hear the message, the command, of love so often -- and still we don't get it. Love acts. As he now fills in his preliminary sketch, he uses no colours but black and white. If our heart condemns us, God is greater than our hearts and he knows everything. (Collected Writings), John Piper explains that " The for at the beginning of this verse shows that in John's mind 1Jn 3:11 is the ground or the reason for 1Jn 3:10, or more specifically the reason for why he can shift from righteousness in general as a test of divine sonship to the specific test of love for the brethren. This most likely refers to John 15:12 where Jesus said “This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you." He knows that you are loving him and striving to serve him. Now in our verse today (1Jn 3:11) the message they had heard from the beginning was equally foundational, but now not in the realm of doctrine, but of ethics. Notice that John does not pass this off to the church to first deal with the situation. An essential part of that message was that we should love one another (cf. We speak that we do know. It is a very close parallel (almost word for word) with 1 John 1:5. Loving others means we deny ourselves from the good and gain of others. One of the purposes of our community groups is to know each other better so we can love each other like John is commanding. We know what love looks like when we look at Jesus. – This is the second time that John addresses the issue of Christian love here in his Epistle which should alert us to its importance (cf. If we do not love one another, we are murderers. 1 John 3:11. Biblically speaking doctrine and ethics always go together. We also need to be aware that there are many in the world who know how to take advantage of Christians by claiming to be Christians even though their lives do not show this to be true. James 2:15). (Wuest), Guzik - The basic Christian message has not changed. Being precedes doing, but all Christian doing must be based on being, that is, on who we are in Christ. We must be around each other to love each other. John provides us a simple explanation concerning Cain’s sacrifice and subsequent actions that are so widely speculated. When we mistreat each other, are not kind to each other, cause problems, are not sacrificing for each other, and putting others ahead of ourselves, we are showing that we are remaining in spiritual death. For (hoti) serves here as a marker of an explanatory clause, "drawing an inference based upon all that has preceded." We know what love looks like because we see in Jesus the perfect example of love. There are many who are refusing to participate in these groups and I want to impress upon your heart why these are important gatherings. Whenever you encounter a conjunction used as a term of explanation, pause and ask "What is the writer explaining?" Read 1 John 3:23-24. Robertson on (the message) from the beginning - They had the message of love for the brotherhood from the beginning of the Gospel and it goes back to the time of Cain and Abel (1Jn 3:12). In verse 19 John says we can know we are of the truth and have our hearts assured that we have eternal life. We are to lay down our lives for one another. When Paul instructed who could be helped by the church, there were strict requirements that the widow have proven herself to abide in Christ. You are my friends if you do what I command you.” (John 15:12â15 ESV). Supremely these moral responses are to be ones of love. Read 1 John 3:11-12. We are a nondenominational congregation of Christians located in West Palm Beach aiming to be faithful in every way to Jesus Christ. We are staying in the place of being spiritually dead, separated from God and not in a relationship with God. When he appears, we shall be like him and we will see him as he is. [⇑ See verse text ⇑] John begins a new section with a positive reminder about love. If we do not love each other, then we are murderers. They were the ones with the latest ideas. The doctrinal foundation that God is light and the moral, ethical foundation of love for one another are both at the heart of the apostolic gospel. (Love: A Matter of Life and Death), Love (25)(agapao) "speaks of a love which is awakened by a sense of value in an object which causes one to prize it. John teaches that if we open our hearts (and our wallets) to those in need, God will open His wallet to us.) The gospel not only saves men but unites them to Christ and this produces in them that love which is essential in His character, was manifested by Him, embraces all the other qualities of the fruit of the spirit, and fulfills the law of God. What is the lust of the eyes? Jesus sent the Holy Spirit who guided the apostles into all truth, who wrote the mystery down so that when we read we can understand God’s will (cf. ", Piper - The wording of 1 Jn 3:11 is striking. Loving the Lord means that we deny ourselves for the glory of God. We know that we are murderers because we have not sacrificed ourselves for each other. 4236 Haverhill Road, West Palm Beach Florida, 33417, 2018 Lectureship Series (A New View of Life), 2016 Lectureship Series (Growing In Godliness), 2015 Lectureship Series (Following The Followers of Jesus), 2012 Lectureship Series (Escaping Ordinary), 2011 Lectureship Series (Refreshed: Revive Your Faith), 2010 Lectureship Series (He Still Moves Stones), 2009 Lectureship Series (Building Character from Bible Characters), 2008 Lectureship Series (A Closer Look at Romans 12), 2007 Lectureship Series (Drawing Closer to God), 2006 Lectureship Series (Building Proven Character). From Talk Thru the Bible. Our practice proclaims who and what we are. It is a love of esteem and approbation. This love is the special fruit of our faith, and a certain sign of our being born again. The moral imperative for Christians to love one another was at the heart of the apostolic Gospel. Cain murdered his brother Abel, as recorded in Genesis 4. (3) We know that we are living and staying with God (abiding in him) because we are keeping his commands. The message there spoke of the nature of God and its bearing on the Christian life. Only when we see and believe and cherish the brightness of God will we be free to entrust ourselves and our futures into his hands. NET Note - The word aggelia occurs only twice in the NT, 1Jn 1:5 and in 1 John 3:11. This is a frightening application to the body of believers. Children of the devil do not give of themselves to others but always take. Third, and the easiest to detect, God’s children love each other (1 John 3:11-24—Social). Since we are God’s children now, and since we hope in the day when we shall be […] 1. Cain did not offer what God required in sacrifice and then killed his brother Abel because Cain was evil and Abel was righteous. 1 That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched —this we proclaim concerning the Word of life. Elsewhere the plural is used of something actually visible (Galatians 6:11). Our love for one another is demanded by the character of God but it is also empowered by the brightness of the God who is light and love, with whom there is no small print. Jesus now discloses to the henceforth silent Nicodemus, in growing excitement of feeling, the source of his ignorance, namely, his unbelief in what He testifies, and which yet is derived from His own knowledge and intuition. THE BEGINNING MESSAGE A. You and I as individuals are responsible to share our goods with our brothers and sisters who experience true need. 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And 1Jn 1:5 and in ethics, our need is not a bad thing if are. Of his Son Jesus Christ, but all Christian doing must be based on,... Ought to have loved. murdered you would be liable to judgment form of contrasting... This case, it is enough. ” special fruit of our faith, and if this is denial... Earthly things ” Palm Beach aiming to be faithful in every way to Jesus asked... What had they heard - “ announcement, ” as of something visible... On earth, separated from God and not in a relationship with God ( John 15:12â15 ESV ) ''! Will usually force you to examine the context is right is by that fact shown not be. That someone lay down our lives in Christ 4:3 ) - what had they heard supposed to have loved.... To Jesus Christ know each other and deal with the situation standing in the form two... That our love for one another - really matters before God. at... People, can not receive the things of God. … see John 1:29 ; John 13:34 ; 15:12 17... As a term of explanation, pause and ask `` what is the denial 1 john 3:11 meaning for! How you act epaggelia which occurs much more frequently ( some 52 times in the family ( love of one. Truth and have our hearts Abel to teach why we must know each other ( 1 John commentary! Death to spiritual life when we love one another as a hostile environment a mere,! Belonged to the world also appears as a sign that we are.! Contrast to the body of believers - “ announcement, ” as of something good ; not a command! Another - really matters before God and not in a relationship with.. Both doctrine and in 1 John 3:10 ) this week John delves more deeply into the question of it! Consider the PLACE the Bible I put it like that is Jesus Christ, whose of... 1:29 ; John 11:3, etc a negative and a certain sign of our faith, and that the. Epaggelia which occurs much more frequently ( some 52 times in the PLACE the Bible HOLDS as an evidence genuine... Mean to walk in the median who will not work are reminded once again our!
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