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13 1st John 3.11-19
June 19th 2016
Meat
Okay, we left off with verse 10 last week where John, once again, returns to the topic of love and says:
1st John 3:10 In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother.
He continues with our text for today and says:
11 For this is the message that ye heard from the beginning, that we should love one another.
12 Not as Cain, who was of that wicked one, and slew his brother. And wherefore slew he him? Because his own works were evil, and his brother’s righteous.
13 Marvel not, my brethren, if the world hate you.
14 We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death.
15 Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him.
16 Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.
Then at verse 17 he articulates this love specifically and says:
17 But whoso hath this world’s good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?
18 My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.
19 And hereby we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before him.
Alright back to verse 10
In this (what he is about to say) the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother.
The true test of a child of God, and therefore the litmus test for a child of the devil is
Those who do and do not the righteousness of God (which is to believe on His Son) and
Those who love their brother and those who don’t.
Here the true character of people are revealed or manifested – In “doing righteousness and in loving the brethren.”
John has amply illustrated the former (which we’ve covered in weeks past) and now he begins to discuss the latter – loving the brethren.
The general idea seems to be that if a man does not love the brethren he cannot be considered a child of God.
Because John uses a pronoun in the singular number when he says, “In this” I think he is saying that the highest form of righteousness (which we defined as acting equitably before God and Man) is seen through our expressions of love for our brothers and sisters.
It only makes sense right? In fact, if we take the whole of this book we could probably summarize it all down, in the end, to the four letter word LOVE.
I think we can say this by first acknowledging that God is love. Not that He has love, or is loving – He is love.
In Genesis we see that He created all things and then paced us (who He created in His image) upon it.
Being created in His image His ultimate end for all of us is for us to then be like Him – love.
Ever think of that, that we too ought to be love. I am convinced that by doing love human beings become love. But this is another story.
In addition to God being Love we see that in the establishment of the Law it too was done out of love and based in love for as Jesus says, all the Law and the Prophets hang on love.
Then all along through the narrative of this great book we see God doing something – He is constantly GIVING.
He is PROVIDING. He is ANSWERING, and RESPONDING, CARING, AND FORGIVING.
As stated, He gave Man and earth.
He gave Man life.
He delivered Man from Bondage.
He gave Man His Law.
He was a Cloud by day.
He was a Fire by Night.
He gave water from Rocks.
Sent bread (and flesh) from Heaven.
He gave Prophets to warn and testify.
And in love, He gave correction.
And then in John 3:16 we read the epitome of God and His love where it says the all familiar:
John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave . . . He gave . . . He gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
Of course, as God in the flesh, we could only expect to see one thing from His Son incarnate – only one when His whole person and life is simmered down – that’s right, LOVE.
He lived love – by obedience to His father.
He evidenced love by the things He selflessly said and did.
Even He said
John 15:12-13 This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you. Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.
He too, gave His time
He gave His words
He gave up His will
He gave forgiveness
He gave His other cheek
He gave His back to smiters
He gave His very life.
For us.
The Father so loved that He gave, the Son so loved that He gave, and now we come to those who follow Him in spirit and truth, and we too give, which is one of the most essential elements of love –giving
Giving Up our will instead of keeping it.
Giving up our time
Giving up our resources, our abilities, our gifts.
Our very lives
We LAY them down. For God (first) and then for others. In this, love is a verb, it is an action that seeks the betterment of others to the sacrifice of our own desires, wills, emotions, needs and wants.
The general sense of John’s words are that brotherly love is essential to the Christian character, and that he who does not possess it cannot be a Christian.
The message is really plain in John 13:34-35 and can’t be more evident when Jesus said:
“A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.”
This was nothing new as God said all the way back in Leviticus 19:18
“Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself: I am the LORD.”
Paul said it well in Galatians 5:6
“For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision; but faith which worketh by love.”
Notice that Paul did not say “love that worketh by faith” but the reverse – “faith with labors by love.”
In other words we don’t love God by having faith in Him, we have faith in God and this is shown by our love for Him and others as a result – which is His command.
He says forgive – we have faith in His words, so we forgive. “Faith which worketh by love.”
He says “die to self” – trusting His directives we do, and place others needs and wants ahead of ours – “Faith which worketh by love.”
And now entering into this principle – once again – John adds (at verse 11)
11 For this is the message that ye heard from the beginning, that we should love one another.
Probably from the beginning of the Christian faith or from the mouth of Christ. This view is debatable because John could have meant from the beginning of the human race.
Why do I say this? Because he next appeals to a story taken from the beginning of the human race and says:
12 Not as Cain, who was of that wicked one, and slew his brother. And wherefore slew he him? Because his own works were evil, and his brother’s righteous.
Now one of the greatest examples of NON-BROTHERLY love is that of Cain toward his brother Abel.
In verse 10 John wrote:
“In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother.
And in the case of Cain and Abel we have a most literal example of someone who “loved not his brother.”
In the case of Cain and Abel if brotherly love had existed then the unfortunate event of murder would have never occurred. And so it is with every single issue facing human kind today – brotherly love could solve all ills.
Could you imagine a war where the soldiers on both sides truly loved their brothers on the opposing forces?
Have you ever been driving and found yourself unnerved and hateful for a driver in front of you only to discover that they are someone you know and love? And how quickly you change in your heart toward their crime?
If we could see all brothers and sisters as we see those we love the most we move toward the heart of God.
The rest of the world does not possess this love but John is explaining that those who are truly of God do – this is the identifier.
What was it that caused Cain to hate his brother to the point that he would murder him?
First of all, John tells us that Cain was of that wicked one – presumably this means that Cain had a heart of darkness that moved him to see (and be) who he wound up being.
Then John asks
“And wherefore slew he him? (or why did Cain slay Abel) Because his own works were evil, and his brother’s righteous.”
Cain offered a sacrifice as did his brother Abel. Cain’s was rejected and Abel’s received. There are the facts behind the motive. What was it then that motivated Cain to kill his brother – taking his life was not going to reverse God’s acceptance or rejection of him.
From this I think we can say that Cain killed his own brother out of envy.
What’s the difference between jealousy and envy? Jealousy is a reaction to the threat of losing something or someone that is ours to someone else (usually one person to another person).
And envy is the bitter reaction to lacking something and wanting it – in this case Cain was envious that his brother offered an acceptable offering (and was accepted) and he lacked it (and was rejected).
Maybe Cain was envious of Abel’s heart.
Jealousy is a normal thing and not necessarily an evil response. Exodus 34:14 says:
“For thou shalt worship no other god: for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God.”
What this means is God is jealous of His children and does not want to lose them (and their attentions) to an idol or false God – any more than a loving husband would want to lose his wife to another man.
In a very real sense proper jealousy – one that is present through loving actions and words – is a proper sign of love and devotion.
But envy is a rotten, non-loving attribute which is never associated with God’s character but is only associated with evil in scripture.
Job said (5:2)
“For wrath killeth the foolish man, and envy slayeth the silly one.”
Proverbs 14:30 reads, “A sound heart is the life of the flesh: but envy the rottenness of the bones.”
Again, Proverbs 27:4 adds
“Wrath is cruel, and anger is outrageous; but who is able to stand before envy?”
I have found both sexes equally envious of others – desiring what other people have due to the belief that they are somehow lacking too.
Ezekiel properly ties envy to hatred because when we think about it that is the end result – hating the person who possesses what we don’t. This was the case with Cain.
Ezekiel says (35:11) “Therefore, as I live, saith the Lord GOD, I will even do according to thine anger, and according to thine envy which thou hast used out of thy hatred against them; and I will make myself known among them, when I have judged thee.”
We know from Matthew 27:18 that For envy Jesus was delivered up to death.
We know from Act (7:9) and from Genesis that the brothers of Joseph,(as a picture of Christ) sold Joseph into Egypt because of envy.
Paul speaking of our ways in the flesh before regeneration says in Romans 1:29
“Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers,”
And again Paul, speaking of servants and masters gives us some astonishing insights into the presence of envy among the Body, saying in 1st Timothy 6:1-8
1 Let as many bondservants as are under the yoke count their own masters worthy of all honor, so that the name of God and His doctrine may not be blasphemed.
2 And those who have believing masters, let them not despise them because they are brethren, but rather serve them because those who are benefited are believers and beloved. Teach and exhort these things.
3 If anyone teaches otherwise and does not consent to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which accords with godliness,
4 he is proud, knowing nothing, but is obsessed with disputes and arguments over words, from which come envy, strife, reviling, evil suspicions,
5 useless wranglings of men of corrupt minds and destitute of the truth, who suppose that godliness is a means of gain. From such withdraw yourself.
I take these insights as an indication that people who get in the ring to mix it up over words are doing so due as some attempt to get gain or financial reward. Paul adds in the next verse:
6 Now godliness with contentment is great gain.
7 For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.
8 And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content.
In other words, dividing over words is often based in envious, reviling, suspicious attitudes that exist in the heart of people who ultimately seek to get gain from such divisions.
Then in Titus Paul describes us (once again) as we were in our former fallen days, saying
Titus 3:3 For we ourselves also were sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another.
Finally James asks (in 4:5) Do ye think that the scripture says in vain, “The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy?”
In other words, the Spirit of God, which is love, in no way moves a person to lust to envy.
So, after all that, the point John is making is that Cain, who MURDERED his brother, an act that was utterly anti-thetical to Christian love, did so due to envy, a trait that has no place in the heart of a Christian and rests as one of the founding blocks in the foundation called brotherly hate.
Apparently, since this epistle was written to actual believers in an actual time, John was hoping to help protect them against feelings that were most opposite of love.
And then in what I think is somewhat of a remarkable literary move, John indirectly shows that believers would be hated, and the reason for this hatred seems to be tied to envy (by virtue of context) because John now says:
13 Marvel not, my brethren, if the world hate you.
You, as Abel’s, are offering up sacrifices of which God is accepting and the world (which is filled with the Spirit of Cain) will hate you for the same reasons Cain hated his brother – envy.
In other words, If Cain hated Abel do not be surprise that the world will hate you too – your offerings are acceptable to God, there are not – and they will hate you for it out of envy.
Jesus said something very similar in John 15:17-18 when He said:
John 15:17-20 “These things I command you, that you love one another.
18 “If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you.
19 “If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.
20 “Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you.
John continues here in his first epistle and reiterates:
14 We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death.
Eleven times in this 1st Epistle John uses the phrase, “We Know.” It’s a favorite phrase of John’s as he also uses it 13 times in his Gospel.
The whole rest of the New Testament only uses “we know” 16 times in total!
In this epistle John begins at chapter 2 verse 3 and says:
1st John 2:3 And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments.
1st John 2:18 Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time.
1st John 3:2 Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.
1st John 3:14 We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death.
1st John 3:19 And hereby we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before him.
1st John 3:24 And he that keepeth his commandments dwelleth in him, and he in him. And hereby we know that he abideth in us, by the Spirit which he hath given us.
1st John 5:2 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments.
1st John 5:15 And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.
1st John 5:18 We know that whosoever is born of God sinneth not; but he that is begotten of God keepeth himself, and that wicked one toucheth him not.
1st John 5:19 And we know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in wickedness.
1st John 5:20 And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life.
So here in chapter three he says:
14 We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren.
And once again John gives us a direct way to know if we have moved from our former lives of death and envy and into eternal life with Him.
He says it. It is clear. (Again)
14 We know . . . that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren.
(beat)
Christianity is not defined by believing in Jesus – that is part of it – but even the devils believe.
Christianity is passing from “abiding spiritual death” to “abiding spiritual life.”
Recall the epic words of Paul in
Ephesians 2:1 And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins;
2 Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:
3 Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.
4 But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us,
5 Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)
6 And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:
7 That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.
8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.
10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.
And those Good Works that we were ordained “to walk in” are all expressions of agape love – I would say NOTHING more.
And when this love is present in us – John tells us we will then KNOW that we have passed from death to life.
Know . . . because we love the brethren.
To round this little but vast thought out that John has presented to us here, one of the bigger indicators we might extract from John’s illustration is we can know we have passed from death to life when ENVY is absent . . . because as we have seen, it was for envy that Cain slew his brother.
Therefore if we love the brethren, this love will certainly be void of envy.
This is a tremendous litmus test (and an extremely fitting one) as envy is all of the flesh – whether the envy be for another persons wealth, spouse, possessions or penis – envy is fleshly.
When we are truly happy for “the blessed state of others” it is a fantastic indicator that we have passed from the former state of spiritual depravity to the eternal state of eternal life.
John adds to that verse
“He that loveth not his brother abideth in death.”
I don’t know what else to say – John has given us an indicator by which we can self-assess our place with God.
Now, we know that we ebb and flow in our ability and desire to love – so I don’t think we can get too heavy handed here.
But when we fail to love, when envy pops up, when we get snarky toward others the Christian heart knows that this is not of Him and either quickly turns or at least recognizes the presence of failure.
So we are not be talking about perfection – the love must range from actually having it to at least knowing it is His way of living life.
Those who hate or envy without compulsion and with abandon are the ones that need to reassess their said faith.
John says this about those who harbor such hatred:
15 Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him.
This hearkens right back to the heart of Cain. So filled with envy and hate that he was driven to snuff out the life of his own brother over it.
In other words take the spirit of envy and multiply it out to a certain quantity and we will find ourselves taking the life of another.
If we are happy for and rejoice in another’s wealth, status, appearance, successes, possessions, happiness or Christian walk we would never desire to harm them.
But if we are envious of these things the spirit within us is the spirit of murder.
Private malice, secret grudges and of course envy (which is nourished in the heart) is murderous in its tendency, and were it not for the outward restraints of human laws, the fear of punishment, or how it would look to the rest of the world it would often lead to the act of murder.
Remember that story a few years ago of the couple who had raised a chimp but had to put it in a zoo went to visit it on its birthday and brought it a cake.
Apparently two other chimps were filled with envy at the gesture, burst out of their cage and ripped the couple up before being shot to death.
This is the murderous spirit that John is talking about – it’s not there (or is subdued by the Spirit) in those that have passed from life to death – but is there (in some degree) in those who have not.
(verse 16)
And then John brings it all around for us and says (verse 16)
16 Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.
There is an issue with this passage. “Of God” is not mentioned in most mss. It is in the Latin Vulgate and one other mss but no where else.
To me the clarity of the passage becomes clearer when the words are removed:
“Hereby perceive we the love (that is in us) because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.”
The passage with “of GOD” seems to be saying:
“Hereby perceive we the love of GOD BECAUSE he laid down his life for us:” (and therefore we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.”)
But without the addition the passage seems to relate more clearly to the context of the previous verses and the love that John talks about being in us as it reads:
“Hereby perceive we the love because he laid down his life for us and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.”
But here we find a key element to overcoming envy, and grudges, and bias in our flesh – to realize that as Jesus laid down His actual life for us so should we, as His disciples, lay down our lives (our interests, our opinions, our grudges, our envy) for other too.
“And herein is no greater love, than a man lay down His life for His friends.”
Our lives consist of time.
So we lay down our time for others.
We give time.
Our lives consist of desires and wants.
So we lay them aside for others.
We give our wants up for others.
Our lives include comfort – so we lay our comforts aside for the benefit of others.
Life includes products, gifts, attributes – we set our desire for them and rejoice when others possess them instead.
All the elements of selflessness, sharing,
giving and loving found in the life-blood of the faith are the opposite of the spirit of murder, which are founded in self, keeping, taking and hating.
John does a good job of describing how to see ourselves in relation to God – it’s in relation to love we have for others.
Q and A
