1 JOHN 3:16-18. BY THIS WE KNOW LOVE

16 By this we know love, because he laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. 17But whoever has the world’s goods, and sees his brother in need, and closes his heart of compassion against him, how does the love of God remain in him? 18My little children, let’s not love in word only, neither with the tongue only, but in deed and truth.

“By this we know love, (Greek: agape) because he laid down his life for us” (v. 16a). We use the word love in different ways. When a young man says, “I love you,” we can’t be certain what he means apart from his actions. He might mean, “I am truly devoted to you, and can’t imagine life without you”––but he might simply mean, “I want your body.” We also use the word love in odd ways, such as “I love your dress.”

The Greeks had four words for love that distinguished among the various affections that we call love in the English language.

Agape is love that is devoted to the welfare of the beloved.

Eros is romantic love or sexual passion.

Philos is friendship or brotherly love, as in Philadelphia, the city of brotherly love.

Storge has to do with love between family members and can be also used in other ways.

The two words for love used in the New Testament are philos and agape.

In some cases, the love that one person has for another is a blend of two or more kinds of love. The love that a young man has for a woman almost certainly involves eros, but hopefully it will involve philos and agape as well.

The word for love used in this verse is agape––the kind of love that is concerned for the welfare of the beloved. John says that we can know the meaning of agape love by seeing it acted out in the person of Jesus Christ––in particular in his death on the cross on our behalf.

Jesus said as much in his Good Shepherd discourse––“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep” (John 10:11). He contrasted the actions of the good shepherd with the actions of a hireling. In the face of danger, a hireling would flee, because he would care nothing about the sheep, but the good shepherd would “lay down (his) life for the sheep” (John 10:13, 15), which is in fact what Jesus did.

“And we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers” (v. 16b). Again, in Jesus’ Good Shepherd discourse, he said,

“This is my commandment, that you love one another,

even as I have loved you.

Greater love has no one than this,

that someone lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:12-13).

We occasionally see examples of this kind of sacrificial love. William Manchester, best known for his biographies of J.F.K. and Churchill, was once a Marine. During World War II, he was wounded at Okinawa––a “million dollar wound,” serious enough to keep him out of combat but not serious enough to kill him. As his buddies continued to fight and die, Manchester found himself in the rear––in a hospital––safe. He couldn’t take it. He slipped out of the hospital, and made his way to Sugar Loaf Hill––wounds and all––made his way back to his friends––back to almost certain death.

It took him half a lifetime to understand why he had done that. When he finally figured it out, he wrote about it in his book Goodbye Darkness. He said that he was acting in love for men who were like family––closer than anyone before or since––some of whom had saved his life. He couldn’t let them down. They had saved him, and he had to try to save them.

Both Jesus and John say that Christians need to have that kind of love for one another.

We must be careful not to misunderstand this call to sacrificial love. It is not a call to purposeless sacrifice. If a ride to the doctor’s office is all that is needed, then that is all that agape love requires of us.

“But whoever has the world’s goods, and sees his brother in need, and closes his heart of compassion against him, how does the love (agape) of God remain in him?” (v. 17). This verse gives us additional insight into the meaning of verse 16. John equates love with giving material help to a brother or sister in need. How can we claim to love our brother or sister with agape love while having no compassion for their obvious need for food, clothing, shelter, medical care, etc., etc., etc.? That, of course, would apply only if we have the means to help––but most of us have some means.

This raises the question of whether our faith requires us to give money to panhandlers who station themselves at stop signs and the entrances of shopping centers. The issue is whether our monetary contributions help such people––or simply encourage dysfunctionality. Are we being benefactors or enablers?

I will admit to a good deal of skepticism about stop sign beggars. I prefer to use my resources to help organizations, such as Samaritan’s Purse or Help House, that help people in extremis. I am happy to help people whom I know personally so that I can assess their situation. I am willing to give food to almost anyone who asks. I also consider it in keeping with the spirit of this verse to give larger-than-required tips to people who are working at low-paying jobs. I will not, however, give money to strangers. I believe that to do so––in most cases––simply encourages dysfunctional behavior.

“My little children, let’s not love in word only, neither with the tongue only, but in deed and truth” (v. 18). James says as much in his treatise on faith-and-works:

“If a brother or sister is naked and in lack of daily food,

and one of you tells them, ‘Go in peace, be warmed and filled;’

and yet you didn’t give them the things the body needs,

what good is it?

Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead in itself”

(James 2:15-17).

While James is talking about faith rather than agape love, the principle holds. Both faith and love require action to help those in need.

1 JOHN 3:19-22. LOVE IN DEED AND TRUTH

19 And by this we know that we are of the truth, and persuade our hearts before him, 20 because if our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and knows all things. 21Beloved, if our hearts don’t condemn us, we have boldness toward God; 22 and whatever we ask, we receive from him, because we keep his commandments and do the things that are pleasing in his sight.

“And by this we know (future tense––we will know) that we are of the truth” (v. 19a). When the crisis comes––when the chips are down––how will we know that “we are of the truth”––that we belong to God. We can use the principle established in verse 18, which requires expressing love in deed as well as in word.

This is also how these fledgling believers can evaluate the false teachers. Do the false teachers love their brothers and sisters or hate them? Those who hate their brothers and sisters are “in the darkness, and (are walking) in the darkness.” They are the blind leading the blind (2:9-11). Those who love their brothers and sisters “have passed out of death into life,” but those who don’t remain in death (3:14).

“and persuade our hearts before him” (v. 19b). If we love one another in deed as well as in word, then our hearts can be at rest in the presence of God––because we will know “that we are of the truth” (v. 19a).

“because if our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and knows all things” (v. 20). And even if we feel guilty, God is greater than us, “and knows all things.” God knows that we aren’t perfect, but he knows whether our heart is with him or against him. He knows whether or not we are in his camp.

Note that the word “heart” is singular in this and the next verses, so John might intend these comments to apply to the church rather than to the individual.

“Beloved, if our hearts don’t condemn us, we have boldness toward God” (v. 21). If our heart condemns us (v. 20), we can find solace in God’s greater knowledge and grace. But if our heart doesn’t condemn us, we can approach God with boldness––with confidence.

“and whatever we ask, we receive from him” (v. 22a). This notion is found elsewhere, especially in Jesus’ teachings (Matthew 7:7-8; John 16:23). Jesus said, “Whatever you ask in my name, that will I do” (John 14:14). To pray in Jesus’ name involves assuming the role of emissaries, using Jesus’ authority to carry out his will. To pray in Jesus’ name, then, requires that we first try to understand Jesus’ mind so that our prayers represent his will. To pray in Jesus’ name is to bring our prayers into accord with the character of Jesus.

Later, John will add another qualification, “This is the boldness which we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will, he listens to us” (1 John 5:14). That is a significant qualification, because:

We might not understand God’s will with relation to a particular request.

What we want might be very different from that which God wants.

The promise is that God will listen, but not necessarily give.

The problem, of course, is that we have asked and not received––at least not as asked. However, if God were to grant the request of every saintly person, no one would ever die––or even need medical care. We would be stacked up like cordwood, and there would be no space for succeeding generations.

“because we keep his commandments and do the things that are pleasing in his sight” (v. 22b). This adds another qualification. We will receive that which we ask if we keep God’s commandments and do that which is pleasing in his sight. This too is a significant qualification. Who always keeps God’s commandments? Who is always pleasing in God’s sight?