1 John 3b Commentary
Love is practical. Jesus died for us – love in high definition!
How do we die for one another? Share your possessions with the needy brother or sister.
For many of us, this means what it means, death. Your car can only change hands when you are in your coffin! John wants it done today!
Greediness is at zero when you give from your abundance. Your love counter only begins to count when your giving begins to subtract from your comfort. At this point, giving becomes a comfort killer. Something dies!
Wickedness has no better definition than a failure to give when you have abundance!
It starts with pity. Givers who give to gain popularity are ranked zero in Heaven! “Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.” Verse 18.
According to James (not John’s brother but the Master’s brother), faith without action is dead. According to John, love without action is also dead.
Back to the John’s simple school. “And this is His command: to believe in the name of His Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as He commanded us.” John repeats the “Great Commandment”. The greatest commandment to love God with all your heart… comes down to believing in the name of Jesus Christ.
John’s extreme claim is that the Sovereign Creator God, the LORD God Almighty came down and walked with men! The same God who interacted with Adam in the Garden of Peace and Tranquility!
Another outrageous claim would be to believe that the Sovereign LORD lives with the obedient – those who obey the command. Check your heart and see if it confirms God’s residence with you. It has nothing to do with emotions. It has everything to do with obedience – the greatest commandment.
Who is this Jesus? That is the subject of the scriptures. Many recommend John’s literature as a starting point because it is “faith made easy”.
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LOVING SCRIPTURE 