WHY SHOULD IT SURPRISE US?
1 JOHN 3:11-18
The family feud–hatred and anger between members of the same family.
It’s an ugly–and unnatural–picture!
How can kids of one family, descended from one father, harbor hatred against one another.
Cain and Abel demonstrate that children of the same earthly father may have a different spiritual father–that WILL produce animosity between them!
John contends that if we’re children of the same heavenly Father, a Father who is characterized by love, then we ought to love one another.
Feuding, fighting, hatred and anger is even uglier–and more unnatural–in God’s family!
This thought fits John’s broader theme:
Amos 3:3 “Can two walk together unless they agree?”
To enjoy fellowship with God, we must be like Him.
As we focus on becoming like Him, we are able to enjoy fellowship with Him and with one another.
GOD’S HOLINESS 1:5-3:10
Description of God 1:5 “God is Light” => God is HOLY.
Implications for God’s children 1:6-3:10
To enjoy fellowship with a holy God, we must be holy!
We will live this way as long as we abide in Him!
Since there are two kinds of children, we want to demonstrate clearly whose children we are! 3:4-10
Children of a righteous Father live a righteous life.
Children of a sinful father live a sinful life.
Not a means to earn eternal life!
Not a means to keep eternal life!
But it IS a fact of life.
It’s the fruit (the result) of being a new creation!
GOD’S LOVE 3:11-5:10 By means of a brief transition (3:10),
John passes from holiness as a basis for fellowship,
to the second characteristic required for us to enjoy fellowship with God: LOVE
God is love. 4:8
SUMMARY 3:11
People who are characterized by a lifestyle of not loving their brother or sister in Christ, haven’t come from God.
Since God is love, those who wish to enjoy fellowship with Him must love one another.
CONTRAST BETWEEN THE WORLD AND THE CHRISTIAN 3:12-4:6
John shows the contrast between the world and the children of God.
Hatred from the world 3:12-13
It shouldn’t surprise us that the world doesn’t love God’s children!
They oppose God; they will likewise oppose us.
Cain’s example 3:12
Cain demonstrates how the world responds to God’s people.
Cain was from the evil one.
Cain did evil deeds.
Cain killed his brother
because his brother did righteous acts,
while he did evil acts.
The world’s hatred 3:13
You expect the evil one’s children to hate God’s children.
That shouldn’t surprise us!
The world hates God’s children!
John makes clear that the reason for Cain’s hatred of Abel, and the world’s hatred of us isn’t jealousy.
It isn’t that they want what we have!
They DON’T want what we have!
They HATE what we have!
They don’t want anything to do with God, or with His ways.
They want Him out of their lives.
They hate us because we’re His children
and we stand for the things HE stands for!
Love among brethren 3:14-24
One of the clearest evidences that we walk with God
is love for God’s children. 14
Worldly people don’t love God’s children.
The only people who love God’s children are members of His family.
That’s how we can tell that we’re walking in fellowship with Him!
Just as Christ loved us and demonstrated it by His death (16),
we should love one another
and demonstrate it by our actions (3:16-18).
Evidence of our salvation 14-15
14 When we love our brothers,
we know it’s because we’ve already been transformed.
We don’t love our brothers in order to become God’s children.
We love our brothers because we already are God’s children.
Our love for our brothers demonstrates that we have already passed from death to life–that’s the evidence.
It gives us assurance!
People characterized by a lifestyle of not loving
= people who are abiding in death.
They draw the juices that sustain them from the realm of death.
They’re still living there!
They haven’t been changed!
15 A common misunderstanding of this verse causes people to fear that because they have a quarrel with a brother they can’t be saved.
They don’t even LIKE somebody very much!
That’s not what John literally says.
He isn’t talking about a one-time episode–a single angry reaction.
He’s describing a characteristic of life.
If we’re characterized by hatred for God’s children,
we’re joining forces with the devil.
To act that way is to act like HIS children!
People characterized by a lifestyle of hating their brother,
= murderers
John didn’t invent the idea. He heard it from Jesus: Matt. 5:21-22
= people who don’t have eternal life abiding in them!
The new life isn’t residing inside them.
They’re not getting their life from there!
Being a “murderer” [in either sense!]
and having eternal life are contradictory to each other!
This doesn’t mean that a murderer could never be saved–nor that a person-hater can’t be saved!
But people who are drawing their life from the God of love don’t go around hating and killing people!
Example of Christ 16
This is how we know what the real thing looks like!
Jesus gave His life for us.
Therefore, we ought to give our life for our brother.
If HE was willing to do that for us,
how much more should WE be willing to do that for a brother?
Demonstration by our deeds 17-18
17 You can’t have God’s love abiding in you
and refuse to care about a brother in need at the same time!
You can’t be drawing your life from His love and not care about the rest of His family!
For the early church this meant that when they saw a brother in Christ facing a time of need, they were to come alongside and help him.
So should we!
How can you be drawing the very essence of your life from His love and NOT want to DO something about a brother’s need?!!
18 If we want to enjoy fellowship with the God Who is love,
we ought to love each other
and demonstrate it by our actions.
This isn’t just saying we love you!
The true test of love isn’t a verbal profession of it,
it’s the action that is driven by our love for the other person.
HOW SHOULD WE THEN LIVE?
God’s love for us ought to motivate us to love one another, and to care about their needs.
When we see a brother in need, we ought to be motivated to help.
If we’re characterized by a lack of concern for our brothers and sisters in Christ, there’s valid cause for concern whether we really know Him.
If we’re in fellowship with the God who is characterized by love, we will respond to people in need as He does!
"By this all will know that you are my disciples.”