Finding encouragement from God's agape love.

What beats worthless doubt and presumption.. and beats inverted selfishness.. and beats false religious beliefs? Answer: God's love and... 

Yes, experiencing the Lord and His agape love beats it all.

“God's love supply is never empty.” ~ Max Lucado

The Apostle John was an eyewitness of Jesus and His earthly ministry." (Here, follow-up)

The Apostle John directly confronted the false teachers of his day that had been infiltrating the churches, by calling them “antichrists.” It was because they denied that Christ was the way to the Father. John reminded his readers of the (original) true Gospel that they had heard, and how Jesus is the only way to the Father and on into eternal life in His Kingdom. Now that John had established that these false teachers were antichrists (meaning totally “against Christ”) and therefore not really in Christian fellowship with the Father (as they wanted people to believe), John circles back to the same argument he made earlier in this letter, that children of God authentically LOVE others because GOD IS LOVE. Love isn't just a good character quality or ability, it's evidence! Practicing righteousness is too. The Gnostics (like other false teachers) lacked love ..for God, for sound doctrine, and for the brethren.

The false teachers would twist the truth and in our day they still do.

Hook: I saw this hear at church: "It speaks of two brothers who each inherit half of their father’s farm. One of the two brothers had a wife and children to look after. The other brother was single. Both brothers were farmers and began working their half of the farm that was given to them. 

One night, the brother who was single found himself unable to fall asleep. He couldn’t shake his conscience, which kept reminding him that his brother had a wife and children to feed, while he was making away with half the yield of crops even though he only needed to feed himself. So he arose from the bed in the middle of the night and gathered some of the crops and grains he farmed that day and brought them to his brother’s barn across the farm. 

As it would happen, the other brother – the husband and father – was also unable to fall asleep that night. He could not shake the funny feeling of knowing that he had a wife and children who would one day go on to take care of him into his old age, while his brother would have no one to look after him at all. To help his brother earn a more comfortable wage from the yield of his crops, the married brother decided to get up in the middle of the night to gather some of his own yield to bring to his brother. 

Night after night, both brothers faithfully rose in the dead of night to take provisions to the other, not ever knowing what the other was up to. Each morning they would both wake up to find that their own provisions from the day before had somehow been replenished. Until one night, both brothers ran into each other on the way to the others’ barn. They dropped their sacks of provisions and hugged each other as they both wept."1 

Yeah, me thinks they were Messianic Jews perhaps, but the power of this story is in the way both brothers didn't put themselves first. They chose to love each other self-sacrificially regardless. Yes, they made decisions to act in a way that we recognize as aligning with the holy character of Christ." 

Real love is what God wants you to experience in Christ and in His family! 

"Faith makes all things possible.. love makes all things easy." ~ Dwight L. Moody

Jesus said, "If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. 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. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours. But all these things they will do to you on account of my name, because they do not know him who sent me. If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have been guilty of sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin. Whoever hates me hates my Father also." John 15:18–23 esv

Q: Can you describe a person in your life who thinks, WHO LOVES, and acts a lot like Jesus? Who rejects error, has JOY and allows Christ to lead as Lord? Please explain some. What makes that person like Jesus?

We're in 1 John 3 looking at sound beliefs, JOY, assurance, real AGAPE, and deliberate sin that gets in the way of real fellowship. I believe the Lord wants me to emphasize Christian love here (John repeatedly emphasized love).

Who wrote this letter, from where was it penned, and at what time?

You know how Christians since the birth of the Church have rightly considered this letter as authoritative. The human author is not clearly named by himself. Nope, John didn’t identify himself, but the consistent testimony of the first-century believers (including from young Polycarp an early second-century bishop who personally knew John when he himself was much younger), says that it was certainly John the disciple, an apostle that Jesus chose (Luke 6:13,14) who wrote this particular letter.

Just think about those seven church recipients, and John’s style in his messages in Revelation 2–3 to them. They lived in the immediate vicinity of Ephesus. It could be that these people in those same churches were in his mind for this letter of love as well. When? The epistle had similarity with the gospel penned by John--this might mean it was written near that same time period (with a date of about AD 90), with John writing it from his exile on Patmos. He had the time. That is my best guess on time and readers.

The Purpose of it?

Like with his gospel, John made his First-John-purpose clear. He proclaimed the good news about Jesus to the recipients of this letter, saying way: “so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ” (1 John 1:3). Then later, John adds in, “so that you may not sin” (2:1) and “so that you may know that you have eternal life” (5:13).

Why was this on his heart? John wanted his readers to fully enjoy a first-hand experience of God’s love, true fellowship with God, and loving fellowship with God’s people. Yup, not allowing sin, error and selfishness to get in the way.

John daily loved the Lord and loved those the Lord loves ..in that order. John taught the importance for believers to recognize the lines between truth and error, and how our evaluating must always be done by each believer in a spirit of selfless love. He emphasized LOVE!

Sure, because we believers want to be a blessing to others as well as a good witness for Christ. No spiritual compromise or excuses! John kept his relationship with God simple and this spills over. What’s an aspect I really like in his letter First John? It’s his uncomplicated parallelisms through the letter.

By way of review and follow-through from his first two chapters, please muse on John's simplicity. There is zero "convolvere" in there (his parallelisms are not rolled up and twisted at all). They are not hard for any of us to grasp:

Christ verses antichrists, light verses darkness, truth verses falsehood, righteousness verses sin, the pure love of the Father verses the love of the world, and the Holy Spirit of God verses the unholy spirit of the Antichrist (Read more on the background).

BOOK: Here's what the Bible says [1 Jn. 3:1 nkjv], "Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know Him.

(What a blessing and honor to be loved in God's forever family even if those of the world around us don't get it.. don't understand us! As reborn believers, our self-worth is based on this FACT: The Father deeply loves us and calls us his children. His children right now, not just sometimes or in the distant future. Knowing that we are his children should encourage us to behave n live as Jesus did. Born again believer, you're in God’s family right now (See Romans 8:14–17; Galatians 3:26, 27; 4:6, 7).

[3:2] Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.

(We'll see Him and His glory soon. V. 1 says who we really are—loved members of God’s family, His kids. V. 2 tells you and I what we are becoming—reflections of the Lord. The rest of this chapter reveals what we have as we grow up to resemble God: (1.) victory over sin. See 3:4–9; (2.) real love for others. See 3:10–18; and (3.) Boldness! Great confidence before our great God. See 3:19–24).)

[3] And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.
(Our responsibility. We do that--we purify ourselves as we cooperate with God's Spirit and Word. The entire Christian life here is a process for you and me, of becoming more like Jesus in character. Not deities. See Romans 8:29)

[4] Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness.
(There's a dif between committing a sin and habitually continuing to sin. A person who continues to sin, by contrast, is not sorry for what he or she is doing. Thus, this person never honestly confesses the sin.)

[5] And you know that He was manifested to take away our sins, and in Him there is no sin.
(Jesus is our Lamb of God--He never ever sinned. He has and does take away our sin. He died to take away "the sin of the world” (John 1:29). Because Jesus lived a perfect life and sacrificed himself for our sins, we can be completely forgiven (2:2). We can look back to his death for us and know that we need never suffer eternal death. See 1 Peter 1:18–20)

[6] Whoever abides in Him does not sin. Whoever sins has neither seen Him nor known Him.
(Does not sin habitually. See many versions. “No one who abides in Him sins.” And verse 9, “No one who is born of God practices sin.” And then he says, “Because His seed abides in him and he cannot sin.” Verse 6 basically tells us, “Sin is incompatible" and verse 9, “Sin is impossible.” That sounds kind of startling huh? Well, go back to 1:8.. “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us” (1 Jn. 1:8) Now see (v.10). "If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us." (1 Jn 1:10 esv) 

Man Kurt, how can it say in chapter 1 that you have to admit your personal sin, and then here say that you can’t have sin?” Can a Christian sin and still be a real Christian? Talk to me. How much is a Christian able to sin--we want to avoid it forever! 

The perfectionist-type says that a Christian can reach a place of maturity where he doesn’t sin at all. Right? Nope. Then are Antinomians correct in saying, “Look, you’re going to sin, people can't NOT sin. So hey, don’t make a big issue out of it. That’s what grace is for, grace covers it. So that in the view of God it’s not really sin.” WRONG!

Neither are correct--it does indeed matter! John in chapter 2 says, “I’m writing these things to you” (v. 1) “that you may not sin.” You do sin, you should not sin. Kurt are you talkin' mortal sins or venial? No, in is sin, no distinction in the Bible. The Apostle John's correct view is based upon those tenses in the Greek. Present tenses, all of them referring to continuous, habitual action. The Christian does not, cannot habitually or persistently sin. Sure, he or she'll sin sometimes. He or she'll sin willfully even. But the Christian will not sin habitually, persistently, relentlessly. We choose to hate sin. If you are regenerated inside, made new, reborn, the whole direction of your life is now toward God now, yes the trajectory of your life is toward holiness and growth in Jesus. Your mind is set upon the Holy Spirit, (Rom. 8:6). Your mind is set on things above (Col. 3:2 Phil. 3:19.)

[7] Little children, let no one deceive you. He who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous.

[8] He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil.
(Many people around us have areas where temptation is so strong and habits are just hard to conquer. Jesus can help and save us all. These weaknesses give the devil a foothold, so we believers must deal with all our areas of vulnerability and walk in victory as His witnesses.)

[9] Whoever has been born of God does not sin, for His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God.
(The believer with the new nature inside does not habitually sin, they humbly confess repent and get back up after they stumble and fall)

[10] In this the children of God and the children of the devil are manifest: Whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor [is] he who does not love his brother.
(If we're busy sowing to the Spirit, and walking in righteousness, we won't have time to sow to the flesh and walk in unrighteousness.)

[11] For this is the message that you heard from the beginning, that we should love one another,

(A person’s life exists on two planes – horizontal and vertical. On the horizontal plane we relate to one another and on the vertical plane we each may rightly relate to God. Relationships call for balance and the proper management of right priorities. If we get right vertically with thee most important Relationship (biblically through Christ), then everything else including horizontal relationships lovingly fall into place so to speak. You and I simply follow Jesus, we don't need to strive in the flesh.. ever! His yoke is easy, His burden is light. Yet this doesn't mean life in this fallen world always stays pain-free, trail-free and perfect. The way of the transgressor is indeed hard, the way of the treacherous is really rugged, but believers do have spiritual opposition at times. Listen to God's word and godly Christians. Refuse to listen to the enemy of your soul, to this world system, and to the demands of your fleshly nature.)

[12] not as Cain [who] was of the wicked one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his works were evil and his brother's righteous.
(Cain killed his brother, Abel, when God accepted Abel’s offering and not his offering. See Genesis 4:1–16. Abel’s good offering showed that Cain was not giving his best to God at all, and Cain’s jealous anger drove him to murder. He allowed it to. People who are morally upright expose the wickedness.)

[13] Do not marvel, my brethren, if the world hates you."

(If we believers live 100% for Christ who is God, those of this fallen world will often hate us not knowing why. It's because we make them painfully aware of their sin and their immoral ways of living.)

Worldly people do not love God, but God loves them and He loves you too! Let's live the life, love people, and clearly share the gospel with each one.

The Bible says it's "Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God. But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His." Romans 8:7-9 nkjv

The world can be tough on us believers, and some Christians are real rough on Christians as well. Don't be, be a blessing towards saints and sinners.. in the name of Jesus! Show genuine love and respect towards all people. If a Christian clings to Christ, and to Essential Christian Doctrines from the Bible, then please.. cut em some slack to believe what they will regarding non-essential doctrines. Free them to grow up and be who they are in Jesus. We are never to break fellowship with believers who hold to the Christ of the Bible and to the Essentials. We are to be graciously loving.   

"I cannot love you as I love myself until I love God as I ought to love Him." ~Jack Hyles

[14] We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love [his] brother abides in death.

[15] Whoever hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.

(Cain was one of the sons of Adam and Eve. His birth is the first one recorded in Scripture, leading us to believe that Cain was Adam and Eve’s firstborn.. but sadly he chose to become a murderer. People have great value--God loves each one. We've been made in God's image, so never do what Cain did!)

[16] By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down [our] lives for the brethren.

(What does it mean to love like Jesus? "Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends." John 15:13)

[17] But whoever has this world's goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him?

(I say.. God's Love in us makes us wants to, and seek to meet real human needs. We daily want to witness in love. What does it mean that love is of God (1 John 4:7)?)

[18] My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth. [19] And by this we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before Him.

"God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Rom. 5:8

Countless people hunger for love. Many starve themselves or strive in other ways for love. They long to live a well-balanced life of real love. I’m not talkin’ about mere feelings here.    

"Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth." 1 Cor. 13:4-6

Factually, a person’s life exists on two planes – horizontal and vertical. On the horizontal plane we relate to one another and on the vertical plane we can rightly relate to God. 

Sure, and these two planes are on a fixed, center axis.

You know how all relationships take time-investment, some nurturing, some two-way communication (lots of listening and actually hearing), righteousness, good cultivation and God’s kind of love and wisdom. Relationships call for balance and the proper management of the right priorities. 

Many people spend the time of their lives working on the horizontal plane only. They seek to fix, to somehow harmonize and help those relationships. They are motivated to attend to those horizontal relationships around them. It’s because that’s what matters to them. 

Other people seem kind of negligent relationally--they ghost their families. It's become a last-days trend more than ever. Ever known someone who for months or years disappears from all friends and loved ones? It's like zero care for any past friend, relative, or immediate family member, but they only care for self, for say.. personal pleasure or acquisition.

Oftentimes (during this short earthly experience) people find that the horizontal plane is out of kilter. We have had a fight with our friend, and then we seek to correct things on this horizontal plane of our life. It’s because we find ourselves out of balance, so we try to address it, we try using different words and rearranging things. We try to adjust our interpersonal relationships in order to reach a healthy equilibrium of peace and love. 

It seems like many people are always trying to get our lives back in balance. The real challenge seems to be in the fact that as soon as we get one relational problem solved, then two more arise. At home, on the streets, at school, at the store, at work, at church. It seems impossible to maintain right relationships with everyone in this fallen world. 

You know how it is, things may be going pretty good at the job site, but then the situation at home becomes challenging. For many, it becomes flat-out miserable with "irreconcilable differences." (Man, we all have irreconcilable differences when you think about it.)

So we work on the relationship there on the homefront until the situation improves some. Until we get things at home sort of smoothed out.. but then things starts falling apart over there at school or at the job with the boss or with coworkers. We find ourselves constantly struggling to reach and maintain this horizontal balance in relationships.

In reality, thee Solution to a well-balanced life does not lie in solely working on to correct the horizontal plane. The real Answer lies in correcting the vertical plane of our lives that's out of whack. The Lord can help us by His grace!  

A right relationship with God vertically on His terms will greatly affect every other relationship we have (on the horizontal plane). This will in turn bring the horizontal plane of relationships lovingly into balance. 

"Nothing can bring a real sense of security into the home except true love." ~ Billy Graham

The Apostle John understood that first things must come first, "Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God.." 1 John 4:7

"The world does not understand theology or dogma, but it understands love and sympathy." ~ Dwight L. Moody

"Do not waste time bothering whether you 'love' your neighbor; act as if you did." ~ C.S. Lewis

It's about priority relationships and other top priorities. The Bible (like in first John) teaches us as believers to go to God first.. to love God most and then to love one another.

And Jesus said, "But first and most importantly seek (aim at, strive after) His kingdom and His righteousness [His way of doing and being right—the attitude and character of God], and all these things will be given to you also." Matt. 6:33 amp

"The world is not a play-ground; it is a school-room. Life is not a holiday, but an education. And the one eternal lesson for us all is how better we can love." ~ Henry Drummond

"If we have got the true love of God shed abroad in our hearts, we will show it in our lives. We will not have to go up and down the earth proclaiming it. We will show it in everything we say or do." ~ Dwight L. Moody

"Live in harmony with one another; do not be haughty [conceited, self-important, exclusive], but associate with humble people [those with a realistic self-view]. Do not overestimate yourself. Never repay anyone evil for evil. Take thought for what is right and gracious and proper in the sight of everyone. If possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave the way open for God’s wrath [and His judicial righteousness]; for it is written [in Scripture], ‘Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,’ says the Lord." Romans 12:16-19 amp

We're to live at peace with all men as best we can. The weakness of psychology in the world is that the psychologist who is seeking to help you with your interpersonal problems, often deal only with the symptoms. 

The heart of the problem is the problem of the heart. Man’s love is so small, yet God’s love is so big. He’s bighearted–God is love. He sent Jesus to save us. Jesus went to the cross a Calvary to die for us, and then he rose again and now we can have a second chance and be forgiven.  

People need to get right with their loving Maker through starting to love His Son, Jesus (yes, in a meaningful love relationship with God the Father through Christ). 

Many can get all religious, but do human hearts away from God really show much love upwards or outwards.. Is is it mainly inwards toward self? 

“The heart is deceitful above all things And it is [a]extremely sick; Who can understand it fully and know its secret motives?" Jeremiah 17:9 amp

Man’s root prob lies in their relationship with God, and, until this is put right, then nothing else can be right.

In going to the Scriptures, we find that to have a right relationship of love with God the Father a person must have a spiritual rebirth. There must be a wholehearted commitment to Christ as their Lord and Savior.

The Bible makes it clear, in order to have a right relationship with one another in love we each must live righteously in obedience to God's ordained principles. 

You know there are specific principles in the Scriptures, ordained by God who is love, that bring us real love, peace and harmony in the family at home and with God’s family at church.

John keeps returning to the same basic commandment – love one another – for the same reason. And why? It's because selfless love is from God who is love. 

Show real love towards God and people (in that order). Love is the refrain John repeats throughout all his writings, but especially in this letter. Guess what.. he’s not the only one. 

Of course, Jesus explained that love is the greatest commandment (Matthew 22:36–40; John 15:12). 

And the Apostle Paul said that nothing religious that we do even matters if we don’t do it out of real love (1 Corinthians 13:1–3). 

Yes, it always comes back to God's kind of love for us believers. John had just written that Jesus’ commandment is to believe in Him and to love one another (3:23). John had just said that the way we brethren recognize true believers is by the way they genuinely love others (3:14–18). 

JOY = loving Jesus first, then showing love toward Others in His name, and lastly loving Yourself (cuz we already do that). 

Q: What's needed for building up a joyous fellowship and a great church that rejects doctrinal error? A great love for the Living Word of God and a love for lost and saved people needing Him!

TOOK: Regardless if the world hates us, we MUST HAVE a genuine love for God first (vertical plane) according to the Greatest Commandment, and a love for souls too (horizontal plane) according to His Second Greatest Commandment. Yes, having a great love for His Great Commission is what's NEEDED among ALL BELIEVERS of every city and Land!

"Jesus said to him, 'You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'" Matthew 22:36-39 nkjv

Do you love your neighbor as you already currently love yourself? "This is the second: ‘You shall unselfishly a love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” Mark 31 amp

“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you." Matthew 28:19-20

Photo by Florian Klauer

Back to the basics of love. What's the scriptural order--what are our love-relationship-priorities?

God first, then spouse (meaning one spouse of the opposite sex), then children, then extended family, and the brethren in Christ, and then the showing love to the rest of the world.

Priorities: God first wife second children third the church and work. We might have to miss a service on occasion but we don't let work get in the way of marriage, raising children and church fellowship.

Love God most, then your spouse, family, Church brethren, work, your countrymen, and those in this world.

In the home for order-sake: Christ as the Head and Lord, then the father under the headship and Lorship of Christ, the mother under the headship and Lordship of Christ and her husband (short of obeying him into sin), the children under the headship and Lordship of Christ, under their father and their mother (short of obeying them into sin).

Showing respect toward all people, not acting spooky, selfishly creepy or like a jerk toward anyone.

Always showing love to others?--we just can't do that alone! 

It's true. We need the Lord to empower us in this walk of true faith and love. When I personally run out of love I've got to stop and ask God for more of His holy love to share. Daily, I've got to make the good decision to love people by faith.

"Lord, I'm out, and I don't feel it either. Not at all for that person, cuz they plain and simple are just super tough to love. But You love and died for them--not sure how you do, yet I love you (by Your grace) so please pour out your love into my heart by your loving Spirit. Help me think and act right, yes, lovingly like You always do. Thanks, Jesus."

Q: Believer, in what ways do you find it challenging to love others selflessly? 

Q: Describe someone who has loved you selflessly. What kind of an impact did that make on your life? 

In my life it was a 4A surfer and coach named Randy Ziglar. I didn't know he was weekly the Saturday night evangelist up the coast at Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa. Anyways, we've go surfing in my hometown of Dana Point and he'd witness to me about knowing Jesus Christ in a personal way. I got saved a year later cuz he'd planted some seeds of faith from the Word. 

Q: Describe how God has loved you. How can you show that kind of love to others?

Is your heart loving on its own? Jeremiah said, “The heart is deceitful about all things, and desperately sick” (Jeremiah 17:9). Belliever, even when we condemn ourselves, as many people inside and outside the church do, God still says, “You are my precious child.”

"Truth is always strong, no matter how weak it looks, and falsehood is always weak, no matter how strong it looks.” ~ Phillips Brooks

Why and to whom did the Apostle John write with his First John letter? It was to his friend buddy, Gaius, just to encourage him in a difficult church situation.

You too can make the truth of God’s Word a vital part of your everyday life! What's

Walking in truth IS WAY IMPORTANT (1 John 3:1–4).

People could see the truth in Gaius because he loved it and walked in obedience to it, and that brought great joy to John. Every Christian parent can echo verse 4 and even make it a prayer.

Working for truth IS WAY IMPORTANT (5–8).

When you assist and encourage God’s servants, you become a fellow worker with them in spreading the truth. Christian hospitality was important in those days and ought to be revived today.

Welcoming and continuing to welcome truth IS WAY IMPORTANT (9–10).

Some people don't think so, and they choose not to do that. Wow! Can you imagine Diotrephes rejecting a message of truth from the apostle John! He was UBER-“separated!” Yeah, in the wrong sort of way, and he didn't even receive John’s godly friends. Guess what.. when we welcome God’s people coming to us, we welcome God’s truth. Please accept the Way, the Truth, and the Life! Don't put it off.

Witnessing for the truth IS WAY IMPORTANT (11–14).

Joyfully witnessing of Jesus' love is to be a powerful outgrowth of an intimate relationship with God! Listen, not all church members are like Diotrephes (who really needed to walk in obedience to God's Word). God has a Way and all are to humbly walk in Him. (Yes, Jesus Christ is God's only Way into His Holy Heaven)! Thank God there are church people like Demetrius who really love the truth and live it. Even in our day!

Q: With which type of person does God delight in making His local churches spiritually healthy? A: It's with the later type--loving Demetrius (v. 2). Can He use you in this work?

The Apostle John emphasizes being “born of God” (see 1 John 3:9; 4:7; 5:4). Yes, John ties in with and emphasizes the theme “God is love” cuz He really is (See 4:8, 16). John says that a real or true child of God will prove his rebirth (spiritual birth) by walkin' it out. By being obedient to God’s written Word.

In chapter three, what are the five motives for obedience John gives to us?:

The Lord's Amazing Love Is Great (1 John 3:1).

“Behold, what foreign-kind of love” is literally what John writes. Paul had this idea in mind when he wrote Rom. 5:6–10. Love is the greatest motive in the world, and if we understand God’s love, we will obey His Word. “If you love me, keep My commandments” (John 14:15). Of course, the world has no understanding of this love, and the world hates us. But the world does not know Christ, so it cannot know Christ’s own.

The Lord's Promised Return (3:2–3).

The Lord's Death On The Cross Due To His Selfless Love (3:4–8).

The Lord Gives Each Believer A New Nature Within (3:9–18).

See chapters 3–5 is “sonship,” which results in a new nature within the believer. God does not destroy or eradicate the old nature; rather, He implants a new nature that gives the believer a desire for spiritual things. Verse 9 should say, ”Whosoever is born of God does not habitually, deliberately sin; for he has the seed of the new nature within.” This new nature cannot sin. Of course, believers who yield to the old nature will stumble and fall. See Gal. 6:1–2. God changes us as we ask Him to--you and I are responsible for this change that needs to happen inside.

John contrasts the children of God and the children of the devil, using Cain and Abel as examples. Abel had faith and was accepted; Cain tried to be saved by works but was not accepted (Gen. 4). Cain was a liar and a murderer, like the devil (John 8:44); he murdered his brother, then lied about it to God. Genesis 3:15 states that Satan’s seed (children) will oppose God’s seed. Note Matt. 3:7 and 23:33. This will finally culminate in Christ’s battle with the Antichrist in the last days. But please note that Satan’s children are “religious.” Cain worshiped at an altar, and the Pharisees were the most religious people of their day. Not religion, but a true love for God and God’s children, should be the test of our devotion to God. True Christians do not hate and murder; instead, they show love and try to help others.

The Lord's Witness Of His Spirit Inside Of Us (3:19–24).

True faith (biblical Christianity) is a matter of the heart for you and me, not merely of the tongue. Saying it is the easy part, anyone can say whatever they want to. Living it is a challenge. Believer, you and I have the loving witness of the Spirit inside our hearts that will be seen outwardly.. the witness that we are God’s children (See Rom. 8:14–16. Of course, verse 19 goes together with 2:28). Guess what.. when Christ returns, loving believers with assurance in their hearts will not at all be ashamed. So what do we do now? Today, reborn Christians need to cultivate assurance and true love inside.

Photo by Eduardo Sánchez

"And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him. Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love. We love Him because He first loved us. If someone says, 'I love God,' and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen? And this commandment we have from Him: that he who loves God must love his brother also." 1 Jn. 4:16-21

What's up with deliberate sin? It's a serious thing (1 Jn. 3).

It gets in the way of love. When you deliberately sin, you grieve the heart of the Father who loves you and has a wonderful future plan for you (vv. 1–3). You grieve the Savior who died for you and delivered you from the power of Satan (vv. 4–8).

What's up with deliberate sin? It literally grieves the Holy Spirit who lives in you, and gave you a new birth (vv. 9–15).

The godhead is Holy with a capital "H" (all three members are). And you have a new nature inside. You have a new Father above; therefore, you should live a new life by His Holy Spirit. To the Apostle John, lacking real love is the same as hatred; and hatred is the moral equivalent of murder (Matt. 5:21–26). Deal with it quickly (repent, confess it) before it leads to any destruction.

What's up with deliberate sin? It grieves God the Father as well as His people who love Him (vv. 16–24).

Why does it grieve His people? It's because we cannot effectively minister to anyone as we should if we are not walking free. I mean, if we are not walking in love, in His grace, and in His Holy light. Strive to have a heart that is right before God and before men (Acts 24:16). Ditch the darkness and ask God to use you as a real encouragement. Judge yourself before He does. Be quick. Tell on yourself to Him. He can keep you!. He's able to use you to help others grow up in the faith (James 2). Love and real faith are more than a matter of words that sound religious (v. 18).

"Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins." 1 Pet. 4:8 "

"And may the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all, as we do for you." 1 Thess. 3:12

"I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love." Eph. 4:1-2

"Love should be shown without pretending. Hate evil, and hold on to what is good." Rom. 12:9

1 The "Two Brothers" story is by Mr. Israel Rubin. Thank you, Prestonwood pastors.