Love one another (1 John 3:11-24)

Love one another

[1 John 3:11-24]

Don't you want to love each other with a transforming love, not a changing love? A bride and a groom who believe in Jesus make a vow in front of God, the witness, and their guests during the wedding service to God. Then, even though the couple has an obligation to live before God according to the vow they made, their love for each other is deteriorating, and thus they are disloyal to that vow. At the time of marriage, they loved each other and greatly with passion. But now that love is getting smaller (cooling). What is the reason? The reason is because the couple didn’t live a Lord-centered life. If the couple is living the Lord-centered life, they will gradually understand the love of the Lord more and more, and naturally love their spouse with the Lord's love. Therefore, as the years go by, the couple will gradually change into the love of the Lord, and they will love each other with the love of the Lord that grows more and more abundantly. It's one of the two. As the couple experience the Lord's faithful covenant love, they either love each other as they pledged to each other (a gradual transforming love), or they love each other with worldly love that will eventually deteriorated because they don’t know the Lord's love in their hearts but only their heads. I hope and pray that they will become the loving couple not with love that deteriorates gradually, but with love that transforms gradually.

We have already thought about how great our Heavenly Father's love for us is in 1 John 3:1-10. In a word, we learned that we became children of God through the great love of our Heavenly Father (vv. 1, 2). And we have already been taught five things how to live in Christ as children of God: (1) We should know that the world does not know us because they do not know our Father (v. 1). (2) We will be like Jesus because we will see Him just as He is when He appears (v. 2). (3) We must purify ourselves just as Jesus is pure (v. 3). (4) We must let no one deceive us (v. 7). (5) We must practice righteousness (v. 7). Here, when we say that we must practice righteousness, we must also do as “the righteous Jesus Christ” does (2:1, 6). It is to live in obedience to the commandment of Jesus (vv. 7-11). In other words, we must love God with all our heart, with all our soul, and with all our mind, and love our neighbors as ourselves, according to the twofold commandment of Jesus (Mt. 22:37-40).

After the Apostle John wrote this letter, he said in 1 John 3:11, “… We should love one another,” in verse 18, “Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth” and then in verse 23, “… and to love one another as he commanded us.” What this fact tells us is that the Apostle John exhorts us to love one another (vv. 11, 18, 23) as those who received great love from God (v. 1). I think that the exhortation can be structurally divided into two main parts: (1) First, 1 John 3:12-15 talks about those who don’t love each other and hate their brother (v. 15), (2) and secondly, verses 16-24 talks about those who obey His commands (v. 24), that is, those who believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and love one another as He commanded us (v. 23). Look at 1 John 3:23 – “And this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us.” From this word we can guess that believing in Jesus Christ and obeying His command is related. In other words, the Apostle John is speaking in connection with faith and obedience. This connection reminds us of the words of James in the Bible: “What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him?” (Jam. 2:14), “In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead” (v. 17), “You foolish man, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless?” (v. 20), “As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead” (v. 26). The Bible says that faith without obedience is dead. Also, the Bible tells us that without faith we cannot obey God (Jere. 42:6, 14, 21) and cannot please Him (Heb. 11:6). Therefore, if we truly believe in Jesus Christ, we must obey His command, ‘Love one another’ (1 Jn. 3:23).

Then, first, let us consider four things, centering on 1 John 3:11-15, about those who don’t love each other as the Lord commanded but hate their brother:

First, those who don’t love one another according to the Lord’s command and hate their brother are like Cain.

Look at 1 John 3:12 – “Do not be like Cain, who belonged to the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own actions were evil and his brother's were righteous.” What kind of person should we really be? Perhaps this is the question we mostly ask ourselves. But we need to ask the opposite question as well at least once. In other words, we need to ask ourselves the question, ‘What kind of person should we not be?’ Under the heading ‘I shouldn’t be like this …’, I once wrote like this: ‘I shouldn’t be a person who misunderstands too quickly rather than to understand, who is quick to criticize rather than sincerely praise, who gets angry too easily rather than to be patient, who is too busy to assert himself rather than listen to what others have to say.’ In 1 John 3:12, the Apostle John says, “Do not be like Cain.” In other words, the Bible says, ‘You shall not be like Cain.’

Who is the biblical character “Cain”? Cain is the eldest son of Adam, the first man in Genesis. The Bible says he worked the soil (Gen. 4:1-2). He had a younger brother, Abel, who kep flocks (v. 2). When the harvest time came, Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the Lord, and Abel brought fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock. “The LORD looked with favor on Abel and his offering, but on Cain and his offering he did not look with favor” (vv. 3-5). This incident caused Cain to become very angry that his face was downcast (v. 5). And in the end, while he was in the field with Abel, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him (v. 8). In this way, Cain was the first man to kill a human being, and he was also the first murderer who killed his own younger brother. In addition to these words based on Genesis 4, 1 John 3:12, where the Apostle John explains the reason why the recipients of his letters should not be like Cain: “Do not be like Cain, who belonged to the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own actions were evil and his brother's were righteous.” he reason why the Apostle John tells us not to be like Cain is because Cain “belonged to the evil one and murdered his brother (Abel)” (v. 12). Here, the Korean modern Bible translates the phrase “the evil one” as “the devil.” In other words, the reason Cain killed his younger brother Abel was because Cain belonged to the devil. Cain's deeds were evil because he belonged to the devil. So he killed his brother Abel, whose actions were righteous (v. 12). Therefore, the Apostle John exhorts us not to be like Cain in loving one another by believing in Jesus Christ and obeying His command.

As I meditated on this word, I thought again about why Cain did not love his brother Abel and killed him. Of course, as the word of 1 John 3:12 says, it is because Cain belonged to the devil and Cain's own actions were evil. Along with this verse, I meditated in connection with the word of Genesis 4:7 – “If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it.” Sin was crouching at the door of Cain's heart, as if a tiger was crouching down to eat while staring at its prey. God said this to Cain because God accepted Cain's brother Abel and his offering (v. 4), but didn’t accept Cain and his offering (v. 5). That was why Cain was very angry, and his face was downcast (v. 5). God, who knew it, told Cain, “sin is crouching at your door,” and said, “it desires to have you, but you must master it” (v. 7). Sin was crouching at the door of Cain's heart and longing for Cain. So God told Cain to master it. However, Cain could not master it and killed his brother Abel (v. 8). As a result, Cain was defeated by his enemy, the devil, who was prowling around like a roaring lion and was looking for some to devour (1 Pet. 5:8), and thus wasn’t able to master his sinful desire but rather mastered by his sinful desire and eventually killed his brother Abel. In the end, Cain became the prey of Satan, who was like the crouching lion. In other words, Cain belonged to the devil (1 Jn. 3:12). And the devil put into the heart of Cain to kill his brother Abel (Jn. 13:2).

When I think about “the devil,” the Bible John 8:44 comes to my mind: “You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father's desire. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.” From this word of the Apostle John, we can see that the devil acts according to his desire. Actually Cain, who actually belonged to the devil, was a possessive and envious man, as his name meant ‘acquired’ or ‘possessed’ (Hee-bo Kim). That was why, when God accepted only Abel's offering and didn’t accept Cain’s offering, Cain was very angry that his face was downcast. Thus he became jealous and struck down his brother Abel and killed him. He followed the desire of his father the devil and became the first murderer of his brother Abel. Therefore, the Apostle John said that believers who believe in Jesus and love one another according to the Lord's command should not become like Cain. We must not belong to the evil one the devil like Cain, and become jealous murderers of our brothers.

As I meditated on the saying “Do not be like Cain” (1 Jn. 3:12), I remembered the lesson: ‘Do not be a Corinthian.’ Here, the phrase ‘Do not be a Corinthian’ means not fornication and not licentiousness (Internet). However, in 1 John 3:12, when the Bible tells us not to be like Cain, as those who believe in Jesus Christ and obey Him, we must love one another according to the Lord's command. And we must not commit the sin of being greedy and killing each other. The Apostle John already said in 1 John 3:8, “He who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. ….” We must not sin because we belong to the devil like Cain. The Bible Jude 1:11 says: “Woe to them! They have taken the way of Cain ….” We should not walk in the evil way of Cain, but rather walk in the righteous way of righteous Abel (1 Jn. 3:12). Like Abel, we must offer better sacrifices or better worship to God by faith (Heb. 11:4). In order for us to worship God better, we must not ignore Matthew 5:23-24: “Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift.” The Bible instructs us first to be reconciled first to our brother if our brother has something against us and then come and offer our worship to God. In other words, we should worship God in harmony while loving our brothers and sisters in Christ. However, if we worship God as if we loved God without loving our neighbors, such as not being reconciled with our brothers and sisters, quarreling and fighting, I think that is not the true worship the Lord wants. Therefore, we must worship God with a heart that loves God while loving our neighbors. I hope and pray that we do as Jesus does (1 Jn. 2:6) by practicing righteousness (3:10). That is, we must love our brothers. He who belongs to God loves his brother (v. 10).

Second, those who don’t love one another according to the Lord’s command and hate their brother are the ones the world loves.

Look at 1 John 3:13 – “Do not be surprised, my brothers, if the world hates you.” What do you think of people in the world who don’t believe in Jesus hate you who believe in Jesus? I am sure no one wants to be hated by the world. We will all want to be loved by everyone, whether we are believers or non-believers. But the Bible seems to say that people in the world who don’t believe in Jesus can hate (or hate, or have to hate) us who believe in Jesus. For example, the Apostle John said in John 15:18, 23: “"If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. … He who hates me hates my Father as well.” When the world hates us, the believers, it means that they hate our Lord first. To hate the Lord means they hate the Father God. But from the point of view of the world, the reason they hate Jesus and hate the Father God is because they deny that Jesus is the Christ and the Father God and Jesus, the Son of God, as the Apostle John already in 1 John 2:22. That is why the world hates us who believe in Jesus Christ, the Son of God. That is why the Apostle John is telling us in 1 John 3:13, “Do not be surprised, my brothers, if the world hates you.” If we apply this word a little differently, we who believe in Jesus should not be surprised if the people of this world who don’t believe in Jesus hate us. Rather, I think it's natural for the world to hate us. What is the reason? The Apostle John explains the reason well in John 15:19 – “If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you.” Also, look at John 17:14, 16: “I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world. … They are not of the world, even as I am not of it.”

If we look at the word of the Apostle John, we can understand the reason why the Apostle John said in 1 John 3:13, “Brothers, do not be surprised that the world hates you.” In one word, the reason the world hates us is because we are no longer of the world. In other words, the world hates us because we are now chosen by the Lord and belong to the Lord. The Apostle John describes this fact in two ways in 1 John chapter 2. In other words, the Apostle John describes those who belong to the Lord and those who belong to the world in two ways in 1 John chapter 2.

The Apostle John said that the truth is in those who belong to the Lord, and those who belong to the world are liars.

Look at 1 John 2:4 – “The man who says, "I know him," but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him.” First, let us consider the fact that those who are of the world are liars. The Apostle John said in John 8:44 that the devil is a liar and the father of lies. However, he said in 1 John 2:4 that the liar refers to the man who claims to know God and doesn’t to what He command. When we meditate on these two verses in connection, we can conclude that people who are born of the devil, who is the liar and the father of lies, are people who say they know God and don’t keep God's commands. Those who truly know God keep His commands. But those who know God falsely don’t keep His commands. They are liars who belong to this world. In contrast, the truth is those who belong to the Lord. In other words, those who don’t belong to the world but belong to the Lord are those who truly know the Lord and obey His commands (1 Jn. 2:3). And those who obey the commands of the Lord have the truth in them. And those who obey Lord's commands, and thus the truth is in them know that God's love is truly made complete in them and by this we know that they are in Him (v. 5)..

The Apostle John said that those who belong to the Lord are in the light, and those who belong to the world are in the darkness.

Look at 1 John 2:9 – “Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates his brother is still in the darkness.” In 1 John 2:4, the Apostle John speaks about a man who claims to know God, but doesn’t do what He commands, and then in verse 9 he speaks about a man who claims to be in the light but hates his brother. Looking at these two verses, among the recipients of this letter of 1 John from the Apostle John, those who disobey God's commands while saying, 'I know God' and 'I am in the light', didn’t love and hated their brothers in Christ. In fact, even in the modern church, how many of the church members say, 'I know the Lord' and 'I love the Lord', but actually break the Lord's commands and hate their neighbors instead of loving them? Don't we do that countless times? In particular, even though we know the Bible verse Ephesians 5:8, “For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light,” we don’t live as children of light but live like those who are still in the darkness like when we were non-believers? Then what does it mean to live like those who are in the darkness? According to the Apostle John, that is hating their brother (1 Jn. 2:9). Look at 1 John 2:11 – “But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks around in the darkness; he does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded him.” Those who are in the darkness who hate their brother are the ones the world loves (3:13).

In 1 John 3:13, the Apostle John says: “Do not be surprised, my brothers, if the world hates you.” Applying this verse, it is natural that people in the world who don’t believe in Jesus hate us who believe in Jesus. Why do the unbelievers hate the believers? Look at 1 John 3:19 – “This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil.” The reason the unbelievers hate the believers is because they love the darkness more than the Light. Also, the reason the darkness-loving world hates the believers who are children of the Light is that the children of the Light's obedience to God's commands “expose” “the unfruitful deeds of darkness” (Eph. 5:11). Isn't that obvious? When the Light shines on the darkness, don't the dark deeds expose? In this way, the light life of believers, the children of the Light, reveals the dark deeds of this world. Therefore, those in the darkness must hate the children of the Light. The Apostle John tells us not to be surprised about it (1 Jn. 3:13). Therefore, the ones who hate his brother (v. 15), who don’t love one another as the Lord commanded, is the ones whom the world loves (v. 13). The reason the world loves the ones who hate his brother is because he who doesn’t love his brother is not a child of God (v. 10). In other words, the people of the world hate us (3:13), the children of God (vv. 1, 2), because they aren’t God's children (v. 10). According to 1 John 3:10, the people of the world are “the children of the devil,” so the children of the devil hate “the children of God.” And the children of the devil don’t do what is right and don’t love their brother (v. 10). That is why they hate the children of God who do what is right and who love their brothers. But, on the contrary, those who don’t do what is right and hate their brother are the ones whom the world loves.

We are God's loved ones. We are the ones who became children of God through the great love that God has bestowed on us (vv. 1, 2). Therefore, as the children of God, we are to love one another according to God's commandment (v. 11). Although the world hates us when we love each other, we shouldn't be surprised at it. Although the people of this world hate us, who are the children of God, when we love one another according to God's commandment, we need to take it as a natural result rather than surprised at it. I hope and pray that we, who became the children of God by receiving God's great love, love each other according to God's commandment, so that the world hates us.

Third, those who don’t love one another according to the Lord’s command and hate their brother are the ones who abide in death.

Look at 1 John 3:14 – “We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love abides in death.” Do you know what the minimum wage is in California, where we live? As of January 2020, $12 per hour for fewer than 25 employees, and $13 per hour for more than 26 employees (Internet). In the 1980s, when I was working part-time, the minimum wage was $3.10 (Internet). So it has increased by almost $9-10 in about 40 years. Naturally, an employee must be paid in return for the work they do. However, the Bible Deuteronomy 24:15 says to pay the employee his wages each day before sunset. What is the reason? The reason is because “he is poor and is counting on it” (v. 15). Look at Deuteronomy 24:15 – “Pay him his wages each day before sunset, because he is poor and is counting on it. Otherwise he may cry to the LORD against you, and you will be guilty of sin.” In the New Testament, it is said that in the days of the Apostle Paul, Roman soldiers had a salary just as the soldiers still have a salary paid by the government. It is said that in the first century, the salaries of the Roman soldiers were a day's food, clothes, and money. It is said that the Roman soldiers or those received as compensation or remuneration for their work at that time were called “wages” (Internet).

The Apostle Paul, who was aware of this fact, said, “The wages of sin is death” in Romans 6:23. Here we need to consider what the word “death” means in the Bible. The Bible uses the word “death” in three different senses:

‘Death’ means ‘spiritual death.’

Spiritual death here refers to separation from God. Adam, the first man of mankind in Genesis, disobeyed God's command of the covenant and died spiritually and was separated from God. That is, he was spiritually dead. And the Bible says that sin entered the world through this one man, Adam, and death through sin (Rom. 5:12). And the Bible says, “… and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned” (v. 12). That is, because of Adam's original sin, all people of mankind sinned, and death, that is, spiritual death, came to all men. We were all separated from God. In Romans 5, the Apostle Paul described the condition of these separated ones in three ways: (a) “when we were still powerless” (Rom. 5:6), (b) “While we were still sinners” (v. 8), (c) “when we were God’s enemies” (v. 10). In Ephesians 2:1, the Bible speaks of us in this state as “dead in your transgressions and sins.”

‘Death’ means ‘physical death.’

Physical death here refers to the separation of body and soul when we die. From the medical point of view of this world, when we think of physical death, we seem to say that death is when our breathing and heart stop. However, from the Biblical point of view, physical death is the departure of our soul from the body. A good example is that before Jesus died on the cross, he prayed aloud to God the Father: “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit." When he had said this, he breathed his last” (Lk. 23:46). In this way, the physical death spoken of in the Bible is not simply the cessation of breathing and the heart stop, but the separation of our soul from the body. Then, our souls go to heaven and our bodies return to dust.

‘Death’ means ‘eternal death.’

Here, “eternal death” refers to the “The second death” (Rev. 20:6, 11, 14; 21:8). Then, what is the “The second death” spoken of in the book of Revelation? It refers to the final state of death that all human beings who don’t believe in Jesus Christ and disobey the will of God will face forever. This final state of death refers to the eternal and complete separation from God as the final judgment and eternal death (Internet).

When the Apostle Paul said, “The wages of sin is death” in Romans 6:23, the meaning of “death” includes all three biblical meanings. In other words, the word that the wages of sin is death means that the wages of sin are spiritual death, physical death, and eternal death.

In 1 John 3:14, the Bible says: “We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love abides in death.” In the context of this word, the Apostle John distinguishes between two groups of people. One group is “the children of God” who do what is right (v. 10) of loving one another (3:11) as Jesus did (2:6), the command of the Lord (2:3, 4), the other group is “the children of the devil” who don’t do what is right and don’t love their brothers (v. 10). The Apostle John said that the children of God in the first group know that they have passed out of death into life by loving their brother, whereas the children of the devil who belong to the second group, who don’t belong to God and are not the children of God, are those who don’t love their brother and abide in death (v. 14). This verse can be briefly summarized and contrasted: the children of God who have eternal life love their brothers, but the children of the devil, who abide in death, don’t love their brothers (v. 14). Rather, the children of the devil, who abide in death, hate their brothers (v. 15). Therefore, as the Lord commanded, those who don’t love one another, don’t love their brother but hate their brother are those who still abide in death. That is, they are spiritually dead, physically dead, and will die eternally.

The Bible says that the wages of sin is death, but the (free) gift of God is eternal life in our Lord Jesus Christ (Rom. 6:23). Although sin entered the world through the disobedience of one man, the first Adam, and death through sin reached all men (5:12), yet another man, the second Adam, or the last Adam Jesus Christ was obedient to the point of death on the cross. As a result, God’s free gift of eternal life that is in our Lord Jesus Christ “overflow to many” (v. 15). We, as the children of God who have this eternal life, must work out our salvation with fear and trembling while we live on this earth (Phil. 2:12). In other words, what the Apostle Paul meant when he said to the Philippian church members, “Work out your salvation,” was to ‘Work out your eternal life’ (you must live as those who have eternal life). Then, what does it mean to live as those who have eternal life? Since those who have eternal life are the citizens of the kingdom of heaven (Phil. 3:20), they must live as the citizens of the kingdom of heaven. To live like the people of the kingdom of heaven is to love the Lord our God with all our heart, with all our soul, and with all our mind, and to love our neighbors as ourselves, according to the twofold commandment of Jesus, the heavenly commandment (Mt. 22:37-39). The Bible Philippians 2:13 tells us that God works in us both to will and to work for His good pleasure. That is, God gives us, the believers, the will to do good, and also the strength to work. The Holy Spirit produces love, which is the fruit of the Holy Spirit, in us (Gal. 5:22-23) so that we can love God and love our neighbors. I hope and pray that all of us maybe able to prove that we already have eternal life, free from death by loving our brothers and sisters in Christ under the guidance of the Holy Spirit (1 Jn. 3:14).

Fourth, those who don’t love one another according to the Lord’s command and hate their brother are murderers.

Look at 1 John 3:15 – “Anyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life in him.” Whether you are a family member or a member of the church, do you have no qualms in your conscience in terms of loving your neighbor with the Lord's love? Do you also come up to the Sunday chapel to praise and worship God, and even though you know “Your brother has something against you” (Mt. 5:23), don’t you have time to worship God without first being reconciled to your brother? Although there are times when a couple argues with each other and they get angry with their children even when they go up to the chapel on a Sunday morning, and have difficult relationship with church members, don’t you just praise and worship God without reconcile with them? Before worship, Jesus tells us to “go and first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and present your offering” (Mt. 5:24). Are we really obeying this word of Jesus? For some reason, even within the community of the church, I think there are some people who have a difficult relationship with each other. Even though they have the difficult relationship with each other, on the surface, they come up to the chapel and shake hands or greet each other while sitting in one place worshiping the Holy God. Therefore, we must love each other only with the love of God. Because the Holy Spirit who dwells in us produces the fruit of the Spirit, that is love, when brothers and sisters in Christ love each other with the love of God, we can keep the unity of the church. This kind of brotherly love is referred to in 1 John 2:10 as ‘the love that doesn’t make us stumble. But if there is any stumbling that exists within us in terms of loving our brother or sister in Christ, why is there a stumbling? The reason is because we hate our brother in Christ (v. 11).

The Bible says that he who hates his brother is in the darkness. Look at 1 John 2:11 – “But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks around in the darkness; he does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded him.” God is the Light. There is no darkness in Him (1:5). Therefore, if he says that he has fellowship with God, but doesn’t love his brother but hates him, then he is lying and is walking in the darkness (v. 6). The Bible says that such liar walks in the darkness and doesn’t know where he is going (2:11). The darkness has blinded his eyes who hates his brother (v. 11). As a result, because he cannot see or feel the love of God, not only he doesn’t walk in the truth, but he also cannot do so. Though his head knows that he should love his brother, his darken heart that is filled with hatred not only does not love his brother, but also refuses to even receive his brother’s love. He who says he is in the Light and hates his brother is still in the darkness (2:9). The love of God is truly not perfected in him (v. 5). As the child of Light, he isn’t living a worthy life. Rather, he is committing the sin of obscuring the glory of God.

In 1 John 3:15, the Bible says: “Anyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life in him.” The Bible says that everyone who hates his brother is “a murderer.” It's no wonder the world hates us (3:13). In a way, I think this is perfectly normal that the world hates us. But what is strange is that brothers hate each other, even though it is perfectly normal for brothers to love each other. The Bible says that when brothers hate each other, it is murder. Isn't that surprising? Usually when we think of murder, we think of killing people with a knife, a gun, etc. But the fact is that the Apostle John says that hating a brother is murder. The seventh commandment of the Ten Commandments say, “You shall not murder” (Exod. 20:13). But when we think about this word in connection with Jesus' second commandment, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Mk. 12:31), not loving your brother but hating him isn’t loving your neighbor but murdering your brother. As I meditated on these words, I remembered what Jesus said in Matthew 5:28 – “but I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” Jesus said that everyone who looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart. In fact, he had already committed adultery with her in his heart heart when he saw her with “A spirit of prostitution” (Hos. 5:4) or his ‘adulterous heart’ (Ezek. 6:9), rather than he actually (or physically) committed adultery with her. In this way, the heart that hates brothers is a murderous heart’ (1 Jn. 3:15). And having the heart that hates the brother in Christ like this is a murderer's heart can actually kill that brother in the end. That is why the Apostle John said, “Do not be like Cain,” in 1 John 3:12, speaking of Cain who actually killed Abel, his own younger brother. The Bible says that he who hates his brother like this is the murderer, and the murderer has no eternal life (v. 15).

The saints who have already received eternal life by believing in Jesus love the Lord their God with all their heart, with all their soul, and with all their mind, and love their neighbors as themselves (Mt. 22:37-39). However, we must also know that those who don’t love their brothers as themselves but hate their brother as they do in disobedience to the Lord's commandment, and commit the sin of murder in their hearts, don’t have eternal life (1 Jn. 3:15). Those who don’t have eternal life hate their brother and commit murder not only in heart but also in reality. We who don’t love one another as the Lord commands but hate our brother is the murderers (v. 15). We who don’t love but hate our brother who kills in this way even in our hearts is still remain in death (v. 14), loved by the world (v. 13), and our actions are evil (v. 12). Therefore, we should not take the sin of hating our brother lightly. And we must not harden our hearts and be slow to repent of our sins of murder even in our hearts before God. We must immediately confess and repent our sins to God. We must hold on to the promise of 1 John 1:9 and confess our sin: “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” And we are to love one another as the Lord commands. This is the righteousness we ought to do as the children of God (3:10). When we love our brother and sister in Christ, we will know that we already have eternal life (v. 14).

Then, focusing on 1 John 3:16-18, let's think about those who obey His commands (1 Jn. 3:24), that is, those who love one other according to His commands in three ways:

First, those who love one another as the Lord commands lay down their lives for their brother.

Look at 1 John 3:16 – “This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers.” What is love? Of course, when we Christians say “love,” we will refer to the famous love chapter, 1 Corinthians 13. In particular, when we say “love,” we seem to think of verses 4-7: “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. But when I meditate on 1 John 3:16, I remember John 15:12-14 more than 1 Corinthians 13: “My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command.” He is telling us to love one another as Jesus loved us. In order for us to obey these words of Jesus, we must first know how Jesus loved us. Jesus laid down his life for us on the cross. Jesus, who was without sin, took all our sins and died on the cross to pay for our sins. The more we realize the breadth, length, height, and depth of the love of Jesus' atoning death on the cross (Eph. 3:19), we can love each other with the Lord's love. In 1 John 3:16, the Bible says: “This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers.” In this verse, the Apostle John says that we first came to know love, because Jesus Christ laid down His life for us (v. 16). This reminds me of Romans 5:8 – “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Jesus Christ took on all our sins (original sin, past sins, present sins, future sins) and took on the eternal punishment we deserve. Therefore, “God demonstrates his own love for us” (v. 8). The holy and righteous God, who hates and destroys sin, demonstrated his love to the sinners who supposed to suffer eternal punishment and had to die forever clearly through the death of Jesus Christ on the cross (Chang Seh Kim). Also, in 1 John 3:16, the Apostle John says that those who love one another according to the Lord's commandment lay down their lives for their brother.

To love each other is to sacrifice for each other. Look at Ephesians 5:2 – “and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.” Jesus sacrificed his life on the cross for our salvation. Why? The reason is because Jesus, the Good Shepherd, loves us. Look at John 10:11, 15, 17 – “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. … and I lay down my life for the sheep. ... I lay down my life ….” Of course, not only the Father God wanted the Son Jesus Christ to be crushed and to suffer (Isa. 53:10), but Jesus the Son also wanted to lay down his life for the sheep (Jn. 10:11, 15, 17, 18). So, while the Son Jesus obeyed the will of the Father God, whom He loved, even to death on the cross (Phil 2:8; Jn. 14:21), at the same time, Jesus laid down His own life (Jn. 10:11, 15, 17, 18). Jesus did this because He had the power to lay down His life (v. 18). As the Good Shepherd, the reason Jesus laid down His life for the sheep (v. 11) that the Father God had given him (v. 29) was so that they may have life, and have it to the full (v. 10). In a word, the reason Jesus, the Good Shepherd, laid down His life, was to give eternal life to the sheep (v. 11) so that they would not perish forever (v. 28).

As the Lord commands, those who love one another lay down their lives for their brother (1 Jn. 3:16). Just as Jesus laid down His life on the cross for us, we ought to lay down our lives for our brother (v. 16). Jesus said, “Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends” (Jn. 15:13). Let's all make sacrifices for our dear brothers and sisters in Christ, starting with small things. May we all be willing to make sacrifices willingly, humbly, and even with joy.

Second, those who love one another as the Lord commands help their brother in need with their material possessions.

Look at 1 John 3:17 – “If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him?” Is it wrong for us to ask God for the blessing of wealth and possessions? Are we really happy if we have a lot of wealth and possessions? In Ecclesiastes 6:3, 6, the word “prosperity” appears in the Bible: “A man may have a hundred children and live many years; yet no matter how long he lives, if he cannot enjoy his prosperity …” (v. 3), “even if he lives a thousand years twice over but fails to enjoy his prosperity …” (v. 6). If we look at these verses, the word “prosperity” is the wealth and possessions that God gives (v. 2). In other words, the blessing of wealth and possessions that God gives us is our happiness [However, that doesn’t mean that a person is unhappy because he didn’t receive the blessings of wealth and possessions from God. The important thing is not whether we receive the blessing of wealth or possessions, but rather that God is with us because that is prosperity and happiness (Gen. 39)]. When we receive the blessing of wealth and possessions from God, we are happy people. But let us not forget that there is something more important than the blessings of wealth and possessions. It is the blessing of receiving and enjoying the blessing of wealth and possessions. Look at Ecclesiastes 5:19 – “Moreover, when God gives any man wealth and possessions, and enables him to enjoy them, to accept his lot and be happy in his work--this is a gift of God.” Here, King Solomon talks about four things: (1) God blesses us with wealth and riches; (2) God gives blessings of wealth and riches through our laboring; (3) God makes us to enjoy his blessing of wealth and riches, and (4) It is God's gift that we can enjoy the blessings of his wealth and riches. But in Ecclesiastes 6:1, King Solomon talks about “another evil” that weights heavily on men. And the “another evil” is that people are not able to see their own happiness and are not satisfied with their happiness. Who are the ones who are not see their own happiness and are not satisfied with their happiness? They are those who received the blessing of wealth and riches from God, but are not allowed to enjoy it (v. 2). Although we may have a hundred children (v. 3) and live a thousand years twice over (v. 6), how can we say that we are happy people if we can not enjoy the blessings of wealth and riches we have received from God? They are an unhappy people. Therefore, more important than the blessings of wealth and riches is the blessing of enjoying those blessings.

I think that the most foolish people in the world are those who have abundant wealth but cannot enjoy it. How foolish are those who use their wealth for vain pleasures, even if they do enjoy it? Why can’t they foolishly enjoy abundant wealth? I found the reason in Ecclesiastes 5:13 – “I have seen a grievous evil under the sun: wealth hoarded to the harm of its owner.” Why can't they enjoy their abundant wealth? The reason is because the owner of the wealth is keeping it from harm to himself. How foolish is this? Why are they protecting their wealth to such an extent that it harms them? The root reason is because they love money (wealth) more than themselves. How can money be more precious than a person's life? This is what Dr. Yoon-sun Park said: ‘It is harmful to give life to something that you will not have forever’ (Park). This surely is the grievous evil. King Solomon saw that “wealth lost through some misfortune, so that when he has a son there is nothing left for him” (v. 14). So King Solomon says in Ecclesiastes 5:15-16: “Naked a man comes from his mother's womb, and as he comes, so he departs. He takes nothing from his labor that he can carry in his hand. This too is a grievous evil: As a man comes, so he departs, and what does he gain, since he toils for the wind?” After all, this world comes empty-handed and goes empty-handed. No matter how much we work and how much money we accumulate, we have nothing we can take with us when we die. What do you do with those who have accumulated wealth in such a way that they harmed themselves? What's the use of not enjoying it and losing all the wealth you've accumulated due to a disaster? As a result, the Bible says, “All his days he eats in darkness, with great frustration, affliction and anger” (v. 17). In the end, the foolish rich man is nothing more than a lifelong effort in vain to catch the wind. But to those who love God, or to those whom God loves, God gives riches and wealth so that they can enjoy it. Here is an important truth we need to keep in mind. When God grants us the power of wealth, we can not only obtain riches in abundance, but we can enjoy them only when God allows us to enjoy those riches.

Then, how should believers who have been blessed with wealth and riches enjoy those blessings? We are to love one another according to the commandment of the Lord. We must use our means to help our brothers in need. Look at 1 John 3:17 – “If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him?” The Apostle John said ‘How can you say you love God if you have a lot of money and see your brother in need and don’t help him?’ The Bible says that the man who has so much wealth but sees a poor brother and does not help him is not rich toward God (Lk. 12:21). Such a man is the man who stores up wealth only for himself (v. 21). And in Proverbs 28:22, the modern Korean Bible says, ‘The selfish man is in a hurry to accumulate wealth.’ On the other hand, the unselfish man, or more specifically, the believer who knows the love of Jesus Christ who laid down His life for us (1 Jn. 3:16), use God-given material blessings to love his neighbor. Hear this letter from the Apostle Paul to the saints in the church in Corinth. Look at 2 Corinthians 12:15 – “So I will very gladly spend for you everything I have and expend myself as well. If I love you more, will you love me less?” Since Paul rejoiced greatly for the souls of the Corinthian church members whom he loved with the love of the Lord, he not only used his possessions but also gave himself up for them. In other words, he was willing to give not only his means but also his own body for the sake of his beloved brothers. In this way, the Apostle Paul loved the Corinthian church members and used what he had. He was also loved by the Philippian church members and received help from them when Paul was in mission trip (Phil. 4:14). The members of the Philippian church not only helped Paul when he left Macedonia in the beginning of the gospel, but also sent him something to write twice while he was in Thessalonica (vv. 15-16). Not only that, when the church members in Jerusalem were in trouble, the Gentile brothers, Macedonians and Achaia brothers, gathered a relief offering with joy and gave it to Paul (vv. 25, 31). Look at Psalms 112:9 – “He has scattered abroad his gifts to the poor, his righteousness endures forever; his horn will be lifted high in honor.” The Roman army centurion in the Italian Regiment in Acts 10 gave generously to those in need (Acts 10:1-2). The Bible says that these gifts to the poor had come up as a memorial offering before God (v. 4). Therefore, the Bible says that Cornelius “is a righteous and God-fearing man, who is respected by all the Jewish people” (v. 22). A certain centurion in Luke 7 loved the Jewish people and built a synagogue for them (Lk. 7:2, 5).

As the Lord commanded, we should love one another, and help our brother in need with our material possessions (1 Jn. 3:17). Look at Proverbs 14:24 – “The wealth of the wise is their crown, but the folly of fools yields folly.” We should use the wealth God has given us wisely by helping our brothers and sisters in Christ who are in need around us with material possessions. Then it will become our crown.

Third, those who love one another as the Lord commands love their brother with actions and in truth.

Look at 1 John 3:18 – “Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.” Personally, there are times when I make the hymn “Lord, I Want to be a Christian” as the subject of my earnest prayer and praise. According to the lyrics of the hymn, “I want to become a Christian”, “I want to be more loving”, “I want to be more holy”, “I want to be like Jesus” “In a my heart, in a my heart” are the subject of my earnest prayer. I am sure you have the same heart with me. To do that, we must first become true Christians. At the end of October 2018, I wrote this short writing under the title “I want to be a true Christian”: ‘It is far better for me to tell the truth and to be hated, excluded, insulted, and rejected my name as evil by telling the truth than to lie and be praised by everyone (Lk. 6:22, 26).’ However, I think that we pastors are not sincere and have a habit of telling lies. There is an article about this in the book ‘Suffering is a gift’ written by a man named Jung-min Jo: ‘It is difficult to find a sincere person among those who want to reveal their name, and it is difficult to find a humble person among those who want to teach anywhere’ (Jo).

Have you ever shed ‘tears of true love’ while thinking of the person you love? I wrote this short writing at the end of December 2018 under the title “Tears of True Love”: ‘Today, I saw tears in her eyes. I may not fully understand the meaning of those tears, but at least I know that they are tears of true love. Among the mother’s tears for her beloved child, the tears of fervent prayer will surely fulfill God's will in God's time and in God's way. So we don't give up. Rather, we pray, expect and have hope.’ When we pray for our children or loved ones, all of us must have prayed with earnestness and tears in our hearts. The tears of that earnest prayer of love cannot be a lie. In other words, we should shed tears of sincere prayer to God for those we love.

In 1 John 3:18, the Apostle John says: “Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.” Why did the Apostle John continue to write to his recipients, saying, “Let us not love with words or tongue, but with actions and in truth”? Could it be that the reason was because of the recipients of 1 John's letter, as mentioned in verse 17, which is a close context, there were saints who have many material possessions and see poor brother in need and don’t help him? (v. 17) Could it be that some of the saints don’t love their brother (v. 10) or that there were people who hated their brother? (v. 15, cf. 2:11) Furthermore, I think the reason why the Apostle John exhorted us to love in actions and in truth is because Jesus Christ, who is the Word of life from the beginning was revealed (1:1-2) and came in the flesh (2 Jn. 1:7), died on the cross as the propitiation sacrifice for our sins (1 Jn. 2:2), only to do the will of God (2:17), because He loved us first until He died on the cross (4:11). That is why the Apostle John said, “We also ought to love one another” (v. 11). As I meditated on these words, I was reminded of the words of the Apostle James in the book of James that faith without works is dead faith (Jam. 2:14, 17, 20, 26). Likewise, I thought that love without works is dead love. In other words, disobeying the Lord's commandment to "love one another" (1 Jn. 3:11) and yet love only with words (v. 18) is dead love. In other words, just as faith without obedience is false faith, so love without obedience is false love. Just as faith without works is dead faith and false faith, so love without truthful actions is dead love and false love.

First, we must be true Christians. We must be honest. We must not lie to each other. We must not deceive each other. We must be truthful not only before God, but also with each other. To the extent of being truthful in front of each other, we must be sincere enough to be able to say to each other, ‘God is my witness’ (Phil. 1:8). God sees us all. Also, God knows all our thoughts. Therefore, just as we are true to God, we must also be true to our loved ones. To do that, we need to have candid, clear and transparent conversations with our loved ones. We need to have an ‘opponent-centered’ conversation rather than a ‘me-centered’ conversation. That means we should speak because we want to do something to the person we love, rather because we want something from him. That's the word to build up the one we love. And our love must have actions. There must be a practice of love that comes from our truthful hearts. If we say 'I love you' with only words and then don’t do it, there must be pain in our hearts (Prov. 14:23). For example, if we love God and love our neighbors only in words, but don’t obey God's word in real life and hate our neighbor, we must have pain in our hearts.

Let us all love one another in actions and in truth. Let us no longer love each other only with words, but with sincerity in deeds. If we don’t love in actions and in truth, but only in word and tongue, we cannot know that we are of the truth, nor can we rest in His presence (1 Jn. 3:18-19). I hope and pray that we can all imitate Jesus' true love with actions so that we can love each other with true love through deeds.

Lastly, in 1 John 3:19-24, the Apostle John speaks in two ways about the results of obedience when we love one another according to the Lord's commandment, or the blessings we receive when we obey the command to love one another.

First, if we love one another according to the Lord's commandment, we know that we belong to the truth and also set our hearts rest in His presence.

Look at 1 John 3:19 – “This then is how we know that we belong to the truth, and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence.” Can a man who doesn’t worry about the problem of sin really be called a saint? This is because the word ‘saint’ means one who is separated from the sinful world. We must faithfully bear our responsibilities as saints. That responsibility is to cut off from the sinful world. In other words, we the believers must live a life separate from sin. Just as water and oil cannot mix, the saints who are the children of the Light must not live in harmony with the dark world. In order to live like that, we must have a clear sense of belonging. We must never forget that we don’t belong to this world (Jn. 17:16), but to the Lord who is the Light. We must make our affiliation clear. And we must live a life of faith with this certain and clear sense of belonging. The Apostle John contrasted the fact that we belong to one of the two in his letter, 1 John, in four ways: (1) The Light vs. the darkness (1 Jn. 1:5), (2) The truth vs. lie (v. 6), (3) Love vs. hate (2:9) and (4) Righteousness vs. evil or unrighteousness (3:12). These words are that we the saints belong to the Light, the truth, the love, and the righteousness. In other words, we don’t belong to the darkness, the lie, hatred, evil or unrighteousness. Therefore, as the children of the Light, we must abide in the truth, do righteousness, and love one another.

The Apostle John said in 1 John 3:19, “This then is how we know that we belong to the truth …,” and the word “then” refers to those who love not just with word or tongue but with actions and in truth as verse 18 says. In other words, only those who truly love by their actions will know that they belong to the truth. And the saints who belong to the truth are the true disciples of Jesus. The reason is because the saints who belong to the truth belong to Jesus who is the Truth. The saints who belong to Jesus who is the Truth set their hearts at rest in His presence because they love not only with words and tongue, but also with actions and in truth. What is the reason? Why can we set our hearts at rest in His presence? The reason is because before God who is greater than our hearts and knows everything (v. 20), we have confidence before God because our hearts don’t condemn us (v. 21). This is the love without any stumbling in us, which the Apostle John already spoke of in 1 John 2:10. Not only that, the saints who love their brothers in actions and in truth according to the Lord's commands receive from God whatever they ask (3:22). What is the reason? The reason is because they obey His commands and do what pleases Him (v. 22). And “his commands, that is the Lord’s commands is “to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us” (v. 23).

We must believe in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, and love one another according to the commands of the Lord. Then the blessing God gives us is that we know that we belong to the truth and also set our hearts at rest in His presence (v. 19). When we obey the Lord's commands, we have confidence before God, because our hearts don’t condemn us (v. 21). And with that confidence, we come before God, and whatever we ask of Him, we receive from Him (v. 22). The reason is because we love one another according to the Lord's commands by believing in the Lord, which pleases the Lord (vv. 22, 23). I hope and pray that this blessing of obedience may be upon us.

Second and last, if we love one another according to the Lord's commandment, we know that we live in the Lord and the Lord lives in us.

Look at 1 John 3:24 – “Those who obey his commands live in him, and he in them. And this is how we know that he lives in us: We know it by the Spirit he gave us.” The lyrics of the gospel song “Abide in Me” are like this: “For I am the Lord your God, so abide in Me/ Your Deliverer and Protector, a Shelter from the storm/ Don’t tremble with fear. Surely I will help you/ I am holding your hand, so do not be afraid/ I have called you by name; you are Mine/ You are Mine and I am the Lord your God/ You are precious in My sight and you are highly honored/ I, the Lord your God love you/ I the Lord your God love you.” The lesson we receive when we think of this gospel song is that we are the Lord's and we must abide in Him. Because when we abide in the Lord, the Lord will keep us, help us, and hold our hand. When we meditate on what the Apostle John said in 1 John 3:24, “Those who obey his commands live in him, and he in them,” we read the gospel of John 15, written by the same author, the Apostle John, “The parable of the vine.” In particular, I was reminded of John 15:4-5: “Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.” Here the Apostle John said, “Abide in me,” and in 1 John 2:6, he said, “Whoever claims to live in him.” Here, the words “Abide” and “live” have the same meaning. That is, the Apostle John said in two verses, ‘live in the Lord/abide in the Lord.’ Therefore, in 1 John 2:6, ‘living in Him’ means to abide in the Lord. Then, the word 'abide in the Lord' means to be attached to the Lord as a branch is to the vine, based on John 15:4-5, and be with the Lord without leaving Him. The reason this is important to the Apostle John is because we can bear much fruit when we abide in the Lord as His disciples. In other words, we cannot do anything apart from Him unless we live (abide) in Him (Jn. 15:5).

In 1 John 2:5, which we have already meditated on, the Apostle John said: “But if anyone obeys his word, God's love is truly made complete in him. This is how we know we are in him.” How can we know if we are those who say we live (abide) in the Lord, we can know if we are those who keep the word of the Lord or not. In other words, if we keep the word of the Lord, we can know that we are in Him. That is, those who say that they live in the Lord (v. 6) are those who keep His word, and those who keep His word are truly made perfect in God's love (v. 5). That is, those who live (abide) in the Lord refer to those in whom the love of God is truly made perfect. To put this a little differently with the words of John 15:9-10, those who live (abide) in the Lord are those who live in the love of God. Look at John 15:9-10: “Just as the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you; abide in My love. If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love; just as I have kept My Father's commandments and abide in His love.” In this verse, the Apostle John says that those who live in the Lord, that is, those who abide in the Lord, keep His word, and those who keep His word are those who abide in His love. Looking at this, the Apostle John seems to be talking about these three things: ‘abiding in the Lord’, ‘keeping the word of the Lord’, and ‘abiding in the love of the Lord’. In other words, the Apostle John seems to equate ‘those who abide in the Lord’ and ‘those who keep the word of the Lord’ and ‘those who abide in the love of the Lord’. In other words, those who abide in the Lord keep the word of the Lord, and those who keep the word of the Lord abide in the love of the Lord. Those who abide in the Lord keep His word, and the Lord's love has truly been perfected (1 Jn. 2:5-6). And by keeping the word of the Lord in this way, the joy of the Lord is full (abounding) in the disciples of Jesus, whose love is perfected in them (Jn. 15:11).

How, then, do we know that the Lord lives in us? Look at 1 John 3:24 – “Those who obey his commands live in him, and he in them. And this is how we know that he lives in us: We know it by the Spirit he gave us.” Looking at this verse, we can know that the Lord lives in us by the Holy Spirit God gave us. According to 1 John 4:2, the Holy Spirit is “the Spirit of God” who lives in us, who makes us to confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh and is “from God.” And in verse 4, the Bible says that the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of God “is in you.” In other words, by the Holy Spirit whom God gave us is in us, we know that the Lord lives in us.

The Holy Spirit, whom God gave us, lives in us and bears the fruit of love (Gal. 5:22). And the Holy Spirit makes us to obey the Lord's command to love one another. If we love one another as the Holy Spirit leads us, we will know that we abide in the Lord and the Lord abides in us. This is the blessing we receive and enjoy as we obey the Lord's command to love one another.

As those who have received great love from God, we must love one another according to the Lord's command. We must not become those who don’t love one another and hate our brother, and disobey the Lord’s command. We must not be like Cain who killed his own brother Abel. If we don’t love one another as the Lord commanded, but hate our brother, we are the world’s beloved. Also, we are still in death. If we hate our brother, we are murderers. As believers in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, we are to love one another as the Lord has given us His command. We must lay down our lives for our beloved brother, just as Jesus laid down His life on the cross for us. Also, we need to help the poor and needy brother and sister in Christ with the material possessions that God has given us. And we must love one another, not in word or in tongue, but in actions and in truth. Then we can know that we belong to the truth and can set our hearts rest in His presence. Also, we will receive anything we ask of our Heavenly Father. And we will know that we abide in the Lord and the Lord abides in us by the Holy Spirit whom God gave us. May you be blessed with obedience to this precious command of the Lord.

He who became a child of God through the love of the Father God and through the love of Jesus Christ, who gave up his life on the cross,

James Kim

(On July 19, 2020, Pray that we will be filled with joy while enjoying fellowship with the Father God and Jesus the Son by the guidance of the Holy Spirit)