1 John 3:11–18

Read the passage.

One of the greatest ways we make our God-given righteousness evident is the love we have for fellow believers. As it is a command Jesus gave while He was on earth, it makes sense for those who follow Him to carry it out. However, the inverse situation is also true: if we hate believers because of their righteous deeds, then righteousness is not in us. Cain’s murder of Abel is given as the prime example. This example holds true for all of history, as those opposed to God have always opposed His people too. The Pharaoh of the Exodus, Ahab and Jezebel, and also Saul of Tarsus before his conversion.

The love believers have for each other is so strong that it crowds out their love of self and the world. Seeing a brother in need should spur us to sacrifice our own wealth, comfort, or pleasure in order to meet that need because that needy brother is given higher priority than ourselves. Jesus’s sacrifce on the cross is our ultimate example, and while we probably won’t need to go to that extreme, the love we have for each other should be a pointer towards that event. Talk is cheap, but love lasts forever.

Let us grow in love so that the world may know that Your ways are right and good.