1 John 3:16-20 – Love in Deed and in Truth
John's Epistle Gives Encouragement, Advice on Godly Love in Action
In this short passage, the apostle takes a rather in-depth look at the meaning of godly love, and offers concrete ways people can demonstrate this kind of love in their lives.
In 1 John chapter 3, starting in verse 16, John writes, “By this we know love, because He [meaning Christ] laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.”
The Love of God - He Laid Down His Life
It’s a simple enough scenario, but one most probably will never encounter on a literal level. But to John, real love can be identified by a selfless willingness to put the needs of others first the same way Jesus did, all the way up to and including that same willingness to die for them.
A Brother in Need
Continuing with verse 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?”
This verse may hit home on a very practical level with many people due to difficult economic conditions worldwide. Some reading this passage might even identify themselves as the brother in need. But to John, the whole idea of selfless love requires spending more time taking care of the needs of others, while letting one's own needs take care of themselves. To John, love is faith in action.
Love in Deed and in Truth
John himself says it best in verse 18, "Let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth.” Simply put, it is easy to express love in words, but perhaps not so easy to demonstrate it by selfless, generous acts. As the old saying goes, "actions speak louder than words."
To love in deed and truth as opposed to merely in word or in tongue means putting love into action. To John, having a religious belief system based on love is of no value unless the believer does something with those beliefs.
Continuing on, he writes, “By this we shall know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before Him. For if our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and knows all things.” (vs. 19-20)
God Greater Than Man's Heart
This verse in particular seems most compelling, and possibly most difficult to grasp. Is there a conciliatory tone to this verse, telling believers that if they doubt God or fail to see the wisdom of His statutes, His greatness would overcome anything they lack, that He could see through their doubts and insecurities, picking up on their true faith in ways that even they could not do on their own?
In Scripture, God is pictured as a God of reconciliation, with Christ’s righteousness sufficient for those who have faith and believe in the promises found in His word, and yet one cannot help also noticing a slightly different understanding of this verse.
The condemnation being spoken of here may be related to conscience. If "our heart condemns us" (v. 20), it means believers are convicting themselves, carrying the burden of guilt that comes with keeping unsurrendered sin in their hearts and failing to leave them at the foot of the Cross.
And yet people are imperfect and their human understanding of God’s will is incomplete. Men are simply not great enough to judge themselves in the spiritual sense. But God is "greater than our hearts." He is all-knowing and perfect, both creator and sustainer, and His wisdom pierces through ignorance. If man's conscience pricks him, imperfect as it is, even more so does God condemn the sin he carries.
God's Grace Alone Sufficient
As John says, God is greater than any human heart, and knows all things. Nothing can be hidden from him. Even in man's darkness, even in his self-deception, he cannot fool God. In a converted Christian, a guilty conscience can be a sign of the Holy Spirit’s pleading.
Two basic schools of thought exist as they pertain to 1 John 3:20, and either one is good news:
- One the one hand, believers can have peace and assurance knowing that God is greater than them, and that His grace is sufficient when they fall short.
- On the other hand, they can count it all joy knowing that God is their judge, releasing them of that obligation, that they can be free to serve Him by studying His word and by endeavoring to become more like Jesus.
1 John 3:16-20 is a short passage of Scripture that nevertheless packs a great spiritual punch, getting right to the heart of his thoughts about the love of God and the ways believers can try to live out that love here on earth.
Source:
- Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright 1979, 1980, 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
God is Greater Than Our Hearts-1 Jn. 3:20
|
Latest Articles