I John 3:23 (Part 2)

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And this is his commandment, that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us.

THE STUDY:

          Some would believe that there are two commandments in this verse; believe and love. But in all reality these two are one in the same. Believing in the Son and loving one another constitute one command. A single purpose clause connects them as one. You cannot believe in Christ yet hate someone. The word “believe” in the Greek (pisteuo) means to have FAITH IN. The word “love” in the Greek (agapao) means to SHOW LOVE. Basically this means, if we have “faith in” Christ we will show “love” toward others. Faith that works flows from faith in Christ. If we have it we will show it, and if we show it people will know we have it. True love is what separates us from the world.

          The presence of the Spirit enables the Christian to receive God’s love and to respond to this love with love to others. This emphasis parallels the exchange between Jesus and “an expert in the law.” There eternal life is said to rest in supreme love for God and selfless love for neighbors (Luke 10:25–28). John insists that faith toward God will be evident in tangible love toward others.^[1]

WHAT WE CAN WALK AWAY WITH ….

• We walk away this morning with the understanding that belief in Christ should produce love for others. If we don’t love others we may not be one in Christ. We don’t expect anything in return from those we are showing love to. We are expected to LOVE! Loving one another is not an option but a commandment!

CONCLUSION:

          Archbishop Usher was once wrecked on the coast of Ireland, and almost destitute of clothing he wandered to the house of a clergyman. The ecclesiastic was quite wary and somewhat cold and incredulous. “How many commandments are there?” he suddenly asked, thinking to detect an impostor.

 “I can at once satisfy you that I am not the ignorant imposter you take me for,” replied the archbishop, “there are eleven commandments.” “No,” was the sneering comment, “there are but ten commandments in my Bible. Tell me the eleventh and I will give you all the help you need.” “There it is,” said the archbishop, pointing to this verse: “A new commandment I give unto you, that ye love one another as I have loved you.”

Blessings my friends

Pastor Rod

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^[1] Williamson, R. (2010). 1, 2, & 3 John: A Commentary in the Wesleyan Tradition. New Beacon Bible Commentary (129). Kansas City, MO: Beacon Hill Press.

I John 3:23 (Part 1)

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And this is his commandment, that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us.

THE STUDY:

          We see the word “commandment” in this passage and it should draw our attention to it. But, for many of us, we skip that word and look at the words “believe” and “love.” The word “commandment” (etole) is defined in the Greek as; order, command, instruct! Picture yourself buying a new item that has to be assembled. It comes with instructions and if you don’t follow those instructions there is a good chance the item will not work or look like that which you saw in the store. Another example is when you are given a command to do something but if you don’t fulfill that command there will be negative consequences.

          Being given a command or a book of instructions should not be looked at as a negative but a positive. We don’t see people getting upset because they were given a command to do something that they saw would benefit them. I have yet to meet a person who got upset after being instructed to do something that they realized would caused them great joy.

          The times I have seen people get upset or angry at a command or instruction is when it appears to be something they don’t like. disapprove of, or don't see as a benefit. God’s commandments are not something we will always like but they are for our benefit.

WHAT WE CAN WALK AWAY WITH ….

• We walk away this morning with the understanding that God has our best interest at heart. Just as a parent is not lying in bed at night thinking of ways to make their kid’s lives miserable, God is not sitting around thinking of ways to make our lives miserable. His commandments do just the opposite. His commandments are because he knows and wants the best for us.

CONCLUSION:

          The editor of a small weekly newspaper in a town in the West was finding it difficult to fill his columns. So he had his compositor set up the Ten Commandments, and ran them without making any editorial comment. Three days after the paper was published he received a letter saying:

 “Please cancel my subscription. You’re getting too personal.”

          Let today be a day that we embrace God’s commandments and trust that the reason for them is because he loves us and are for our benefit.

Blessings my friends

Pastor Rod