November 1, 2012
LUV IS A VERB!
1 John 3
Ryan Nixon
Central Truth
Love is defined by God, comes from God, and is best seen through the death of God's Son, Jesus Christ. We are also called to love others in this way, not by mere words, but by actions, service, and sacrifice.
Key Verse | 1 John 3:16–18
We know love by this, that He laid down His life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. But whoever has the world's goods, and sees his brother in need and closes his heart against him, how does the love of God abide in him? Little children, let us not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and truth. (1 John 3:16-18)
1 John 3
1 See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him. 2 Beloved, we are God's children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears 1 3:2 Or when it appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. 3 And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.
4 Everyone who makes a practice of sinning also practices lawlessness; sin is lawlessness. 5 You know that he appeared in order to take away sins, and in him there is no sin. 6 No one who abides in him keeps on sinning; no one who keeps on sinning has either seen him or known him. 7 Little children, let no one deceive you. Whoever practices righteousness is righteous, as he is righteous. 8 Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil. 9 No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God's 2 3:9 Greek his seed abides in him; and he cannot keep on sinning, because he has been born of God. 10 By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother.
Love One Another
11 For this is the message that you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another. 12 We should not be like Cain, who was of the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own deeds were evil and his brother's righteous. 13 Do not be surprised, brothers, 3 3:13 Or brothers and sisters. In New Testament usage, depending on the context, the plural Greek word adelphoi (translated brothers) may refer either to brothers or to brothers and sisters; also verses 14, 16 that the world hates you. 14 We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers. Whoever does not love abides in death. 15 Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.
16 By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. 17 But if anyone has the world's goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God's love abide in him? 18 Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.
19 By this we shall know that we are of the truth and reassure our heart before him; 20 for whenever our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and he knows everything. 21 Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God; 22 and whatever we ask we receive from him, because we keep his commandments and do what pleases him. 23 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. 24 Whoever keeps his commandments abides in God, 4 3:24 Greek him and God 5 3:24 Greek he in him. And by this we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit whom he has given us.
Footnotes
[1] 3:2 Or when it appears[2] 3:9 Greek his
[3] 3:13 Or brothers and sisters. In New Testament usage, depending on the context, the plural Greek word adelphoi (translated “brothers”) may refer either to brothers or to brothers and sisters; also verses 14, 16
[4] 3:24 Greek him
[5] 3:24 Greek he
Dive Deeper | 1 John 3
"Down with the dc Talk, d- d- down with the dc Talk . . . Luv is a Verb."
Do you guys remember that line from 1992 DC Talk song "Luv is a Verb"? It was one of my favorite songs growing up while going to camp during the summers, then singing my heart out when the song came on. Even though I loved the song and sang it as loudly as I could, the truth still did not sink in for a long time.
But as I go back to the words of this song and the words of this text, it is spelled out pretty simplistically that love is a verb and nothing short of it. The truth of this text is very black and white. Love is not something that is communicated by words, it must be shown by deeds, actions, service -- and sacrifice. Love comes from God (1 John 4:7), is defined by God (1 John 4:8), and love is most clearly seen by the sacrifice of God (1 John 4:9). Because we have been recipients of the love of God, the service of God, and the sacrifice of God, we to ought to love others this way.
In this text, John is teaching us that we have to love people with our "service" and our "stuff." We are called to sacrifice both our time and our things. This is very similar to the argument made in James 2:14-26; a love for God (faith) that is absent of works (action) is no faith at all.
So, as you go about your day today, remember that our love for Christ is not demonstrated by us telling others we love Christ, that we are Christians, followers of Christ, or even "fully devoted followers of Christ." Our love for Christ is demonstrated by the way we serve and sacrifice our stuff so others might benefit from it. Let's go love some people today!
Discussion Questions
1. As you look at your past week, has your love towards others been presented more through words or actions?
2. When was the last time you helped someone by serving them? Explain the situation.
3. When was the last time you helped someone using "your stuff"? Explain the situation.
4. This last question may reveal whether your heart seeks to love people. When someone asks you for a ride to the airport, for help moving, to watch their kids, or to clean up around the house, is your initial reaction: "I would love to!," "Do I have to?," or "How can I get out of it?"?
WEEKLY FAMILY ACTIVITY
October 29-November 2 (2 Peter 3 – 1 John 4)
Read 1 John 1:5-10.
• What is the difference between light and dark?
• Who does verse 5 say is light?
• What does it mean to be living by the truth?
• Where do you find truth?
• Are any of you without sin? What is sin? (Anything word, action or deed that breaks God's law.)
• Where in Scripture does it tell us that every person has sinned? (Romans 3:23)
• What cleanses us from our sins?
• What does it mean to live in the light? How can you practice being completely in the light this week? (i.e.: time in God's Word, sharing struggles with each other, praying for your enemies, asking for forgiveness when needed)
• What does it mean to be living in darkness or spiritual darkness (think about it as the opposite of living in the light)?
Activity: Buy a handful of glow sticks. (Michael's has the bracelets for pretty cheap.) Do this activity at night when you can make your whole house dark. Crack the bracelets or sticks to make them glow. Then take turns hiding them in the house and have the rest of the people search for them. Between hunts, talk about how easy it is to see light in darkness, that darkness can never overtake light. Discuss Jesus' claim to be "the light of the world." What did He mean by that?