My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.
1 John 3:18
So goes the world…
The world will tell us, “I love you so dearly!”
Yet, this only applies when we do what the world wants, (John 15:19).
As Christians, we should never take on characteristics of the world. Instead, let your “Yea be yea; and your nay, nay,” (James 5:12). This means, whatever we say needs to be reflected in our actions so we remain true to Jesus and ourselves.
If we make promises we cannot keep, we have a lack of love and truth within us. The prior verses even explain, if we see a brother in need, and we refuse to help when we are able, “How dwelleth the love of God in” us?
We need further insight…
Love In Deed And Truth
The Great Commandment explains,
- “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind”
- “Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.”
If we truly “love the Lord thy God,” then we should treat “thy neighbour as thyself.” If we don’t, we become liars and have abandoned the faith. In fact, “He that loveth not his brother abideth in death,” (1 John 3:14).
Why?
It means we have rejected the Great Commandment Jesus taught us.
If we do not love God, we have sinned, and we do not have life.
Let Your Actions Be Righteous
Christians do not make empty promises as the world does.
Instead, we do as we say, and we uphold the law of God. For this, the world truly hates us.
Why?
The world only relishes in sin and self-gain.
Our world is filled with propaganda that entertains the desires of the flesh. Rarely are we told to look out for our common man, only when there is much self-gain to be had by the world.
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Yet, Christians are taught to abstain from such desires and all “filthy lucre,” (1 John 2:15, 1 Peter 5:2).
If not, we become as the world and partake in its sin.
1 John 3:8
He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.
When we sin, we become a child of the Devil.
When we sin, it means we have joined with Satan and the wicked world he resides over, (Eph 2:2, 1 Jo 5:19, 2 Co 4:4, Act 26:18).
1 John 3:9
Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.
Naturally, we are born into our earthly body.
Spiritually, we are born after God when we accept Jesus Christ and live according to the Bible. Then, we have committed no sin, as Scripture explains, “Whosoever abideth in Him sinneth not,” (1 John 3:6).
We may have fallen short and sinned in the past, but through repentance, our sin is erased from the Book of Life, (Isaiah 1:18, 44:22).
I want you to note, in 1 John 3:9, God’s “seed” is the Greek word “sperma,” but it simply refers to the spiritually good seed that Jesus planted in the world, when He walked among us, (Matthew 13:37).
The last two verses conclude by telling us…
1 John 3:10
In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother.
There is our great dividing line.
There we have defined the two types of people in this perverse and crooked world.
As you can see, if we do not stay righteous or love our brother, then we become a child of the Devil. Such an appalling thought to consider.
Instead, we need to reject Satan, including the rich and temporary desires he dangles before us. Especially at the expense of others, unlike the world.
Christians must stand for God by deflecting the “fiery darts of the wicked,” (Ephesians 6:16). We must uplift those around us, providing cover for our brothers, so they can stand too.