1477. We Know the Love of the Son of God
We Know the Love of the Son of God
"Hereby we have known love, because He hath laid down His life for us" (1Jn_3:16).
1. An Apostle of love. Is it not remarkable that John Boanerges, the son of thunder, is John, the Apostle of love?
The change wrought in John's life was wrought when he was touched with the finger of God.
John loved, because he was first loved.
John became the Apostle of love, because he walked in such close fellowship with Jesus Christ Who manifested perfect love.
2. A striking comparison.. It is good to compare Joh_3:16, with 1Jn_3:16. The verses parallel one another in that both of them are great outstanding verses concerning love.
The contrasts however are as distinct as the parallelisms.
Joh_3:16 tells us of the love of God in giving Christ; 1Jn_3:16 tells us of the love of Christ in laying down His life.
Joh_3:16 has for its scope the "whole world;" and "whosoever believeth;" 1Jn_3:16 is written exclusively to saints.
In Joh_3:16, there is a reference to "faith," and to "perishing;" in 1Jn_3:16, there is nothing said of either, because the ones addressed already believed and could never perish.
3. Love is a key note of the Epistle. Let us look at three passages.
"Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us" (1Jn_3:1).
"And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him" (1Jn_4:16).
"We love Him, because He first loved us" (1Jn_4:19).
It is only necessary to read the Epistle through, to see how much there is in it of the love of God, and of the love of Christ, and of the love of saints.
4. Wherein the love of God is seen. The love of Christ is seen in His laying down His life for us (see 1Jn_3:16). This is the statement of our key verse.
The love of God is manifested, because "God sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him." This is the statement of 1Jn_4:9.
It is inconsistent for Christian Scientists or any one else to talk glibly about the love of God, and then to deny that His love was manifested in the Lord Jesus Christ by His coming down from Heaven and dying upon the Cross.
God does not commend His love to us because of His temporal gifts, nor because of His Divine watchcare over us, nor because of His preparations for us; but– "God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us" (Rom_5:8).
5. How we should love His love. Certainly a love so great, so full, so free, as the love of God, should find a response in the hearts of men.
Let us see how this love should be loved, according to John's Epistle.
(1) We should love Him in deed and in truth.
"My little children, let us not love with word, nor with tongue only; but in deed and in truth" (1Jn_3:18, \1911 Bible).
God does not desire mere expressions of love, He wants us to prove our love by our walk and our work, as well as by our word.
(2) We should love Him by keeping His commandments.
"For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments" (1Jn_5:3).
In the Gospel of John we find three statements:
"If ye love Me, keep My commandments" (Joh_14:15).
"He that hath My commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth Me" (Joh_14:21).
"If a man love Me, he will keep My Words" (Joh_14:23).
There is no better way for us to manifest our love toward God and toward His Son, our Saviour, than by keeping His commandments. Thus we abide in His love.
(3) We should love one another.
"Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another" (1Jn_4:11).
It is always true that he who loveth God, will love his brother also.
We will love because we are loved. If we love Him Who begat us, we will also love those who are begotten of Him.
There is one thing of which we may assure our hearts–love should play a great part in the believer's life; even as it has in the life of God.
Autor: R.E. NEIGHBOUR