1 John 3:10-24

Introduction:

1. 1 John 3:10 provided a double-edged test of the children of God:

a. None who do not practice righteousness are His.

b. Nor are those who do not love their brethren.

2. This lesson highlights the imperative of love, the outworking of love, and the assurance love brings.

Discussion:

I. The Imperative of Love (3:10-15)

A. Christ demanded brotherly love from the beginning (3:11, 23; 4:21; John 13:34-35; 15:12; Ephesians 5:2; 1 Thessalonians 4:9; 1 Peter 1:22; 3:8; 4:8).

B. Notice the grave danger of failure to live out the love of God:

1. The unloving do not walk in the light (2:7-11; cf. 1:7).

2. The unloving are not children of God (3:10; 4:4:7-8).

3. The unloving abides in death while the loving have passed from death to life (3:13-14).

4. Hate is tantamount to murder (3:15; cf. Matthew 5:21-22).

II. The Outworking of Love 3:16-18)

A. God gives and demands sacrificial love at all costs (3:16; 4:9-10).

B. Biblical love does not just feel, it does (3:17-18; 5:1-3; James 2:14-16).

C. The words “I love you” ring hollow in the absence of deeds of love.

III. The Assurance of Love (3:19-24)

A. As in all of God’s commandments, submission brings assurance.

B. John highlights the assurance of putting God’s love into practice:

1. Assurance of spiritual life in the present (3:14; Ephesians 2:1-5).

2. Assurance that we are of the truth (3:19; cf. John 8:31-32; 18:37).

3. Assurance of no condemnation before Him (3:20-21; Romans 8:1).

4. Assurance of His provisions (3:22-23; 5:14-15; cf. Matthew 7:7-11).

5. Assurance to stand confidently in the judgment (4:17-18).

6. Assurance that we have overcome the world (5:1-5).

Conclusion:

1. In these texts, John unites faith, love, and obedience.

2. We must not let the world pit any of these against the other.

3. Our faith in and love for God are lived out in our obedience to His will, most of which center on love for one another (cf. Matthew 22:34-40; 25:31-46).