1 John 3:14-15
“We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers. Whoever does not love abides in death. Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.”
The strong, dramatic statements in this passage are a signal the Lord wants to get our attention about the preeminence of love. He wants to make sure that we make love a priority, and that we do not distort what it means or discount its role in our lives. God wants us to get love right.
How important is agape love? The presence of agape love is the indicator that we are redeemed and have passed from death to life through Christ. When someone fails to love and instead manifests hate toward others, that reveals an unredeemed person who is in a condition of spiritual death. Indeed, the passage says, hating someone is tantamount to murder.
The book of First John makes it a point to draw a contrast between true, authentic followers of Christ versus counterfeits who profess to be Christians but who don’t demonstrate the fruit of the faith. Authentic followers of Christ are characterized by the practice of righteousness and love for others. Counterfeits, on the other hand, do not obey God and do not love others.
“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.” (1 John 3.10)
“If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.” (1 John 1.5-7)
“Whoever says he is in the light and hates his brother is still in darkness. Whoever loves his brother abides in the light.” (1 John 2:9-10)
