A Word in Season: The Pattern of Love (1 John 3:16)

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One of the great distinguishing features of a true child of God is that that one loves other children of God.

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It is one of the clearest marks of true Christianity. That is why in John's first letter and in chapter three, he is very plain, even blunt about the relationship between a genuine new life in Christ and a genuine love for those who are also in Christ, saying in verse 14, we know that we have passed from death to life because we love the brothers.

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If we have that affection for other true Christians, it is one of the marks by which we know ourselves to be true believers ourselves.

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And by contrast, he who does not love his brother abides in death. If this one is a true

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Christian, and if there's no affection in my heart toward him, no readiness to bless him and do him good, then it is a sign that I am no true

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Christian myself. Someone who is marked by antagonism and suspicion, anger, bitterness, rage, and hatred towards believers is no true believer themselves.

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And to be honest, that calls into question the testimony of a number of people in many

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Christian churches, because there's no apparent affection, but rather often a manifest antagonism toward other believers.

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Whoever hates his brother is a murderer, says the apostle, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.

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What then does this love look like? Here is verse 16 of 1 John 3.

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By this we know love because he laid down his life for us, and we also ought to lay down our lives for the brothers.

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Here then is the great pattern of love for those who are believers. How do we know what love is and what love truly looks like?

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We find it demonstrated in God the Son who laid down his life for us.

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This is the great demonstration of love. It is willing sacrifice for the sake of others.

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It is taking the place of others. It is suffering the punishment that others deserve.

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It is a voluntary taking upon ourselves what would otherwise fall upon others.

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And it is exemplified in Christ laying down his life for us.

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He died in order that we might live. That's what love looks like.

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And that is the kind of love that Christians ought to have for other Christians.

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We ought to be constrained, compelled, sweetly drawn, finding it almost impossible that we would think or act any other way than this.

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If Christ has loved us and others in this way, then especially for others, we ought also to be marked by this kind of love, laying down our lives for those for whom

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Christ laid down his life. Now, in most cases, that will not involve our physical death, but it will involve our pouring out of ourselves.

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It will involve us giving ourselves, giving all that we are and all that we have, perhaps over time, perhaps in small portions, one step at a time, but nevertheless looking out for and looking after our brothers in Christ, doing whatever it takes to do them good, being willing to serve them in every sphere, willing to suffer even ourselves, to be deprived ourselves in order that they may in some way be truly blessed.

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Now, this is a high standard, but it is the Christian standard because it is

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Christ's own standard. We may not be called to make that ultimate sacrifice, but if we are true followers of Christ, ours is a life of sacrifice following a pattern of sacrifice, the pattern of love, of divine love, wherein

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Christ laid down his life for us. So if you or I are true believers, when we think of our brothers in Christ, those for whom

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Christ laid down his life, we ought to be showing love willingly, deliberately, carefully, conscientiously, and continually, laying down our lives, giving of ourselves, pouring out ourselves for those whom