Verses 10 and 15 of 1 John 2 introduce us to the theme of love in the book of 1 John. We’ll take this post to discuss the word “love,” and it will help us understand love once we run into it in future posts. We will also backtrack just a bit to explain the greater meaning of the verses 3 through 11 in chapter 2.
What would you say love is if someone asked you? How would you define love?
John provides us with a working definition of love in 1 John 3:16, namely, to lay down our lives for the brethren. The best definition of love I have found is to seek the best for the other person. This is essentially how John defines it in 1 John.
To seek someone’s best implies that we have a general understanding of what would be the best for them. It may sometimes mean that we must be more involved in their lives and perhaps even get our hands dirty sometimes. Seeking the best for another person is the beginning of unity. It is how we edify the body of Christ and the very meaning of “good will.”
For example, the Pharisees accused Christ of violating the law when He healed on the Sabbath. Christ, on the other hand, sought the best for the man in need of healing. It is not love to ignore a need when we can touch that need, even if our motives are good in the sense that we’re accomplishing a greater cause by choosing to ignore a need we can otherwise fulfill. The Pharisees believed that obeying the Ten Commandments was a greater cause than touching human need. Both are commanded, which means there may come a time when the two commandments collide. We can only resolve such clashes by understanding the heart of God. We cannot pause either one for the sake of making sure we are in compliance. In so doing, we actually fall out of compliance, and we usurp God’s authority by choosing for God what we think should be done.
In the Greek language, there are four loves. These are romantic, affection, friendship, and charity. In 1 John, only one variation of the Greek word for love is used, and it is agape or charity. It is the highest form of love. It is sacrificial and returns and completes the love which God has for us.
The Aramaic word Christ would have used in the gospels is a love which is given but may not be returned. This is what makes it sacrificial love. It is love given because the individual has significant value and worth. It is love given because bestowing love upon the individual is worth the sacrifice, and the potential outcome is worth the sacrifice. Because it is a sacrificial love, it gives without expecting anything in return. This is what makes charity the highest form of love.
The love God has for us, in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us, is a love given because we are valued but is a love which may not be returned. In living to return God’s love for us, we offer ourselves back to God as a living sacrifice. Romans 12:1-2
In verses 3 through 11 of 1 John 2, we see three core teachings. The first is to obey the commandments of God. The second is to imitate Christ. The third is to live out a practical righteousness. The commandment of God is first to love Him and second is to love our neighbor. We love God through obedience.
Our obedience must produce results, and the result is imitating Christ. Imitation is a requirement, and we can only do this as we understand how Christ lived and walked. Our task is to study Christ and then put into practice what He taught and how He walked. This is love in action.
The third core teaching is to live out a practical righteousness. We are charged with knowing God’s commandments. We are also charged with doing what God says (obedience and imitation). A practical righteousness puts into practice what we know and what we say we do. A simpler expression would be going beyond saying we are a Christian or going beyond a simple believing on the cross of Christ. If we are truly Christians, it will be evidenced by how we live our everyday lives because Christ will be seen in all of our actions throughout each day. This becomes a true expression of love.
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