For those of a certain age, the TV programme ‘World In Action’ (a current affairs programme which ran on ITV from 1963 until 1998 and involved campaigning, investigative journalism which dealt with unveiling corruption and highlighting underhand dealings) represented our first experience of righting wrongs. Last night’s Bible study on 1 John 3:11-18 looked at John’s exhortation for us to demonstrate ‘love in action.’ In the previous section (1 John 3:4-10) he has looked at righteousness and right actions and in this section, he contrasts love and hatred, life and death.
The clearest example of how we are not to be is given in reference to Cain’s murder of his brother Abel. (Gen 4:2-16) He and Abel were from the same parents and the same family, but their lives had radically different outcomes. The difference between Cain’s offering and Abel’s offering was faith. (Heb 11:4). Cain rejected God’s Word and decided to worship in his own way. He was angry that his offering was not accepted. God warned him that sin was crouching at this door, but Cain refused to take heed of the warning. He listened to Satan’s voice and plotted to kill his brother. His envy had turned to anger and hatred. He did not repent, but decided to destroy Abel. Cain serves here as the negative example not to follow, for instead of loving his brother, he did the opposite – he brutally murdered his brother. In so doing, he reflected the devil’s nature, for the devil is a liar and murderer from the beginning. (John 8:44)
The command to love (referring back to John 13:34-35 and John 15:12) is age-old, but John links all love to God. Our love needs to reflect the sacrificial nature of Christ’s love (see John 10:11-18); we can only love in this way because He laid down His life for us. John Stott reminds us that ‘the essence of love is self-sacrifice which has been perfectly manifested in Christ.’ (Commentary on John’s Epistles, P 142) This may well need to include the giving of our own lives, but is also manifested in countless other acts of kindness, demonstrating practical love in a whole range of ways that go beyond words, loving ‘with actions and in truth.’ We need to show compassion and help people out of an awareness of God’s kindness and mercy to us, thus demonstrating that we have passed from death to life (see John 5:24). The proverb ‘actions speak louder than words’ might well have been written by John, for it summarises his challenging teaching in this passage – teaching that is not difficult to understand but which must be practically outworked in everyday situations for us to fulfil Christ’s command to love one another.