Thoughts on love...

Note: The verse I am talking about isn't actually in the ones we listed for you. To be serious, this was initially by accident. I thought I had read 1 John 4:10, when I really read 1 John 3:10. But, given that God showed me some insight on love in these verses... I'm going to post it anyway. =)*


"This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not a child of God; nor is anyone who does not love his brother." 1 John 3:10

Two things stick out to me in this verse.

1) This verse refers to "children of God." We learned last week in Romans 8:16 that "The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children."

Add in Ephesians 1:13-14
"You were also included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance"

We cannot be called "Children of God" without receiving the Holy Spirit, and conversely, it is the Holy Spirit who serves as a testimony that we are Children of God who are eligible to receive an inheritance in heaven. Because of this status, 1 John 4 commands us to "do right" and "love our brother" so that our status as Children will be known to the world. It is not as if we earn our status as children from what we do, but God wants us to make our status known by what we do.

2) I also think it's interesting that John writes that we should "do right" and "love our brother." Why is this significant? Because I believe to love our brother means more than to "do" things. Yes, we should treat others well, and respect them, and be kind and considerate, but to truly love our brother requires more than those things.

Love is more than doing. We can do things for others without really caring about them. John states that the Spirit within us should inspire us to love. And not like the world loves. The Greek word for this love is a form of the word "agape" which is the word always used in how God loves us, His creation.

We show we are children of God & a temple of the Holy Spirit by acting honorably, and loving others just as God loves us.