1 John 3:11-24
Introduction
When you think of October 31, what first comes to mind? While many people think immediately of Halloween, for many people that day is remembered as Reformation Day. On October 31, 1517, Martin Luther, who was an Augustinian monk and a theology professor, nailed his 95 theses to the door of the Wittenberg Church. This is considered to be the beginning of the Protestant Reformation.
The main controversy that Luther was addressing there was the sale of indulgences, that is the purchase of a special grant that would allow people time off in purgatory. It was originally meant as a way of doing penance but it became a fund raising scheme that was severely abused.
As much as that was the public controversy, for Luther the inner issue was that of faith and works. Luther was someone who wanted to please God. He was the classic overachiever who worked extremely hard to please God. Luther is recorded as saying this: “I was a good monk, and I kept the rule of my order so strictly that I may say that if ever a monk got to heaven by his monkery it was I. All my brothers in the monastery who knew me will bear me out. If I had kept on any longer, I should have killed myself with vigils, prayers, reading, and other work.” And yet despite all of his efforts, Luther always felt a barrier between him and God. It was in reading Paul’s quote of Habakkuk, “The just shall live by faith,” that Luther realized that we are saved by faith and not by works. This was a seismic shift, not just for Luther but for the Church in general.
As Baptists, we stand in the Protestant tradition and therefore we affirm that we are adopted into God’s family by faith and not by earning our way into God’s love. This is an important doctrine that is not only biblically true, it saves from the anxiety of wondering if we are ever good enough for God.
Having said that, we still need to work through what the Christian life looks like. If works play no role in our salvation, does that mean that work play no role in our Christian life? And if works do play a role, how do we prevent ourselves from slipping into the trap of trying to earn our salvation?
As John has been teaching us about who Jesus is and the importance of love in the life of a Christian, he has been leading us into the place where all of this comes together. What John is telling us here is that true Christianity is about love, and that it is specifically about love in action. How John explains this the key to us understanding what true Christianity looks like.
The Example of Jesus
John has been talking about love a lot so far and he will continue to emphasize this point. But what is love? Love is one of those words that can be used in different ways. We do not mean the same thing when we say we love our family member, we love chocolate, we love our pet, we love a certain kind of music. When we are told that true Christianity is about loving people, we really need to know what kind of love that is.
People tend to talk about love as a feeling. Ironically love as a feeling is both easy and difficult. It is easy in that it does not require any outward action but it is difficult because you cannot just will yourself to feel love. Thankfully, biblical love is different and the example is Jesus.
John has told us that Jesus is the true Son of God. He has also told that we are supposed to live as children of God. This means that we need to look to Jesus as our example.
Jesus loved. None of us would argue with that. But how did Jesus love? “Jesus Christ laid down his life for us.” (1 John 3:16) Jesus did not love from a place of comfort, he did not love by feeling affection, he did not love without cost. Jesus put love into action. He saw what the need was, that is we were separated from God by our sin. He saw the resources that he had, that is he was both God and human and could bridge the gap between us. He did what was needed to help those in need, that is he died on the cross to reconcile us to God.
We look at that moment on the cross and we are overwhelmed with awe and we should be. The miracle that took place there is beyond our full understanding.
But at the same time, there is something there that we can emulate. Jesus loved by sacrificing what he had for the sake of others. While we cannot do at the same scale what he did, we can take on the same posture of love and seek to put our love into action.
What Christian Love Looks Like
John brings this home by saying that we need to love like Jesus. This means that we are supposed to use the resources we have to help those who need our assistance. If we have a way to help a person or a group in need, we are supposed to use those resources.
There might be some who will hear this and immediately think of works and how that fits with the doctrine of grace. How do we prevent ourselves from trying to earn God’s love? Again, Jesus is our example. The Father said this about Jesus: “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.” (Matthew 3:17) When did the Father say that? Not after Jesus had atoned for our sins on the cross. Not even after an especially impressive miracle or winning a debate with a religious leader. The Father said this at Jesus’ baptism, which was the beginning of his ministry, a time when Jesus had not yet done anything. Jesus did not use this as an excuse to avoid ministry or to bypass the cross. Jesus lived as the obedient Son he already was.
Our question should not be: “Are we doing enough to please God and to assure our place in heaven?” Our question should be: “What are we supposed to do in the situation we are in right now?”
So what are we supposed to do? John says: “ If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person?” (1 John 3:17) This is actually the same formula that Jesus followed in his life. The godly life is this: our resources plus the immediate need equals our response.
Some may look at all of the needs in our community, both locally and globally, and feel overwhelmed. When we cannot do everything, we are tempted to do nothing.
Jesus explained what love in action looks like in the parable of the Good Samaritan in Luke 10. The story is of a Jewish man beaten up by robbers. He is not helped by two religious leaders who refuse to put their love in action. The man is then helped by a Samaritan. The Samaritan did not have unlimited resources. He did have cloth for bandages. He did have oil and wine for the wounds. He did have a donkey to carry the wounded man. He did have two denarii to pay the innkeeper. The Samaritan was not expected to help every Jewish man in the land who was in need. The Samaritan loved his neighbour by doing what he could in the immediate need.
What does that look like for us as individuals and a congregation? We cannot help everyone. But we can help someone. First, we need to look at our resources. This includes our time, treasure and talent. If we look carefully, we might be surprised at how much resources we have. We then have to look at the immediate needs that are in our community. This takes time, patience, and observation. It means entering into relationships and listening to what people are saying. When these two things come together, it is time to act. It is time to put our love into action.
Conclusion
What does true Christianity look like? This is a question that many people are asking today. John would respond by saying that true Christianity is love in action.
Some pushback by saying that anyone can show love. A non-Christian can demonstrate their love in a tangible way. What makes love in action uniquely Christian? The truth is that whether or not others act this way, the Bible tells us that love in action is what defines us. We do this because that’s what Jesus did and we are followers of Jesus. Acts of love by others doesn’t disprove this, it should actually push us to be more loving.
We cannot do everything but we can do something. We will not have to account to God for a certain number of hours or dollars invested. What we will have to account for is how we responded to the needs we encountered with the resources we were given. That is it. I truly believe that what is needed for a spiritual revival in our community is a full on embrace of a Christ-like sacrificial love by all of our churches. It is when we love that we point people to Jesus.
