A Weekly Word: 1 John 3:11
January 01, 2020
The American author Mark Twain was not a theologian, but he seldom hesitated to state his opinions about God and the Bible. One quotation attributed to Mr. Twain reads: “It ain’t those parts of the Bible that I can’t understand that bother me; it is the parts that I do understand.”
For this is the message you heard from the beginning: We should love one another.
1 John 3:11
Today’s passage was written by the Apostle John to early Christians. It is easy to
understand and its message is clear. John referred to the teachings of Jesus, who
commanded all Christians to demonstrate love. Consider these other passages:
“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love
one another. All men will know that you are my disciples if you love one another.”
(John 14:34-35)
“My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.” (John 15:12)
“Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children
of your Father in heaven.” (Matthew 5:44-45)
The implications are clear. If we want to be obedient and live as genuine children
of God, we must love other people.
Jesus didn’t give us any wiggle room. We are not to judge others, we are to love them.
We are not to avoid those who are not like us, we are to love them.
We may struggle to know God’s will, particularly when it comes to selecting a major
or pursuing a career. We may search the Scriptures for guidance about these and many
other important choices in life.
However, we know for certain what God expects of us when dealing with other human
beings. There is no doubt. Second only to our love for God, we are to love others
as we love ourselves.
I pray that today I will treat everyone with the same love that God has shown me.
By Phil Hardin, Assistant to the President
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