It is a given that brotherly love ought to be a trait characterising Christian fellowship. Yet we cannot hide from the fact that there are unloving people lurking within such circles. Especially in these last days when people are increasingly "lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, ...disobedient to parents... trucebreakers, false accusers, ...fierce, despisers of those that are good, traitors, heady, highminded..." (2 Timothy 3:1-4), the Holy Spirit’s exhortation to love one another as a brotherhood and fellowship of Christians is a very important message to us. The apostle John, under the inspiration of God, wrote about this topic of brotherly love in 1 John 3:14-19. The truths gleaned from this passage will greatly help us to appreciate and demonstrate brotherly love in our practice of Christian fellowship.
Three specific actions prove the presence of true love among the fellowship of believers.
Firstly, it is when we love the brethren. Loving the brethren is a sure mark of our salvation. "We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren…" (v. 14).
The grammatical form of the verb "love" (the Present, Active, Indicative) denotes both deliberate and continuous expression of love towards fellow believers. It portrays the vibrancy and vitality of divine love which we ought to express to fellow brethren.
Secondly, it is when we sacrifice ourselves in order to alleviate the plight of the needy brethren. "…we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. But whoso hath this world's good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?" (v. 16b-17).
This means a readiness to sacrificially help a needy brother with our resources. True love is not about self-pleasure or self-enrichment, but self-sacrifice. When we deny help to a destitute brother, it is doubtful whether the love of God truly dwells in our hearts (v. 17).
Thirdly, it is when this love is manifested not just in our speech but also in our deeds and in truth. "My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth" (v. 18).
Only actions done in sincerity qualify as genuine expressions of love. In other words, true affections should translate into action. Words of apparent concern spoken to cover up one’s disgust or unwillingness to help are plain hypocrisy. Such speech should be eradicated from our lips.
Three reasons underscore the importance of brotherly love in our fellowship as Christians.
Firstly, it proves that we have received eternal life. "We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death. Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him" (vv. 14-15).
While persistent hatred confirms our spiritual deadness, love for the brethren proves our spiritual regeneration. The expression of brotherly love is a manifestation of the assurance of eternal life. But it must be stressed here that it is not the means for obtaining it. Salvation unto eternity still is, and will always be, by grace through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ (Ephesians 2:8). Our love for the brethren is only an affirmation of that faith. Thus, brotherly love ought to be a characteristic of forgiven, regenerate sinners bound for eternity.
Secondly, it proves that we have appreciated God’s love in Christ’s atoning sacrifice. "Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren" (v. 16).
The term "laid down" involves a deliberate, wilful act that demonstrated Christ’s love "for us" in His sacrifice on the cross. His death was not one of mere martyrdom but an atonement and a propitiation (1 John 2:2). It is a designed self-sacrifice on behalf of others. The preposition "for" (huper in Greek) is often used to denote the substitutionary nature of the atonement (cf. John 11:50; 1 Corinthians 15:3; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Galatians 3:13). Thus, Christ gave His very life "for us", for our own benefit.
John’s primary concern is to stress the exemplary aspect of Christ’s atoning sacrifice. Christians have an obligation to be self-denying like their Lord if such an occasion presents itself in the service of love. Christian love does not originate from within one’s own heart, but from the sacrificial love of Christ which he has tasted.
The mutual love of Christians must be patterned after Jesus’ sacrificial love on Calvary. There can be no greater expression of love than the sacrifice of one’s life, which is the greatest possession an individual can ever have (cf. John 15:13). Christ did just that, and He demands that we do the same. "When the honour of God’s name, the advancement of his church, and the need of his people demand that we love our brothers, we ought to show our love at all cost—even to the point of risking and losing our lives," Kistemaker wrote.
Thirdly, it assures our hearts that we live by His truth in His presence. "And hereby we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before him" (v. 19). The knowledge that "we are of the truth" stands opposed to all false notions of one’s spirituality. The presence of brotherly love in our fellowship only affirms that we are true Christians and that we are not deceived in professing to be Christians.
For such indeed is the mark of a true disciple of Christ, as summed up by Jesus’ own words: "By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another" (John 13:35).