Antidote For A Judgmental Spirit

¹⁴ We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death.

¹⁵ Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him.

¹⁶ 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.

¹⁷ 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?

¹⁸ My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.

-First John 3:14-18 (KJV)

¹⁴ If we love our Christian brothers and sisters,^[d] it proves that we have passed from death to life. But a person who has no love is still dead. ¹⁵ Anyone who hates another brother or sister^[e] is really a murderer at heart. And you know that murderers don’t have eternal life within them.
¹⁶ We know what real love is because Jesus gave up his life for us. So we also ought to give up our lives for our brothers and sisters. ¹⁷ If someone has enough money to live well and sees a brother or sister^[f] in need but shows no compassion—how can God’s love be in that person?
¹⁸ Dear children, let’s not merely say that we love each other; let us show the truth by our actions.
-First John 3:14-18 (NLT)

Yesterday, I wrote about judging others. We talked about the spirit of judgement that seems to be running rampant in our world today. These verses, in First John 3, gives to us the antidote for a judgmental spirit. It's simple-it's love. Not just any love, but real love. Let's explore.

Verse 14 reads, "We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death." John is teaching us that we know we are saved if we love each other. Do you love your brothers & sisters in Christ? By loving our brothers & sisters, that proves the faith that we have. It proves the faith that we claim. We have passed from death (eternal separation from God) to life (eternal life with God) when we truly love the brothers and sisters in Christ. How should we love them?

We read, in verse 16, "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." We understand the love of God, because Jesus laid down His life for ours. We, too, must lay down our lives for others. Does that mean that I must be killed? No, John gives us an example of his meaning in verse 17. "If someone has enough money to live well and sees a brother or sister^[f] in need but shows no compassion—how can God’s love be in that person?" We lay down our lives for others when we see someone else's needs, and do something about it. It's putting our faith into action. It proves both our faith and our love.

Verse 18 says, "Dear children, let’s not merely say that we love each other; let us show the truth by our actions." Let's not just talk about our love or our faith, let's show it. We don't show our love for others when we have a spirit of judgment on them. Think About It.