Welcome to the reading of the First Epistle of John , Chapter 3 , with In the Field Audio Bible . My name is Christie , your host for this episode . In this chapter , John tells us how to love one another . There is a yearning for us to love people and for them to love us back . Personally , I have always wanted to know how to love others .
It is a weird question because we should already know , or so we thought . John puts forth three elements on how Christians are supposed to love one another . If you have ever wanted a biblical instruction manual , this is it . First , we are to love unconditionally .
So let's go back to what I said earlier there is a yearning for us to love people and for them to love us back . This give and take process is conditional If you love me , I will love you back . This is the earthly way we love one another . However , John says that we are to love unconditionally . Second , we are to love sacrificially . Remember John 3:16 ?
"For God so loved the world that he gave His only begotten Son that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life . " God demonstrated His love for the lost humankind by sending His only begotten Son to pay the debt for our sins . Think of a time when you sacrificed something so that another person could benefit from it .
You did so out of love , so that it would provide comfort to this person , knowing that you would do without . This difference shows our earthly take on what divine love is supposed to look and feel like . Achieving it through Him . Finally , we are to love personally .
The only Christ most people will ever see is the Christ they see in us , and you may be the one person . Therefore , we are to show God's love for others through our demonstration of love to His Son , Jesus Christ . Again , we are to love one another unconditionally , sacrificially and personally , and do so centering our love on Jesus .
I hope you are in your quiet place with your favorite coffee or tea while enjoying this reading of the First Epistle of John , Chapter 3 . The First Epistle of John, Chapter 3 . See what amazing love the Father has given us . Because of it , we are called children of God , and that's what we really are . The world doesn't know us because it didn't know Him .
Dear friends , now we are children of God . He still hasn't let us know what we will be , but we know that when Christ appears , we will be like Him . That's because we will see Him as he really is . Christ is pure . All who hope to be like Him make themselves pure . Everyone who sins breaks the law . In fact , breaking the law is sin .
But you know that Christ came to take our sins away and there is no sin in Him . No one who remains joined to Him keeps on sinning . No one who keeps on sinning has seen him or known him . Dear children , don't let anyone lead you astray . The person who does what is right is holy , just as Christ is holy .
The person who does what is sinful belongs to the devil . That's because the devil has been sinning from the beginning , but the Son of God came to destroy the devil's work . Those who are God's children will not keep on sinning . God's very nature remains in them . They can't go on sinning . That's because they are God's children .
Here is how you can tell the difference between God's children and the devil's children . Anyone who doesn't do what is right isn't God's child , and anyone who doesn't love their brother or sister isn't God's child either . From the beginning , we have heard that we should love one another . Don't be like Cain . He belonged to the evil one . He murdered his brother .
And why did he murder him ? Because the things Cain had done were wrong , but the things his brother had done were right . Wrong , but the things his brother had done were right . My brothers and sisters , don't be surprised if the world hates you . We know that we have left our old , dead way of life and we have entered into new life .
We know this because we love one another . Anyone who doesn't love still lives in their old condition . Anyone who hates their brother or sister is a murderer , and you know that no murderer has eternal life . We know what love is because Jesus Christ gave his life for us . So we should give our lives for our brothers and sisters .
Suppose someone sees a brother or sister in need and is able to help them , and suppose that person doesn't take pity on these needy people , then how can the love of God be in that person ? Dear children , don't just talk about love . Put your love into action , Then it will truly be love . Then it will truly be love .
Here's how we know that we hold to the truth and here's how we put our hearts at rest , knowing that God is watching . If our hearts judge us , we know that God is greater than our hearts and he knows everything . Dear friends , if our hearts do not judge us . We can be bold with God and he will give us anything we ask .
That's because we obey His commands . We do what pleases Him . God has commanded us to believe in the name of His Son , jesus Christ . He has also commanded us to love one another . The one who obeys God's commands remains joined to Him , and he remains joined to them . Here is how we know that God lives in us .
We know it because of the Holy Spirit he gave us .