The Fellowship of God 4: Walk Worthy
Part 3 Walk Worthy By Loving One Another - 1 John 3:10–17

In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother. For this is the message that ye heard from the beginning, that we should love one another. Not as Cain, who was of that wicked one, and slew his brother. And wherefore slew he him? Because his own works were evil, and his brother’s righteous. Marvel not, my brethren, if the world hate you. 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. 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. 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?

Be True To God’s Love

John returns once again to this great concern he has for those he is writing and for those who would follow decades and centuries later, “this is the message that ye heard from the beginning, that we should love one another.”

John had seen the bickering between the apostles while Jesus was still on the earth. He was there when Judas betrayed his Lord, and now at over 90 years old he had seen a lifetime of division, acrimony, bitterness, and recriminations that any church member sees between so called brother and sisters in God’s family. Now once again we read his heartfelt plea, “Love one another!”

The last apostle has lost his family, his friends, his brother James, his pastor Peter and oh so many others of that first generation of Christians. How it must have broken his heart to see this next generation turn on each other. He feels so strongly that he says its as bad as what Cain did to Abel. He says that if you hate your brother or sister in Christ then you are a murderer and there is nothing of eternal life in you.

John says, this is THE commandment, the new commandment of Jesus and it so important to John, that he states this is the way we can know we have eternal life, if we love our brothers and sister in Christ.

“By this we know what love is, He laid down his life for us, and we ought to be willing to lay down our lives for each other.” That’s love, that’s self-giving, self-sacrificing, agape love that can only be possible through our new birth and our new nature. What Jesus did for us we are now able to do for others. As it was in His nature as our Savior, it is now in our nature because that is the new you through Jesus Christ.

Transition: John has one final encouragement for this generation of Christians in vss. 18-23. He wants them to understand walking worthy of who means we actually do some walking, some work, some deeds.

Walk Worthy In Deed - 1 John 3:18–23

My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth. And hereby we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before him. For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things. Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God. And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight. 23 And this is his commandment, That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave us commandment.

Be Obedient And Act

John tells them to make sure your walk is more than just an abstract, esoteric, philosophical walk. John tells them, when you walk as a child of God, you need to be doing something tangible. You need to be doing the deeds and working the works of God. It is not just a belief it in your head, it needs to be felt in your heart and it needs to show in your hands.

You know when you work hard on a house or property and it’s called sweat equity? Well this is sweat theology. John once again says this is a test. “herby we know that we are of the truth” In the same way that you can know you are a child of God because you love one another, here and by the same application you can know you are in the fellowship of God because your love isn’t just in words but it is in deeds.

John says this is part of walking worthy, an extension of loving our family in the Lord and it is vital because it give us assurance, confidence before Him.

Now listen to this next verse. I think it is one of the most important verses in the Bible when it comes to dealing with doubt and fear. In vs. 20 For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things.

John is telling them that if you are true to your heavenly family, true to your new nature, true to loving and forgiving one another, true to doing the deed, walking the walking, and working the work of the real Christian life, then we can have assurance, we can grade our own test paper and see that yes we pass.

But what happens when you don’t feel like you are aren’t passing? What happens when the doubts about salvation, eternal life, or the Bible creep in? Then John has this answer for them, for you and for me. “God is greater than your doubting heart. He knows all things. He knows you put your faith in His Son. He knows that you are His child. He knows your own doubting heart and He knows that one day the doubts will pass like clouds after a storm. God is greater than your doubts, God knows all things and He knows He has you in the palm of his hand even even when your heart is filled with doubts.

Remember the promise Jesus gave and John heard all those years ago. In John 10:28-29 And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.  My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand.