Free Bible Commentary
“First John 3:17-18”
Categories: First John“But whoever has the world’s goods, and sees his brother in need and closes his heart against him, how does the love of God abide in him? Little children, let us not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and truth.”
--- End of Scripture verses---
In verse 16 John had said that we should love our brethren in Christ to the extent that we would even lay down or lives for them if necessary. But there is a much simpler test and more clear indication of whether we love someone or not without having to pay the ultimate price to prove it. If a Christian “has the world’s goods, and sees his brother in need,” and is not moved by compassion to help him in his pitiable condition, “the love of God” does not “abide in him” (verse 17). How can we truthfully claim to love God and refuse to show love for the precious souls that He created in His own image? We can say we love God, but our inactions belie our words, and divulge the truth of a stone-cold heart deprived of biblical, charitable love.
The person John describes in verse 17 is someone who has enough of “the world’s goods” to spare, he clearly “sees his brother in need,” and yet ignores the plight and pain of another suffering human being. I can’t help but be reminded of the story of Lazarus and the rich man in Luke 16:19-31. The wealthy man “habitually dressed in purple and fine linen, joyously living in splendor every day,” while the poor man, Lazarus was “covered with sores, and longing to be fed with the crumbs which were falling from the rich man’s table; besides, even the dogs were coming and licking his sores.” The rich man had been blessed with more than enough of this world’s goods to help such a hungry and hurting man like Lazarus, but he “closed his heart against” the poor man when he saw him “laid at his gate” on a daily basis and just walked on by.
People with hearts as hard as stones that cannot be penetrated by compassion and kindness will be condemned severely by the Lord on Judgment Day (Matthew 25:41-46). Love cannot be adequately expressed with our words alone, but must be useful, visible and functional. “If a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food, and one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace, be warmed and be filled,’ and yet you do not give them what is necessary for their body, what use is that? Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself.” (James 2:15-16) Faith without works is useless and dead, and love without active compassion stands in direct opposition to God’s “truth” (verse 18). The two greatest commandments given by God are to love the Lord with all our hearts, souls and minds, and to love our neighbor as ourselves (Matthew 22:36-40). I’m pretty sure none of us would let ourselves go hungry or naked if we could help it.
Okay we looked to Luke’s Gospel account at the rich man and Lazarus as an example of someone closing their heart up against a poor, vulnerable, suffering soul. Let’s look to the “Good Samaritan,” also recorded in Luke, to see the positive example of a heart overflowing with love and compassion, and charitable deeds expressed in divine truth for a stranger who had been beaten, robbed and left for dead. “But a Samaritan, who was on a journey, came upon him; and when he saw him, he felt compassion, and came to him and bandaged up his wounds, pouring oil and wine on them; and he put him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn and took care of him. On the next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper and said, ‘Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, when I return I will repay you.’” (Luke 10:33-35)
Hear the eternal words of our loving Lord Jesus: “Go and do the same” (Luke 10:37)!
Please read 1 John 3:19-22 for tomorrow.
Have a great day!
-Louie Taylor
