Whoever loves his brother abides in the light, and in him there is no cause for stumbling. (1 John 2:10)

by Josh Liu

Loving one another is such a foundational characteristic and primary activity of a believer that those who do not love others show themselves to not abide in the light–that is, Jesus Christ. This is one theme the youth ministry seeks to emphasize.

Cesar preached on 1 John 2:7-11 for a Lumos Friday night Bible study in November. In a subsequent Bible study, he expounded on the theme of loving one another. He shared with us Tim Keller’s organization of the one another commands in the New Testament (from A Gospel Life: Grace Changes Everything):

Affirm

• Affirm one another’s strengths, abilities, and gifts (cf. Rom. 12:10; James 5:9; Rom. 12:3-8)
• Affirm one another’s equal importance in Christ (cf. Rom. 15:7; 1 Cor. 12:25; 1 Peter 5:5; James 2:1)
• Affirm one another through visible affection (cf. Rom. 16:16; James 1:19; Eph. 4:32; 1 Thess. 3:12)

Share

• Share one another’s space, goods, and time (cf. Rom. 12:10; 1 Peter 4:9; Gal. 6:10)
• Share one another’s needs and problems (cf. Gal. 6:2; 1 Thess. 5:11; Heb. 3:13)
• Share one another’s beliefs, thinking, and spirituality (cf. Col. 3:16; Eph. 5:19; Rom. 12:16; 1 Cor. 1:10)

Serve

• Serve one another through accountability (cf. James 5:16; Rom. 15:14; Eph. 4:35)
• Serve one another through forgiveness and reconciliation (cf. Eph. 4:2; Col. 3:13; Gal. 5:25; James 4:11; Matt. 5:23-24; 18:15)
• Serve one another’s interests rather than our own (Heb. 10:24; Rom. 15:1-2; Gal. 5:13)

It has been an incredibly challenging time in examining our lives through the lens of Scripture, particularly in measuring ourselves to these tests of love. It was my personal experience during my youth group years of struggling to love my family members. I fought a lot with my brothers and father. Refusing to love them, and in fact actively hating them, should have revealed that I did not abide in Christ. Yet I was blinded by my own sinful heart. Thankfully, by God’s grace, He revealed the depths of my sinfulness and my desperate need for Christ as my Lord and Savior. Only then, by the power of the Holy Spirit, did I begin to actively love, for I then knew the love of Christ through His life, death, and resurrection, reconciling me to the Father.

Our discussion time after the message during Bible study was encouraging. Some of the youth shared about areas that they struggled in and thoughts on what to do differently next time.

In the same way, I present this challenge to you: examine your life–your heart attitudes, thoughts, actions, speech, tone. Does it reveal one who abides in the light? Or, one who abides in darkness? Are you actively loving others to make God big? Or are you actively loving yourself to make you big? Prayerfully rate yourself in the above one-another’s that Keller summarizes.

As you do so, I suggest using the following from The Passion of Jesus Christ: Fifty Reasons Why He Came to Die…To Show the Wealth of God’s Love and Grace for Sinners, by John Piper, to reflect on Christ’s love for us.

One will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die—but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:7-8)

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16)

In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace. (Ephesians 1:7)

The measure of God’s love for us is shown by two things. One is the degree of his sacrifice in saving us from the penalty of our sin. The other is the degree of unworthiness that we had when he saved us.

We can hear the measure of his sacrifice in the words, “He gave his only son” (John 3:16). We also hear it in the word Christ. This is a name based on the Greek title Christos, or “Anointed One,” or “Messiah.” It is a term of great dignity. The Messiah was to be the King of Israel. He would conquer the he measure of God’s love for us is shown by two things. One is Romans and bring peace and security to Israel. Thus the person whom God sent to save sinners was his own divine Son, his only Son, and the Anointed King of Israel—indeed the king of the world (Isaiah 9:6-7).

When we add to this consideration the horrific death by crucifixion that Christ endured, it becomes clear that the sacrifice the Father and the Son made was indescribably great—even infinite, when you consider the distance between the divine and the human. But God chose to make this sacrifice to save us.

The measure of his love for us increases still more when we consider our unworthiness. “Perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die—but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:7-8). We deserved divine punishment, not divine sacrifice.

I have heard it said, “God didn’t die for frogs. So he was responding to our value as humans.” This turns grace on its head. We are worse off than frogs. They have not sinned. They have not rebelled and treated God with the contempt of being inconsequential in their lives. God did not have to die for frogs. They aren’t bad enough. We are. Our debt is so great, only a divine sacrifice could pay it.

There is only one explanation for God’s sacrifice for us. It is not us. It is “the riches of his grace” (Ephesians 1:7). It is all free. It is not a response to our worth. It is the overflow of his infinite worth. In fact, that is what divine love is in the end: a passion to enthrall undeserving sinners, at great cost, with what will make us supremely happy forever, namely, his infinite beauty.