What Is Real Love? A Guide to 1 JohnSample

1 John 3:19-24

19 Our actions will show that we belong to the truth, so we will be confident when we stand before God. 20 Even if we feel guilty, God is greater than our feelings, and he knows everything.

21 Dear friends, if we don’t feel guilty, we can come to God with bold confidence. 22 And we will receive from him whatever we ask because we obey him and do the things that please him.

23 And this is his commandment: We must believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and love one another, just as he commanded us. 24 Those who obey God’s commandments remain in fellowship with him, and he with them. And we know he lives in us because the Spirit he gave us lives in us. 1 John 3:19-24 NLT

Pray:Heavenly Father, help me to stand confidently before you. Teach me to obey you so I can show that I belong to your truth. Jesus, I believe in you. You are the Son of God and I choose to commit my life to you. Holy Spirit, fill me with life and peace and joy. In Jesus’ name, amen.

In today’s reading, John reminds us that, just like in every other area of life, when it comes to following Jesus, actions speak louder than words.

19 Our actions will show that we belong to the truth, so we will be confident when we stand before God. 1 John 3:19 NLT

Have you ever played the game “follow the leader”? It’s a game where someone plays the role of “the leader”, and everyone else forms a line behind that person and has to imitate everything the leader does. If the leader pats their head, everyone has to pat their head. If the leader goes left, everyone has to go left. It’s pretty simple and obvious when you think about it. Because following someone means going where they go and doing what they do.

And yet, somehow, seemingly large numbers of people think they can follow Jesus without actually changing their lives. But John is making it clear that isn’t how it works at all. When you say yes to following Jesus, you are saying no to your old way of life. And if your yes to Jesus isn’t backed up by a new way of life, then it was just an empty claim. Which, as John has already made abundantly clear, is not the kind of commitment Jesus is looking for. He doesn’t want your empty words. He wants your total commitment. Because He is the leader, and we’ve been invited to follow Him.

When we go where Jesus goes, do what Jesus does, obey what Jesus says, and love how Jesus loves, we are showing that we belong to the truth.

20 Even if we feel guilty, God is greater than our feelings, and he knows everything.1 John 3:20 NLT

Sometimes, we can know the truth in our minds without actually believing the truth in our bodies. Our feelings are real and they can be helpful, but they aren’t always reliable. Maybe you feel guilty because of the decisions you made before you started following Jesus. Or maybe you feel guilty because of the ways you still fall short of what you think God expects of you now that you are a Christian.

Whatever it may be, God is bigger and better than the feelings that may be leading you astray. And don’t forget, God is faithful and just to forgive us of all our sins when we confess them to Him. So, if there’s something that is still gnawing at you, maybe it’s time to bring it out of the darkness and into the light of His love.

21 Dear friends, if we don’t feel guilty, we can come to God with bold confidence. 1 John 3:21 NLT

In verse 19, John told us that when our actions are obedient to Jesus we can be confident before God. In verse 20, John told us that even if we feel guilty, God is greater than our feelings and He knows the reality of our situation. And now in verse 21, John is telling us that if we don’t feel guilty, we can go to God with bold confidence. That’s what we all want, isn’t it? To be able to walk up to our Father totally honest and shameless knowing He’s going to meet us with unconditional love? That kind of relationship is possible. As a matter of fact, that’s the kind of relationship God wants for us to have with Him. But once again, it’s the kind of thing that we can know in our minds without fully believing in our bodies. So, how do we train our bodies to actually believe the things we know to be true?

22 And we will receive from him whatever we ask because we obey him and do the things that please him. 1 John 3:22 NLT

Verse 22 holds the answer. We obey Him and do the things that please Him.

23 And this is his commandment: We must believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and love one another, just as he commanded us. 1 John 3:23 NLT

The essential ingredients of the Christian life are believing in Jesus and loving each other. This is what God wants us to do. These are the things that please God. This is what faith looks like in action: trusting Jesus and sacrificing ourselves for the good of others.

Practicing these commands is how we train our bodies to believe what our minds already know; we have been adopted in God’s family as His beloved children, and because of that we can approach Him confidently knowing that He will welcome us with open arms.

24 Those who obey God’s commandments remain in fellowship with him, and he with them. And we know he lives in us because the Spirit he gave us lives in us. 1 John 3:24 NLT

We remain in fellowship with God when we trust in Jesus and love each other. Which isn’t an idea John came up with. Once again, it’s something he learned from His teacher, Jesus.

10 “When you obey my commandments, you remain in my love, just as I obey my Father’s commandments and remain in his love… 12 This is my commandment: Love each other in the same way I have loved you. 13 There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” John 15:10, 12-13 NLT

Notice what Jesus doesn’t say. He doesn’t say, “When you obey my commandments, you earn my love…” Because obedience isn’t about earning. It’s not about straining and striving for God’s approval. Obedience is about submitting ourselves to the wisdom of God and letting Him teach us how to live because of how much He loves us and all that He’s done for us.

We can’t ever lose sight of that. Because as soon as we do we miss the whole point of it all. No amount of obedience is going to change how much God loves us. But obedience does help us be more aware of and in tune with God’s love. So, take a deep breath, trust that what Jesus did is more than enough, and relax into His goodness.

Application: How do you feel about your fellowship with God? Right now, do you feel close or far? Do you feel loved or judged? Be honest with yourself so you can get honest with God. Ask God to help you sort out the truth from the lies. And commit to love someone sacrificially today. Because when you do, God’s love will feel more real to you.