1 John 5:1-2
Reese’s
Peanut Butter Cups revolutionized sweet treats, at least for me. There is just
something about the combination of chocolate and peanut butter that tastes so
good. If you need to, you can take a break right now and go get one to eat
while you finish reading! And since the invention of these cups by Hershey’s,
they have been used in so many other recipes. Cookies, cakes, pies, salads, or
just plain. It seems as though we can’t get enough. But I am thankful for
self-control. Otherwise I might be significantly overweight and Reese’s PBC’s
would certainly have paid a role.
Combinations
often make things even better. Our clothing is often a combination of different
fibers woven together. This combination brings the best of the materials
together to make clothing that will wear out in a year or two necessitating the
purchase of new clothing. But while they last, they often don’t need much
de-wrinkling. The iron just doesn’t get as much use as it used to. I miss those
good ole days!
Faith,
love and obedience are bound together in our text today. All three must be
present or the presence of the others is up for debate. We have read repeatedly
how John connects loving God with loving each other. The two must go together.
Absence of the love for each other is a signal that our loving words toward God
are worthless and empty.
John
connects our faith in Jesus with our new birth, a birth of heavenly origin. We
all have an earthly birth and some respond to the LORD’s call and receive, in
addition to the earthly birth, a heavenly birth. And when that heavenly birth
happens we are changed. We begin to love our fellow Jesus-followers. Without
that love expressed in tangible ways to each other, we cannot claim the
heavenly birth. We can’t claim love for God without love for each other.
And
just as we can’t claim love for God without love toward each other, we can’t
claim either if we aren’t obedient to His commands. In this context John is
talking about the command to love, not about any other list of commands. The
following verses make this quite plain.
Notice
that it is a command to love, not a suggestion. This is not an optional add-on
to our live of faith. Love for and toward each other is at the core of
Christianity. We don’t have suicide bombers, we have suicide lovers. We give up
ourselves for the sake of others. We lay down our rights and serve. We take the
lowly positions in order that Jesus might be exalted. The Gospel flips the
power structures of this world on their heads. We die so that others might
live.
This
is of course what Jesus did for us. And it is what we are called to do in
response. We do what is best for others, rather than what is best for us. We
think of others before we think of ourselves. We meet their needs.