OUR OBSERVABLE LOVE - 1 JOHN 3:14

Verse 14: We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love abides in death.

John continues his thought from verse 13 with the emphatic we know, meaning that he presumes that his readers have been following the concepts he has taught thus far in this epistle.

The implication of what we know is that regardless of the world’s hatred for us, we know something that is of eternal significance in distinct contrast to what the unbelieving world knows. For when we believed in Jesus Christ we passed from a state of certain eternal death to the secured state of eternal life, destined to reside in that status permanently. This verse does not say that we have passed from death unto life because we love the brethren, but that the fact that we do love the brethren is the unmistakable evidence of our salvation.

The Mark of the Christian

This verse has an inherent connection with the content of Our Lord’s Upper Room Discourse (John 14-16) and His intercessory prayer for believers (John 17) immediately prior to His death, from which there are two issues that the believer in Jesus Christ ought to consider. First, observable love for one another gives all men (saved and unsaved) the right to evaluate if we are indeed Christ’s disciples. That is precisely what Our Lord stated:

“By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” (John 13:35)

The type of love which Our Lord advocated was not merely a warm, cozy emotion of mutual affection. The late Chester McCalley (1935-2000) explained it concisely: “Love directed towards man is the mental attitude that demands that we do what is best for another in the light of eternity no matter what it costs us.”1 This is the same sacrificial love Our Lord displayed on behalf of His disciples and all mankind.

Second, that the demonstration of oneness within the community of believers will provide convincing evidence for the world (all mankind and the evil cosmic forces) to believe that the Father indeed sent the Son:

 “That they may all be one; even as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be in Us, so that the world may believe that You sent Me.” (John 17:21)

Dr. Francis Schaeffer in his book, The Mark of the Christian, maintains what Our Lord intended by this directive:

It is a universal mark that is to last through all the ages of the church until Jesus comes back...The point is that it is possible to be a Christian without showing the mark; but if we expect non-Christians to know that we are Christians, we must show the mark.2

He goes on to proclaim that this true mark of the believer is the final apologetic—the definitive evidence that confirms the truth and genuineness of the Christians’ faith. He asserts that:

We cannot expect the world to believe that the Father sent the Son, that Jesus’ claims are true, and that Christianity is true, unless the world sees some reality of the oneness of true Christians.3

Consequently, love for the brethren and the clear demonstration of unity are essential indicators of the faithful believers’ witness within the Body of Christ and of the gospel before a watching world. This is precisely what the Apostle Paul specified when he wrote to the Colossians:

So, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience; bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you. Beyond all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity. Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful. (Colossians 3:12–15 [emphasis added])

Abiding in Death

In order to understand the next phrase, we need to recognize that the word he is not intended to refer to a believer in Jesus Christ—he represents the unbeliever. What John is attempting to establish is that the believer who fails to love the brethren is acting in the same manner as the unbeliever.

To be clear, John’s use of the term death in this verse signifies being separated from God as the present condition or the eternal destiny of anyone who rejects Christ as Savior. He uses this concept only five times in his gospel account and epistles—twice here and in John 5:24; 8:51, 52. The fact that this individual abides in death does not typify John’s usual description of the believer who is out of fellowship with the Lord; they are characterized as walking in the sphere of darkness (1:6; 2:9, 11).

Also, it is worthwhile to note that he who does not love continually abides (remains) in spiritual death—separated from the God, dead in in their trespasses and sins (Ephesians 2:1), children of the devil (1 John 3:10). Yet there is hope for him, for the Greek tense implies that even while they are alive and continue to remain in this present status, they could still reverse their course if they were to respond positively to the gospel and believe in Jesus Christ as their Savior.

For the Lord, “who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2:4), leaves open the potentiality of salvation for all His creatures. The Apostle Peter explains His divine disposition:

The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance. (2 Peter 3:9)

Challenging Questions

Are we demonstrating the mark of a faithful believer? Do we have “sincere love of the brethren” (1 Peter 1:22) in our thoughts, words and deeds? In our relationship with other believers in the Body of Christ, are we “of the same mind, maintain the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose” (Philippians 2:2)?

If the answer is “no” or “not sure” then it is time to reconsider our objective as a believer in Jesus Christ. For Jesus Christ was undeniably sent into the world by the Father to provide salvation for all mankind. And while the witness of the gospel message will indeed be able to lead a person to faith in Jesus Christ, it is just as crucial for the watching world to envision the authenticity of the Father’s work of salvation by the observable love and unity among all believers.

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[1] McCalley, Chester. http://wordoftruthkc.org/sites/default/files/file Philippians%20Commentary.pdf, p. 4.  [Retrieved May 1, 2025]

[2] Schaeffer, Francis A. (1985). The Complete Works of Francis A. Schaeffer, Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books, 4.183-184.

[3] Schaeffer, 4.189.

© 2025 David M. Rossi
 

WE SHOULD NOT BE SURPRISED -- 1 JOHN 3:13

 

Verse 13: Do not be surprised, brethren, if the world hates you.

In this verse, John continues with the subject of hatred and how it is a force to be reckoned with in the world. Every new and old believer should thoroughly understand its significance and how it impacts their life of faith.

The Surprise

The Greek lexicon discloses that the word for surprise means “wonder, marvel, be astonished.”1 Throughout Greek literature it is used of “the human reaction to the working of a deity in the revelation of its divine power.”2 This word has a variety of inferences where the context determines in what sense it is used. The best examples are found in Luke’s writings, since he uses this word more than any other New Testament writer:

Luke 2:33 - Mary and Joseph “were amazed at the things which were being said about Him [Jesus]”— they were overwhelmed;

Luke 4:22 - those who heard Jesus in the synagogue were “wondering at the gracious words” saying “Is this not Joseph’s son?”—they were incredulous;

Luke 8:25 - His disciples were both “fearful and amazed” when Jesus calmed the storm—they were astonished at His power.

Luke 11:14 - “the crowds were amazed” when He cast out a demon—they were dazzled;

Luke 11:38 - the Pharisee was “surprised that He had not first ceremonially washed before the meal”—they were arrogantly indignant;

Luke 24:41 - the disciples’ “joy and amazement” at Jesus’ post-Resurrection appearance—they were happily overwhelmed;

Acts 2:7 - the “astonished” Jews when the Spirit came upon the disciples—they were incredulous because they were Galileans!

Our Lord also used this word in His discussion with Nicodemus when He stated: “Do not be amazed that I said to you, ‘You must be born again’” (John 3:7). Here Our Lord is telling Nicodemus not to be perplexed mentally at what appears to be impossible.

This phrase “do not be surprised” in our passage literally means stop being surprised for the Greek grammar of the text “demands the cessation of some act that is already in progress.”3 It is obvious that many in John’s day were amazed that the world would regard them with such hatred. What John is implying is that his readers may be incredulously thinking: “how could the world hate God’s people?”

In order to fully understand this, we must examine the world and hatred. Only then will the student of Scripture be left without any doubt of the malevolent demeanor of the world towards believers in Jesus Christ.

The World

You may recall in 1 John 2:15, where it was explained that Biblical scholars were inclined to agree that world (cosmos) in Scripture describes an orderly arrangement, specifically one that is in opposition to God:

The world, and everything that belongs to it, appears as that which is hostile to God, i.e. lost in sin, wholly at odds with anything divine, ruined and depraved.4

Note Dr. L.S. Chafer’s summary:

The cosmos is a vast order or system that Satan has promoted, which conforms to his ideals, aims, and methods. It is civilization now functioning apart from God—a civilization in which none of its promoters really expect God to share, who assign to God no consideration in respect to their projects...This system embraces its godless governments, conflicts, armaments, jealousies, its education, culture, religions of morality, and pride. It is that sphere in which man lives. It is what he sees, what he employs. To the uncounted multitude it is all they ever know so long as they live on this earth. It is properly styled the satanic system, which phrase is in many instances a justified interpretation of the so-meaningful word, cosmos.5

It is important to note that this orderly arrangement is not leaderless. John has already mentioned its ruler as the evil one (1 John 2:13, 14)—Satan. And the Apostle Paul distinguishes him as “the prince of the power of the air” (Ephesians 2:2).

The Hatred

The hatred of the world towards believers has its root in Satan. And if Satan were to write believers a poem, it would be titled “Why do I hate thee?” and comprise one simple phrase: “Because I hate God and you are God’s child.”

 John fully understands the basis of Satan’s hatred, for Our Lord declared that “He who hates Me hates My Father also” (John 15:23); therefore John can confidently state “that the whole world lies in the power of the evil one” (1 John 5:19). This is indeed the world we reside in today. The Apostle Paul alerts us that it is a spiritual battleground “against the world forces of this darkness” (Ephesians 6:6)—Satanic darkness. John’s predominant desire expressed in this epistle is that believers walk in the sphere of light (1:7) and avoid walking in darkness. And yet, to live in the sphere of light means that we are by necessity a prime target for the world’s hatred.6

The fundamental reason for the world’s hatred towards believers is aptly explained by William MacDonald:

It is a basic principle in human life that wickedness hates righteousness, and this explains why the world hates the believer. The righteous life of the Christian throws the wickedness of the unbeliever into sharp relief. The latter hates this exposure and instead of changing his wicked behavior, he seeks to destroy what shows it up so clearly.7

The Challenge

The world’s hatred of believers is oftentimes indistinct and sometimes blatantly obvious. Therefore, Christians need to walk a fine line in this world. On the one side of that line, we “are not of the world” (John 17:14, 16), that the true significance of our existence has its source from God (1 John 4:4, “You are from God”).

But on the other side of that line, we “are in the world” (John 17:11) and still need to be effective witnesses for Christ, making it essential that we follow the Apostle Paul’s advice to Titus:

For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age (Titus 2:12).

Therefore, examine yourselves: do we embrace the world in friendship by partaking of its ungodly value system (1 John 2:16)? If we do, then we must seriously consider what James declares:

Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God (James 4:4b).

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[1] Arndt, W., Gingrich, F. W., Danker, F. W., & Bauer, W. (1979). In A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, 2^nd Ed.. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, p. 352.

[2] Beetham, Christopher A. (Ed.) (2021). The Concise New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology and Exegesis, Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Academic, p. 368.

[3] Dana, H.E. & Mantey, Julius R. (1957). A Manual Grammar of the Greek New Testament, Toronto, Ontario: Macmillan Co., p. 302.

[4] Arndt, W., Gingrich, F. W., Danker, F. W., & Bauer, W., p.446.

[5] Chafer, L.S., (1976). Systematic Theology, Dallas, TX: Dallas Seminary Press, 2.77-78.

[6] Michel, Otto (1964–). μισέω. In Theological Dictionary of the New Testament (G. Kittel, G. W. Bromiley, & G. Friedrich, Eds.), Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 4.691-692.

[7] MacDonald, W. (1995). Believer’s Bible Commentary: Old and New Testaments (A. Farstad, Ed.), Nashville: Thomas Nelson, p. 2318.

 

© 2025 David M. Rossi