1 John 3:16-24 BSB (Berean Standard Bible)

“16By this we know what love is: Jesus laid down His life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. 17If anyone with earthly possessions sees his brother in need, but withholds his compassion from him, how can the love of God abide in him? 18Little children, let us love not in word and speech, but in action and truth. 19And by this we will know that we belong to the truth, and will assure our hearts in His presence: 20Even if our hearts condemn us, God is greater than our hearts, and He knows all things.

“21Beloved, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God, 22and we will receive from Him whatever we ask, because we keep His commandments and do what is pleasing in His sight. 23And this is His commandment: that we should believe in the name of His Son, Jesus Christ, and we should love one another just as He commanded us. 24Whoever keeps His commandments remains in God, and God in him. And by this we know that He remains in us: by the Spirit He has given us.”

Love Is, Is Not

Jesus Christ sets the example for us in what it looks like if we truly love one another, especially with regard to us loving our brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus, but more importantly in how we love God and our spouses. So what does that look like if we lay down our lives for those we are supposed to love? I will say up front that it never involves us committing sin, doing what is evil in the eyes of the Lord, in order to be accepted and approved by other human beings. It is never loving to compromise with sin to please others.

We must obey God in all things! So above all else God has to be in first place, and we have to be living holy lives, pleasing to Him. Sin must no longer be what we practice, but now faithfulness, godliness, moral purity, honesty, and self-control must be what we practice in daily living. Then, in the power of God, by the grace of God, we can love others as God loves us. And God’s love for us does not approve of sin, nor does it justify sin, but it calls for us to die to sin and to obey God in life practice to have life in Him.

Self-Sacrifice

Jesus Christ gave His life up for us on that cross in putting our sins to death with Him so that, by faith in Him, we will die with Him to sin and live to Him and to His righteousness in walks of obedience to His commands. So if we lay down our lives for others, at the top of the list has to be denying ourselves by speaking the truth to them in love, letting them know about Jesus’ sacrifice for sins and of His offer of forgiveness of sins and eternal life with Him, if we will die to sin and obey Him and His commands in practice.

For to see someone “in need” isn’t just about being in need of food and clothing and shelter, although it is certainly what this is speaking of. But if we give them food, or money to buy food, and then we walk away and we do not share Jesus with them, then are we truly laying down our lives as Christ laid down His life for us? For not everyone who professes faith in Jesus Christ is living for the Lord. Many of them are still living in sinful addiction, especially in the area of sexual immorality. So we need to speak truth, too.

Not in Words Only

And when this says that we are not to love in word only, but in action and in truth, I believe this is speaking of not “loving” with empty words, such as a person who says to their spouse, “I love you,” but then who commits adultery against their spouse habitually and deliberately. We are not to just mouth the words, “I love you,” and then do the opposite of that or to do nothing to show love. So this is not to the exclusion of demonstrating God’s love by sharing our daily devotions with others for their encouragement.

And this goes to our relationships with God, too. We cannot just say, “I believe in Jesus,” and thus we are now saved from our sins and we are now on our way to heaven. For to love God is to obey God, to do what He commands that we do, in life practice. And it is to deny self and to die to sin daily and to now follow Him wherever He leads us in doing whatever He calls, commands, and equips us to do, as His followers. In other words, love is not in words only. Love is shown by what we do in heart response to God.

[Matthew 7:13-14,21-23; Luke 9:23-26; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; Romans 1:18-32; Romans 2:5-10; Romans 3:23; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; Romans 12:1-2; 1 Corinthians 6:9-10,19-20; 1 Corinthians 10:1-22; 2 Corinthians 5:10,15,21; Galatians 5:16-24; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:3-6; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 3:1-19; Hebrews 4:1-13; Hebrews 10:19-39; Hebrews 12:1-2; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 1:1-10; 1 John 2:1-6; 1 John 3:4-10; Revelation 2:1-29; Revelation 3:1-22]

What Love Is, Is Not
An Original Work / October 8, 2026
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

Is Your All on the Altar?

By Elisha A. Hoffman

You have longed for sweet peace,
and for faith to increase,
and have earnestly, fervently prayed;
but you cannot have rest,
or be perfectly blest,
until all on the altar is laid.

Would you walk with the Lord,
in the light of His Word,
and have peace and contentment alway?
You must do His sweet will,
to be free from all ill,
on the altar your all you must lay.

O we never can know
what the Lord will bestow,
of the blessings for which we have prayed,
’till our body and soul,
He doth fully control,
and our all on the altar is laid.

Who can tell all the love
He will send from above,
and how happy our hearts will be made,
of the fellowship sweet
we shall share at His feet,
when our all on the altar is laid.

Is your all on the altar of sacrifice laid?
Your heart does the Spirit control?
You can only be blest,
and have peace and sweet rest,
as you yield Him your body and soul.

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