The Truth About Love

The word “truth” is used five times in the first four verses of this short letter. As a result, we might think this is a book about truth. However, John merely wanted to restate a truth. It was a fact his readers knew, but perhaps had forgotten.

The truth he was communicating is that we are commanded to love one another. Love wasn’t an option, but a command!
He wrote that this was not a new commandment, “but one which we have had from the beginning.” It was God’s directive that we “love one another.”

Often we think of love in terms of emotion, romance, and sentiment. Yet John says love is defined in concrete, practical terms: “This is love, that we walk according to His commandments” (v. 6).

Thus, true love means walking in obedience. It means showing that we love God and others by the words we speak and the things we do.
To confirm this message, John rephrased his point with almost the same words: “This is the commandment, just as you have heard from the beginning, that you should walk in it” (v. 6).

This is the true test of our love. It’s a truth we all know: It’s easy to say we “love” someone, but if that love is genuine, we’ll want to demonstrate that love. We’ll act differently. We’ll talk differently.

Today, remember how important love is for your Christian life. Let God fill you with His love—for family and friends, neighbors and colleagues, even for rivals and those who might hate you. Don’t just talk about this love, but demonstrate it by obeying God and living according to His commands.