John 3:16 is maybe the most famous “book chapter and verse” combination in the Bible; maybe not the most quoted Scripture but definitely the most recognizable passage citation. It has a sister verse in John’s first epistle which is equally worthy of quotability.
This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters.
1 John:316
Where John 3:16 emphasizes God’s love by pointing to His sending Jesus to die, this part of John’s writing points to his death, burial and resurrection as a model for believers! We know what love truly is because of Jesus, so we ought to then act out that sacrificial love in our own lives.
If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person? Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.
1 John 3:17-18
If dying is on the table, we therefore ought to also make smaller sacrifices like material possessions to ease the burdens of those in need. That is our model of love!
Ethan Kirl
Paula
This message is so important! and this attitude of heart is so needed right now!!! 💜