Verse of the Week: “And this is his commandment, that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us.” (1 John 3:23)
Truth of the Week: Have you ever wondered at the wording of this verse? At first glance, it might seem to be grammatically incorrect. We would expect it so be written in the plural – “And these are his commandments” – since two commands seem to be given. But the verse doesn’t read that way, and God doesn’t make grammatical errors.
What I take this to mean is simply that the command to believe and the command to love are inseparable from one another. If I believe that Jesus is who He says He is, an all-sufficient and all-satisfying Savior, then I am freed, enabled, and compelled to love those around me. The life of Christ formed in me will inevitably flow from me. Conversely, genuine love for others is only made possible by believing in the name of Jesus. This is no mere intellectual assent or academic agreement, but rather is what takes place when we embrace Jesus as the bread of life that satisfies our hungry hearts and experience Him as the living water that saturates our thirsty souls.
Genuine belief in Jesus expresses itself in love for others, and love for others gives evidence to the genuineness of our belief.
Quote of the Week: “The new birth is the creation of new life that sees Christ for who he is and receives him; and that receiving severs the roots of the cravings of the world and sets us free to love.” (John Piper, Finally Alive)
I think this is one commandment because love is sufficient. It reminds me that Everone who loves is a child of God and Knows God because God is love. People want to put stipulations but love is sufficient.