Book of 1 John Chapter 3 Vs. 14

Love One Another

Verses 14-15: Death and life here symbolize unbelief and saving faith, respectively. A murderer one whose heart is full of hate or even destructive apathy can, of course, be forgiven of such sin – But one who is truly forgiven will no longer abide in his murderous nature.

1 John 3:14 "We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not [his] brother abideth in death."

We know that... Twenty-one things we know:

1. That we know Him (1Jhn. 2:3).

2. That we are in Him (1Jhn. 2:5).

3. It is the last time (1Jhn. 2:18).

4. We know all things of truth (1Jhn. 2:20).

5. We know the truth (1Jhn. 2:21).

6. That no lie is of the truth (1Jhn. 2:21).

7. Everyone that doeth righteousness is born of God (1Jhn. 2:29).

8. When He shall appear, we shall be like Him (1Jhn. 3:2).

9. He was manifested to take away our sins; and in Him is no sin (1Jhn. 3:5).

10. We have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren (1Jhn. 3:14).

11. No murderer or hater of people has eternal life (1Jhn. 3:15).

12. We are of the truth (1Jhn. 3:19).

13. He abideth in us (1Jhn. 3:24).

14. We have the Spirit of God (1Jhn. 4:2, 4:13).

15. We know the difference between the Spirit of truth and the Spirit of error (1Jhn. 4:6).

16. That we dwell in Him and He in us (1Jhn. 4:13).

17. We love God’s children (1Jhn. 5:2).

18. We have eternal life (1Jhn. 5:13).

19. Whosoever is born of God sinneth not (1Jhn. 5:18).

20. We are of God (1Jhn. 5:19).

21. The Son of God is come, and has given us an understanding, that we may know Him that is true; and we are in Him (1Jhn. 5:20).

We know

Emphatic; we as distinguished from the world.

have passed (μεατβεβήκαμεν)

Lit., have passed over.

from death (ἐκ τοῦ θανάτου)

Lit., out of the death. The article marks it as one of the two spheres in which men must be; death or life. The death, the life, present one of those sharp oppositions which are characteristic of the Epistle; as love, hatred; darkness, light; truth, a lie. Ὁ θάνατος the death, occurs in John's Epistles only here and in the next clause. In the Gospel, only John 5:24. Personified in Rev. 1:18; 6:8; 9:6; 20:13.

unto life (εἰς τὴν ζωήν)

Rev., better, into. Compare enter into the life, Mat. 28:8; 19:17.

Becoming a Christian is a resurrection from death to life, and a turning of hate to love (Gal. 5:6, 22). A lack of love indicates that one is spiritually dead. Love is the sure test of whether someone has experienced the new birth or is still in the darkness of spiritual death (2:9, 11).

because we love... Twenty-one reasons we do know that we know Him:

1. By personal fellowship (1Jhn. 1:3-7; 2:13)

2. Fullness of joy in the heart (1Jhn. 1:4)

3. Keeping His commandments (1Jhn. 2:3; 3:22)

4. Walking even as He walked (1Jhn. 2:6)

5. Love of the brethren (1Jhn. 2:9-11; 3:10-19, 3:23; 4:7-21; 5:1)

6. Overcoming the world and Satan (1Jhn. 2:13-14; 5:4, 5:18)

7. Hatred of the world (1Jhn. 2:15-17)

8. Being one with Christians (1Jhn. 2:19)

9. Holy Spirit anointing (1Jhn. 2:20-27)

10. Knowing the truth that sets free (1Jhn. 2:21; John 8:32-36)

11. Acknowledging God and Christ (1Jhn. 2:22-25)

12. Doing righteousness (1Jhn. 2:29; 3:7-10; 5:1-4, 5:18)

13. Purifying ourselves (1Jhn. 3:3)

14. Being born again (1Jhn. 2:29; 3:9; 5:1-18)

15. Cleansing from sin (1Jhn. 1:7-9; 3:5-10)

16. Freedom from condemnation (1Jhn. 3:20-24)

17. The indwelling Spirit (1Jhn. 3:24; 4:4, 4:13)

18. Faith (1Jhn. 2:23; 5:1, 5:10)

19. Confessing Christ (1Jhn. 4:14-15)

20. Receiving Christ (1Jhn. 5:10-13; John 1:12)

21. Answered prayer (1Jhn. 3:21-22; 5:14-15)

because

The sign of having passed into life, not the ground.

We love the brethren (ἀγαπῶμεν του,ς ἀδελφούς)

The only occurrence of the phrase. Elsewhere, love one another, or love his brother.

His fellow-Christian. The singular, brother, is characteristic of this Epistle. See 1Jhn. 2:10, 2:11; 3:10, 3:15, 3:17; 4:20, 4:21; 5:16. Christians are called in the New Testament, Christians (Acts 11:26; 26:28; 1Pet. 4:16), mainly by those outside of the Christian circle. Disciples, applied to all followers of Christ (John 2:11; 6:61) and strictly to the twelve (John 13:5 sqq.). In Acts 9:1, to those who had received only John's baptism. Not found in John's Epistles nor in Revelation. Brethren. The first title given to the body of believers after the Ascension (Acts 1:15, where the true reading is ἀδελφῶν brethren, for μαθητῶν disciples). See Acts 9:30; 10:23; 11:29; 1Thes. 4:10; 5:26; 1Jhn. 3:14; 3Jhn. 1:5, 1:10; John 21:23. Peter has ἡ ἀδελφότης the brotherhood (1Pet. 2:17; 5:9). The believers. Under three forms: The believers (οἱ πιστοί; Acts 10:45; 1Tim. 4:12); they that believe (οἱ πιστεύοντες; 1Pet. 2:7; 1Thes. 1:7; Eph. 1:19); they that believed (οἱ πιστεύσαντες; Acts 2:44; 4:32; Heb. 4:3). The saints οἱ ἅγιοι; characteristic of Paul and Revelation. Four times in the Acts (Acts 9:13, 9:32, 9:41; 26:10), and once in Jude (Jude 1:3). Also Heb. 6:10; 13:24. In Paul, 1Cor 6:1; 14:33; Eph. 1:1, 1:15, etc. In Rev. 5:8; 8:3, 8:4; 11:18, etc.

Seen in the example of the hatred of Cain for Abel that resulted in murder. Hate leads to murder, so if you do not carry the murder out in reality, you have already committed it in your heart.

his brother

Omit.

One of the evident signs of being a Christian is the fact that we love other Christians. Hate and greed rule the worldly people. Love and sharing are of the Christian. Hate brings death. Love brings life.

In contrast with the world, however, John stated, We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love our brothers. The first we of this statement is quite emphatic in the original and may mean we, the apostles. But even if it does, the writer no doubt intended that the readers apply this comment to themselves. Love for one’s brothers is evidence that he has entered God’s sphere of life (cf. John 13:35).

The expression translated passed from death to life occurs elsewhere only in John 5:24 there trans. crossed over from death to life where it refers to conversion. But a phrase which is used only twice in John’s writing can hardly be said to have a fixed meaning. The context here must decide its significance. The statements of 1Jhn. 3:14-15 suggest that the spheres of death and life are here treated as experiential and determined by one’s actions. If so, the issue of conversion is not in view here.

The statement, Anyone who does not love the majority of the mss. add a brother or his brother remains in death, is considered under 1Jhn. 3:15.