Let Love Move You (1 John 3:16)

“By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers.” (1 John 3:16)

John once said, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son.” Now, John says, “We know love, that He laid down His life for us.” What moved heaven toward earth? Love. Love is the only force that can compel someone to act freely and without compulsion. Fear, greed, ambition - these may move men, but they move men with the same “freedom” as the whip urges the horse onward. The Son so loved us that He laid down His life for us. Like the wind that drives a ship from one harbor to another, so the love of the triune God has driven Christ to lay a course from heaven to earth for the object of His affections, to lay down immeasurable glories to lift up his people from sin and death, to lay aside glory and splendor to serve those whom His heart longs.

Love divine, all loves excelling, Joy of heaven to earth come down:

fix in us thy humble dwelling, all thy faithful mercies crown:

Jesus, thou art all compassion, pure, unbounded love thou art;

visit us with thy salvation, enter every trembling heart.

If love is measured by what is laid down, how can we possibly quantify the great love of Jesus Christ towards us? Thankfully, John does not call us to measure the Son’s love with numbers, but with living. His death freed us from the bondage of sin and selfishness, but His death also provides the paradigm for sacrificial living. Those who have entered into the love of Christ have entered into something matchless, vast, and free, so what is it to sacrifice our time, our energy, our very lives for our brothers? What is it to lay down our lives for those we love when Christ laid down His when we were His enemies? The seal to which Calvin applied to his letters applies to all followers of Christ today: “My Heart I Offer To You Lord, Promptly and Sincerely.”