by The love of God in John 3:16 is written to the unbeliever., while the love of God in 1 John 3:16 is written to the believer. In 1 John 3:16, John challenges whether the believer is a believer by the love found in John 3:16. In 1 John 3:16-18, the proof is seen in how the love of God is expressed outwardly. John is asking, “How can someone who says they are saved and has the love of God not love God’s people?” Since John is speaking to them as if they are brethren, there is a likelihood they may have drifted from God and have forgotten they were saved (2 Peter 1:2). However, Peter’s challenge will only be realized after one has left this world to a place where, if they are not saved, they will not have a second chance. This is a dangerous place to be, as the idiom goes, “a day late and a dollar short,” eternally! Since John cannot see their heart, he is challenging them to prove they are believers.
This outward love that John challenges about is not instantaneous, seen by the use of the word “perceived,” which means “to learn.” Only after we receive His love in John 3:16 can we perceive it in 1 John 3:16, which is a learning process. After we received His love, we received His Spirit as our guide to teach us about His love (John 16:13). It is easy, then, to see why some forget they were saved, because they never went to school after they received the love of God.
As we learn, as we perceive the love of God, we cannot help but seeth the need (3:17). bowels of compassion is an inward gut feeling expressed outwardly toward the sin sick and needy. This is where others begin to see the proof of salvation in us. The context of seeth is towards the brethren (3:16) who have physical and spiritual needs. How guilty are we of shooting our wounds, and how easy this is when we do not grow in the love of God? We must be wary, when fellow believers turn their back on Jesus that we are not quick to turn our back on them. Peter also wrote of this compassion for brothers and sisters in the body of Christ in 1 Peter 3:8-9.
As we perceive the love of God and as we have bowels of compassion, we must then live them by the same love of God (3:18). The lesson here is that our love must be in deed, which is outward and tangible. It’s not just the thought that counts, it is our actions that seal the deal.
So, as we journey through this month of love, February, let’s prove the love of God is in us by compassionately sharing it with our brethren who are in need.
