The Law of Love

I John 3:1-15

See what love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God; and that is what we are. The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Beloved, we are God’s children now; what we will be has not yet been revealed. What we do know is this: when he is revealed, we will be like him, for we will see him as he is. And all who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure. Everyone who commits sin is guilty of lawlessness; sin is lawlessness. You know that he was revealed to take away sins, and in him there is no sin. No one who abides in him sins; no one who sins has either seen him or known him. Little children, let no one deceive you. Everyone who does what is right is righteous, just as he is righteous. Everyone who commits sin is a child of the devil; for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The Son of God was revealed for this purpose, to destroy the works of the devil. Those who have been born of God do not sin, because God’s seed abides in them; they cannot sin, because they have been born of God. The children of God and the children of the devil are revealed in this way: all who do not do what is right are not from God, nor are those who do not love their brothers and sisters. For this is the message you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another. We must not be like Cain who was from the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own deeds were evil and his brother’s righteous. Do not be astonished, brothers and sisters, that the world hates you. We know that we have passed from death to life because we love one another. Whoever does not love abides in death. All who hate a brother or sister are murderers, and you know that murderers do not have eternal life abiding in them.

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Out of curiosity, I’m interested if any of you have heard of a Turkish Delight. You might have heard of them before, but the first time that I ever heard of these sweet treats was in The Chronicles of Narnia if you’ve ever read the books or watched the movies you would know that Turkish Delights are sweet that the Witch uses to turn Edmund against his siblings and friends. After finishing a box of the treats that have been imbued with magic, Edmund’s desire for Turkish Delights grows to a point where he turns his back on others in a pursuit to fill his wants and desires. His selfishness is so intense that he is willing to say hateful things to his siblings and lure them to the Witch’s castle, knowing full well that she intended to kill them. 

What I find most interesting about the Bible is that ninety percent of the time, it is telling us to check our hearts and stop acting as a judge, prosecutor, and executioner to others. And I can’t think of a stronger statement than the one we hear this morning, “All who hate a brother or a sister are murderers, and you know that murderers do not have eternal life abiding in them.” If you don’t think this passage is convicting, then you must be made of tougher stuff than I am, because the weight of these verses feels like an excruciatingly heavy responsibility. It means that when we fail to love our neighbor, to live out the Great Commandment (love God and love neighbor), then we are guilty of being convicted of a crime that is on par with murder! But maybe I am jumping ahead of myself, and we should take a step back and look at the first part of this passage. 

We hear in the beginning part of this passage that, "Everyone who commits sin is guilty is lawlessness." Oftentimes we think that laws and commandments mean that we are limited in what we can and cannot do. In some ways, that's right, because I mean you wouldn't want to run a stop sign at a four-way intersection, right? Or you wouldn't want to smoke in an area that you weren't allowed because there were flammable materials around that wouldn't make sense! Laws and commandments serve a purpose, and in some ways, they are prohibitive, because it keeps us and those around us safe. But the reading this morning reminds us that the laws of God are different. The rules and commandments of God are not just about what we can and cannot do, but about how we can live or "choose life," as our first reading the Book of Deuteronomy says. 

“Choose life,” that is the law we hear this morning. Choose life, choose love, choose to love God and our neighbors, and we will find that our lives are opened up to a world of new possibilities. While it may sound like God is wagging a finger and telling us what is and is not allowed, the truth is that God’s law and commandments are not like our present understanding of rules and orders. Unlike the prohibitive nature of our secular laws, the laws of God are in many ways like a guide book. It shows us how we can live and what freedoms are at our fingertips if we say, “Yes,” to allow our hearts to be open to one another and the divine love of God. These guides require that we not only hear the words, the teachings of God, but we live them out actively in our daily lives. We can’t come to worship, sing songs and say prayers, and then go out and rob a bank, because if we do, then we’ve completely missed the point!

And that is where the second half of our reading comes into play. It’s a reinforcement of the lesson we heard previously. There is abundant life to be found and opportunities that occur if we live as ones who have abundant life dwelling inside of us. The Kingdom of God may not have laws and commandments as we understand them, but that doesn’t mean they don’t matter. The point is driven home in the portion I mentioned earlier, “All who hate a brother or sister are murderers, and you know that murderers do not have eternal life abiding in them.” It can’t get any more precise, the Greek miseō, literally means “to hate” or “detest.” So those who spend time brooding or go about spreading hate and fear are condemned by the law of God who holds such actions as an affront to what it means to live a life that is free, free from fear, free from hate, a life that instead of dwelling on such things is free to love and be loved as God has loved us. 

This law of God, which goes against hate and guides us towards a new path, was encapsulated in a collection of first-hand stories that had been published for this year's Black History Month. Nicholas Smith, who was a young White man from Oregon, recalled the shame he felt for his inaction during army training when he witnessed a police officer hit a little Black boy who was ten. Smith remembers the officer getting out of the car and saying that it was a shame he hadn't hit the boy and his friend. It scared Smith, and a few months later, he found himself in a bar with a Black friend who was in the same branch of service. The bartender told them they had to leave, but Smith said to him, "If he is good enough to serve in the Army and become an Army officer, then he's good enough to drink in the (expletive) bar!" Smith recalled that in Vietnam, they learned quickly that "in the fox hole, we all bleed red." Smith learned that such unreasonable and demonic hate had no place in the world. 

We started this series on discipleship by asking what it means to be claimed by God in the act of Baptism. We remembered what it means for us to take a risk by casting our nets in search of something new. We recalled that the gifts of God that we have received are not for one person, but for all. And we considered what it would look like for us to shine our light forth. Today as we discuss the law of God, which guides us and brings us to a liberating life founded on grace and love. I hope that we take seriously the responsibility that has been given to all of us. It’s not a calling that we should take lightly, and it is something that we choose to participate in every day. And by being co-laborers and co-partners in God’s redemptive work (bringing justice, peace, and compassion), then we discover that our hearts have been transformed, aligning themselves more closely with the heart of God. Amen.