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"Let us not love in word or in tongue..."

Text: 1 John 3:18

FROM WORD TO DEED

Faith in God is most precious. But faith must never be mere verbal confession no matter how beautifully we may articulate it. The challenge is to see our faith progress from word to deed.

“My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue,
but in deed and in truth.”
1 John 3:18

1. “My little children”

a) John was addressing all his readers, both young and old.

b) This expression is meant to communicate deep affection.

2. “Let us not love in word or in tongue”

a) “Let us”

i) John includes himself.

ii) It is an exhortation to every believer.

b) “Not love in word”

i) Love may be expressed beautifully in words.

ii) And beautiful words can be very moving.

iii) But this is not love as the Lord Jesus taught it.

iv) Love was never meant to be confined to mere words.

c) “Or in tongue”

i) This is a similar expression.

ii) The focus is “mere talk”.

iii) It is easy enough to talk about love.

iv) But this is not the focus as Jesus taught.

3. “But in deed and in truth”

a) Love must go beyond mere words and mere talk.

b) Love must be expressed in actual deeds.

i) It is caring for brethren in need.

ii) It includes even the need to lay down our lives for the brethren.

c) The context of such deeds is that of the love that Christ taught and exemplified

Truth must always be in the foreground!