10 In this the children of God and the children of the devil are manifest: Whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is he who does not love his brother. 11 For this is the message that you heard from the beginning, that we should love one another, 12 not as Cain who was of the wicked one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his works were evil and his brother’s righteous. 13 Do not marvel, my brethren, if the world hates you. 14 We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love his brother abides in death. 15 Whoever hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.
Commentary
Vs. 10 “In this the children of God and the children of the devil are manifest:
Whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is he who
does not love his brother.”
The Apostle John to sum up once again makes a clear distinction between the children of God and the children of the devil, saying that, “Whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is he who does not love his brother.” It’s a simple summary that makes everything so clear. Thus, practicing righteousness and loving one’s fellow believers is the only mark of every true Christian. And in a world that is so rapidly degenerating into doing and pursuing and justifying all manner of vile and gross sexual immorality, wickedness, Godlessness, violence, lawlessness and chaos we need to be even more vigilant in our own personal lives and assemblies and take our stand with Christ and the Body of Christ outside of them, standing up for God’s righteousness and against the sins that they stand up and live for.
Vs. 11-12 11 For this is the message that you heard from the beginning, that we should love one another, 12 not as Cain who was of the wicked one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his works were evil and his brother’s righteous.
Having cited the Lord Jesus Christ’s highest command and imperative that we as brethren love one another (John 13:34-35), the Apostle John now recalls the antithesis of that, citing Cain’s murder of his righteous brother Abel, whom he killed because his own works were evil, while his brothers were righteous. And so, this deep seeded hostility that he held for his brother finally manifested itself when Cain brought an offering to the Lord, as he desired to do, and so it was rejected by the Lord. However, when Abel his righteous brother brought an offering to the Lord which was accepted by the Lord (Gen. 4:11-8), Cain upon seeing this, being of the wicked one, as the Apostle John says of him here, became filled with wrath and murdered him! And so, from the beginning we see there were always two types of people, those who are of God, (who will find their way to Him), and those who are of the wicked one (who will always reject Him and His rule for and over them), and thus they will hate and oppose and even seek to destroy all of us who belong to and seek to obey Him, because their own wrath is born out of the devil’s own hatred and wrath for God (consider Rev. 12:13, 17). While our own love for God and each other is born out of His Holy Spirit dwelling inside of each one of us.
Vs. 13 “Do not marvel, my brethren, if the world hates you.”
Therefore, the Apostle John says to us who believe in Christ Jesus, “Do not marvel, my brethren, if the world hates you.” For this is just what Jesus Himself said would happen to us who believe in Him (John 15:18-25).
Vs. 14 “We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love his brother abides in death.”
Again, a clear marker that one has passed from spiritual death to new and everlasting life by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ is that we now have love for all the brethren (that is the Body of Christ, whoever they are, and wherever they are). For God’s love in us for all the brethren s something that is a fundamental part of who we now are, being the first fruit of the Spirit of God inside each and every one of us (Gal. 5:22-23). Therefore, as the children of God bearing the Lord Jesus Christ’s Person and Spirit inside us, we who believe in Jesus Christ all have God’s love for each other inside us. Therefore if you do not love the brethren, guaranteed you are not saved!
Vs. 15 “Whoever hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.”
Therefore, the Apostle John looking at the wicked example of Cain now links hatred of one’s brethren with murder. For it’s a small step from one to the other. And as the Lord Jesus Christ has made clear murder always begins in the heart, first with derogatory thoughts and speech, and later with actions (see Matt. 5:21-22). Therefore, no this no one who hates his brother has eternal life abiding in them.
Scripture Quotations
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