Only Two Camps: There are only two camps: children of God and the children of the devil (3:7-8). The first distinguishing mark between these two was righteousness vs. lawlessness/sin (3:4). The second sign of spiritual identity is love vs. hate (3:11-15). All who are born of God manifest the love of God (3:17).[1] Love characterizes the children of God. This is the love which the only begotten Son of God demonstrated when He laid down His life for His people (John 10:11; Eph. 5:25). The same love is what the rest of God’s children show toward one another. On the flipside is the devil, “the evil one” (3:12) who is characterized by hate, and those who belong to him exhibit his hatred toward the people of God. Cain was the first hater of him who practiced righteousness, Abel. The world has continued the same pattern of hatred toward the church of God, the same disdain which has persisted since the fall.[2] The world resents Christians for their imitation of God and wars against them (John 15:18).
Practical Love: The Christian standard of love is Christ. Jesus Himself said it, “love one another just as I have loved you” (John 13:34), and His standard was self-sacrifice. Not only did He lay down His life, but He also made Himself poor to enrich us (2 Cor. 8:9). Hence, we are also called to leverage our possessions to meet the needs of God’s people and serve them. By itself, verbal expression of love is hypocrisy; real actions must follow (3:17-18). Jesus’ love was actional as was the love of the Father. Tangible love is our family trait. Acts of sacrificial love is what Christians show one another (Gal. 6:10; 2 Cor. 8:2).