¹Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and whoever loves the Father loves the child born of Him.

The apostle John recognizes that, like today, his audience will include some who are genuine believers. Over fifty years have passed since the Lord Jesus returned to heaven, but the gospel message needs to be continually proclaimed and clarified. Why? The kind of love he writes about applies to and makes sense only to true believers. He uses the concept of being born again that Jesus used:

Jesus answered and said to [Nicodemus], “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” (John 3:3)

Make no mistake, John does not slough over the difference between believers, who are born again, and unbelievers, who are not. Being born again doesn’t come from belief in the teachings of Jesus, associating with Christians, being comfortable living the Christian lifestyle, or talking the Christian talk. One must have the kind of belief that goes beyond head knowledge; it must be a faith that causes one to be born again. That faith separates believers from non-believers, clear cut!

In the prologue to John’s gospel account, we read that not all human beings are children of God, contrary to liberal, mainline church teachings. One must receive Christ in faith to gain that right and privilege:

But as many as received [Christ], to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name . . . (John 1:12)

How do we know whether we have that kind of faith, a born-again saving faith? John is building toward the answer to this question, and at this point, he drives the stake of truth into the ground: genuine faith in Christ is synonymous with being born again. The second stake follows from the first, that whoever genuinely loves God the Father loves all those who are born again. Being part of God’s family as one of His true children means we will carry with us the family resemblance; in particular, we will be known by our love for fellow believers. Jesus said, “By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” (John 13:35).

Now, we must admit that loving all Christians can be difficult. The church is composed of believers at various stages in their spiritual growth, some living very much like unbelievers. We need to constantly remind ourselves of God’s uncompromising love for us so that we can love others in the same way.

Lord, help me do what seems impossible, to love others the way You love me!