LOVE IN DEED AND IN TRUTH

“My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth!" (1 John 3:18 NKJV).

It has been said that talk is cheap, and so faith not accompanied by love for others as shown in truth and action is worthless. John urges believers in the Lord Jesus to avoid such hypocrisy. His exhortation is expressed both negatively and positively.

Negatively – “Let us not love in word or in tongue.” Here the apostle is including himself as he challenges his readers to understand that love is more than making a good speech. John is not condemning kind or comforting words. However, the expression of such utterances without an outward manifestation of them, is mere noise and therefore worthless.

Positively – “In deed and in truth.” Here John is insisting that love is to be demonstrated in actions. Love is express itself in deeds. The objective reality of love is that it expresses itself in one’s actions. We need to be genuine in our love for others. One of the distinguishing marks of the child of God is love, a love that originates in God, displays itself in actions of self-sacrifice, and is evidence of eternal life.

To love “in deed and in truth” is much more than making a good profession or persuasive speech. Words can be empty and actions can be hypocritical. People are attracted by genuine love, but repelled by the artificial variety. To love “in word” means simply to talk about a need, but to love “in deed” means to do something about meeting it. You may think, because you have discussed a need, or even prayed about it, that you have done your duty, but love involves more than words - it calls for sacrificial deeds.

(Adapted from Butler Daily Bible Reading)

Soli Deo Gloria (To God Alone Be The Glory)

Quotation of the Week

“Love born at Calvary bears and forbears, gives and forgives!”

Anonymous

Word Study

Deed

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

Deed is the Greek word ergon (ἔργον = er'-gon). It means work, deed, action, occupation, task, thing, matter. In classical Greek, the word carries different shades of meaning which includes commercial and agricultural occupations, trade, and fishing. It is also descriptive of the labor of the fine arts such as painting, sculpture, and literary artistry.

In the Septuagint the basic understanding of ergon is to do or make, and was used to describe the labor of the Levites and priests. In the New Testament, ergon is used to describe labor, a task, or a deed. Further, the word may also refer to any deed which testifies of God. However, more significant is the use of erga (plural) as a technical term for “deeds” of keeping the Law (Rom. 2:15; Gal. 2:16) or for the “good deeds” which are to demonstrate the Christian lifestyle.

Prophecies Fulfilled by Jesus

Old Testament Prophecy – Messiah would judge in righteousness (Isa. 11:4)

New Testament Fulfillment – Acts 17:31

Did You Know…

In Exodus 32:28, in relation to the giving of the Law, Moses and the Levites slay 3,000 of their own people who worshiped the golden calf. At Pentecost in Acts 2:41, after Peter’s preaching 3,000 people were converted and added to the church

Bible Quiz

What does God call someone who says, “I love God and hates his brother?”

**Answer to last week’s trivia: How many times hotter than usual did Nebuchadnezzar order the furnace for Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego? 7 times (Dan. 3:19 ).

Everyday Expressions Alluded to in the Bible

“Heaven' gate”

“And he was afraid and said, how awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven” (Gen. 28:17 NKJV).

“Heaven's gate” - The expression “heaven's gate” carries the idea of the entrance to Heaven. In context, when Jacob awoke from his sleep and pondered his dream, great fear came upon him. The appearance of the ladder, the angels, and the Divine glory at the top of the ladder, must have left deep, and solemn impressions on his mind. With the Lord Jesus being represented by the ladder, Jacob was certainly correct in stating that “this is the gate of heaven” because the Lord Jesus Christ is the way to heaven.

Did You Know – Christian History

Small-time criminal, Edward Martin was so hardened, that he was considered beyond hope or redemption. He was sentenced to a chain gang in Virginia. A chain gang is a group of prisoners chained together to perform menial or physically challenging work as a form punishment. Such punishment might include repairing buildings, building roads, or clearing land. This system existed primarily in the Southern United States. The Southern States needed finances and public works to be performed. Prisoners were a free way for these works to be achieve.

One time Ed managed to escape, and a $10 reward was offered for his capture - dead or alive. But then something happened. Ed’s sister asked her roommate Alfreda Enders to pray for her brother who was in prison. Alfreda, preparing for the mission field, honored the request. But she did more than that; she wrote letters, explaining the gospel to Ed and giving him Scriptures to look up. Using a much worn Bible, Ed quickly learned to locate the verses that Alfreda mentioned in her letters.

Eventually, Alfreda visited Ed in prison. When she asked him point blank if he was saved, Ed dropped his eyes. “Well, Alfreda, the reason I’ve never said for sure is because I don’t know for sure.” Alfreda then explained to Ed all about the new birth. At that point, January 9, 1944, Ed bowed his head and prayed, “God, forgive my sins and save me for Jesus’ sake.” Immediately he believed he was saved. “Thank you, Lord. Thank you, Alfreda,” he said. Picking up the beautiful new Bible that she had just given him, Ed Martin wrote the date in the margin of John chapter 3. “I want to write the date here next to John 3:16, although I know I will never forget it.”

Alfreda then went on to explain other steps of spiritual growth. After she left, Ed put them into practice. So great was his transformation that he started helping other inmates find salvation through his preaching in the prison chapel. A guard eventually recommended Ed for parole. Alfreda and Ed married and began a family. Their married life was lived for God as they pastored a church in Pennsylvania, and then served as missionaries in Japan.

When Ed’s health failed, they returned to the United States and founded a prison ministry called Hope Aglo. Ed died in 1994. His wife Alfreda continued their prison ministry.

A Little Humor

A young man called his mother and announced excitedly that he had just met the woman of his dreams. Now what should he do? His mother had an idea: “Why don’t you send her flowers, and on the card invite her to your place for a home-cooked meal?” He thought this was a great strategy and arranged a date for a week later. His mother called the day after the big date to see how things had gone. “The evening was a disaster,” he moaned. “Why, didn’t she come over?” asked his mother. “Oh, she came over, but she refused to cook.”

Thought Provoking Church Sign

“He who provides for this life but takes no care for eternity is wise for a moment but a fool forever!”