1 John 3:18-24 Little children, let us love, not in word or speech, but in truth and action. And by this we will know that we are from the truth and will reassure our hearts before him whenever our hearts condemn us; for God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything. Beloved, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have boldness before God; and we receive from him whatever we ask, because we obey his commandments and do what pleases him.
And this is his commandment, that we should believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us. All who obey his commandments abide in him, and he abides in them. And by this we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit that he has given us.
Reflection Although it is not clear who the author of 1John is, the overarching purpose of this treatise is to urge readers to embody Jesus’ commandment to love as Jesus loves; “not in word or speech, but in truth and action,” action meant for the good of others.
Ever sInce the mid 1800s in Kierkegaard’s book Works of Love a distinction has been drawn between eros and agape love. Eros is drawn to the goodness or beauty of the other and desires union with the other so to experience personal fulfillment. Therefore, eros is love arising from human need to be joined with another to whom we are attracted or in whom we see goodness.
On the other hand, agape affirms the goodness and beauty of the other, raising them up rather than seeking something from them. Agape acts to promote what is beneficial for the other rather than desiring something from the other.
Let me be clear. Eros has its place. Without it, I would not be here to write and you would not be here to read. But eros has a short shelf life. It only took me two marriages to figure that out. By contrast, agape love endures for the long term. It is love in which we abide; living, breathing and finding our being while affirming the goodness and beauty of others and fostering their well being.
The love commandment in 1 John points to both ethics and morals; ethics being the code of conduct prescribed by the great commandment “you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength… and…you shall love your neighbor as yourself,” and morals referring to the Spirit of love that abides or persists within us. Morals arise from the wisdom or law written on our hearts, inform our conscience and direct our actions. Although this kind of moral psychological interpretation would not have occurred at the end of the first century when 1 John was written, the author of this treatise is urging readers to recognize the interior source of love and persevere in love informed actions for the benefit of others; in other words, to abide in agape love.
Just prior to today’s text from 1 John we are counseled, “We know love by this, that (Jesus) laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for one another” (1 John 3:16). On rare occasions we may have cause to literally step into the line of fire to save the life of an other, but many times every day we have the opportunity to “lay down our lives for an other,” albeit less dramatically. Every time we share our assets or resources, our time or whatever is meaningful to us for the good of an other, we are laying down our lives. Every time we hold back our judgment, self interest, preference, comfort or desire in order to affirm the goodness and beauty of an other, we are laying down our lives and experiencing a moment of agape love.
Returning to 1 John we are challenged by the question, “How does God’s love abide in anyone who has the world’s goods and sees a brother or sister in need and refuses to help?” (1 John 3:17). How do we respond to this question given our current situation? We complain that the annual inflation rate for the United States is 8.5% for the twelve months ended in March 2022. With the price of gas in Oro Valley at $4.49 per gallon and the cost of groceries rising every week, we furrow our brows, cross our arms, tighten our purse stings and look for someone to blame.
But look around. Even in the face of the current economic climate, most of us enjoy more resources than folks across the globe have ever imagined. Which brings us to a painful part of agape love. Agape love demands we give up some of what we tell ourselves we need to affirm the beauty and goodness of others and foster their well being, especially others who are suffering with extreme, life depleting need.
Here is the thing, agape is the same Greek word used to describe God’s love for humanity and our love for other human beings. Agape love is the law written in our canon and etched onto our hearts. It is this love in which we abide, affirming the goodness and beauty of all humanity, laying down our lives for the benefit of others. Where will you direct your agape love today?
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