"And this [is] the command we are having from Him, in order that the [one] loving God may be loving also his brother."
-And so here we have the better way, the way less traveled, the way up and in to glory, the way to rise above the Sunday-go-to-meeting mentality and rampant superficiality which plagues so much of the body of Christ today in the west. This command, this new command given to us by Christ Himself - this is the way forward. Love one another.
-There are actually two ways to look at this verse, depending on how you want to consider the purpose clause, “in order that”. The first interpretation is that John is simply restating for us the content of the command, to which he has been aluding or referring this entire letter (1John 2.7-10, 3.11-12, 3.23, 4.7-8). Overkill? No way. There is no way to overstate the spiritual and strategic importance of this command. It is the Great Transcontinental Railroad of the body of Christ, the Overland Route, it is the Eisenhower Interstate Highway System - the means by which the Gospel, this Message of God’s love and forgiveness thru faith in Christ - travels and traverses the mountains and valleys of brokenness and unbelief and arrives at its intended destination : a lost soul whom God so loves. To be sure, there are other routes, other means which God can and does use to bring people into contact with the Good News and into a faith relationship with Himself. But this is the superhighway. If nothing else, this is the way Jesus gave us. In all our disicple-making and men-fishing, this was the one way He mentioned by which He guaranteed success. Love one another.
-The second interpretation of this verse is that John here is speaking to the intent of the command, the outcome or purpose or result. This would be consistent with the tense of the verb (present subjunctive) - God gave us this command, in order that we may be loving. In order that the one who loves God may be loving their brother also. And again, this is because the love which believers demonstrate towards one another is precisely how we show love towards God. This imagery is thoroughly biblical, that what we do to our fellow man we do to the Lord (Proverbs 19.17; Hebrews 6.10; Matthew 25.40, 25.45). It is both proof of our love, and a demonstration of it. It substantiates and confirms that we really do know and love the Lord, and it is one way, a very tangible way we express love to Him.
-Faith, this adventure of loving the Lord with all our heart was never intended to be strictly a solo gig, merely a vertical transaction between me and God. Yes, there is a deeply personal and intimate aspect of our faith, and a place in the depth of our soul where we commune with Him just the two of us. But there is a vital horizontal component. Faith was always meant to journey in community, as a family. That’s why the Lord set out to make a family, a family who was learning to love and trust Him and who would not only grow into a tribe and then a nation of families who would do the same but would extend this way of faith and love to families everywhere. So we’re not talking about a spiritual moped made for one, or even a motorcycle (altho it is certainly possible - but not recommended - to squeeze an entire family on one). No, we’re talking about the granddaddy tour bus of all tour buses, journeying together in love. And so before He went to the cross, and through the inspiration of His Spirit upon those who afterwards wrote the New Testament, He gave us this imperative. And He is saying it to us again through John - it is absolutely imperative that we as those who claim to love God be loving one another. Let’s double down and do this, brothers and sisters...!
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