3:12 How is increased and abounding love exemplified in Christians?
3:12 How is increased and abounding love exemplified in Christians?
Most Christians love each other with a mutual friendly love which is called out of their hearts because they find pleasure in each other's fellowship, but God calls us to increase that love to an unconditional self-sacrificial love - the same love wherewith He loves us (cp Eph 5:1-2; Php 1:9; 1Th 4:9-10; 2Pe 1:5-8).
When our love for each other becomes the deciding factor in our choices and the motivating power in our actions, we will be exemplifying in our lives the same self-sacrificial love for each other as Christ's was for us (cp 2Th 1:3 with Jn 13:34-35; 1Cor 13:1-7; Ga 5:22).
God also calls Christians to not only increase and abound in love for those who belong to the household of faith, but to all men (cp Mt 5:43-46; 19:19; Lk 6:27, 31-32, 35 with Lk 10:25-37).
See also comments on Jn 13:34-35, Ro 13:8, 1Cor 12:31, Ga 5:1-8, 5:13, 1Jn 2:7, 3:15, 3:16-18, 3:19-22, 4:7-21, Rev 3:7-13.