Love, Sin, and Hate
St. John rattles our reality when he says sin flows from a heart that doesn't love well. The difference between life and death is love or a lack of love.
“You sinner!” The preacher thundered from the pulpit in our small Pentecostal church, and, as a 10-year-old boy, he had me convinced. Yep, I was a sinner, and I needed to be saved. So, that’s what I did. Every time there was a chance to be “saved,” I took it! (I still do!)
Wouldn’t it be wonderful never to sin again? But what if our idea of what sin is is wrong? What if we have the mistaken notion of what sin is in the first place? How can I stop doing what I don’t understand?
This is a big deal, gang.
The whole idea behind being a Christian is learning WHY God saves us and from what to what! If I keep hearing that sin is my problem, and I don’t actually know what sin is, or I think sin is just “breaking the rules,” that too-small notion will form my motivations for being a Christian. And that usually means my motivations aren’t deep, profound, or comprehensive enough to get me through this lifelong spiritual marathon of being faithful.
This is a big deal!
Look at our Lesson today in 1 John 3:9-22:
BRETHREN, no one born of God commits sin; for God’s nature abides in him, and he cannot sin because he is born of God. By this it may be seen who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not do right is not of God, nor he who does not love his brother. For this is the message which you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another, and not be like Cain who was of the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own deeds were evil and his brother’s righteous. Do not wonder, brethren, that the world hates you. We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love abides in death. Any one who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him. By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. But if any one has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him? Little children, let us not love in word or speech but in deed and in truth. By this we shall know that we are of the truth, and 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 confidence before God; and we receive from him whatever we ask.
St. John’s provocative statement declaring that “no one” who is born of God commits sin” is shocking, especially since we know we do sin.
So, does that mean we aren’t born of God?
But he doesn’t stop there with the challenging comments. He then says that someone born of God “cannot” sin! Whoa!
Before you panic, let’s examine the rest of the passage to understand what John is trying to communicate. John gives us three insights into the nature of sin and what overcomes this sad state in the human heart. It turns out that sin is always a symptom of a lack of Love!
Because sin isn’t breaking a rule; it’s missing the mark, the purpose of our lives.
Our purpose is to love God with all our hearts and our neighbors as ourselves. Our weakness in these areas is due to a lack of love and a self-centered attitude. This lack of love for God and my neighbor manifests itself in behaviors that prove I prioritize my comfort and desires above God’s wisdom and my neighbor’s life. That sets up a pattern of motivations and choices that shrink me into myself and make me a slave to my desires rather than the master of my desires. And the result is I keep missing the mark to be like Christ!
But if I learn to love God and my neighbor, my life is set on the path to freedom!
Quick aside: “Love” has little to nothing to do with feelings of affection or nostalgic romance. This narcissistic definition of love is meant to trick us into excusing us from really loving our neighbor enough to warn him when his choices are self-destructive. Love has to be defined from God’s perspective, not the cowardly shallowness of being “nice.”
So, whatever strengthens love makes sin less potent in our lives. Love assumes the best in others. Love seeks the benefit of others before our selfish desires. Love even says sacrificing my life for another is normal and good. In other words, God is love because this is exactly how He has acted with us. A Lifestyle of love is free from sin, and a lifestyle of sin is bereft of love.
It's as simple as that!
So, a lifestyle of sin (not breaking a rule, but a lack of love) reveals that you are still gripped by spiritual death and not participating in God’s divine nature. However, a lifestyle of love for others is the family resemblance of a person becoming “like Christ!” No wonder Jesus says of those lost on the last day, “Depart from Me. I never knew you.” It isn’t about moral bookkeeping as much as about a deep and growing intimate relationship with Jesus Christ.
St. Leo, the Pope of Rome, was made the patriarch of Rome in 440. This godly man was primarily seen as a great theologian. But his profound and Orthodox theology had the practical effect of growing love in the hearts of those who embraced his Christian wisdom. During Leo’s time, particular false teachings were spreading through the Christian world, much like today. Leo was to distinguish himself as the voice of Orthodoxy in these disputes. One major dispute over the Person of Jesus Christ (most, if not all, heresies boil down to the question of “Who is Jesus?”) was taught by a man named Eutyches, a monk from Constantinople. St. Leo wrote to the patriarch of Constantinople and laid out the proper Orthodox teaching of the Faith. He said that if Eutyches repents his errors, he should be received with all gentleness and kindness. Leo’s main concern was to make sure errors in theology didn’t poison the souls under his care, but he also wanted everyone, even those who were in error, to be treated lovingly and kindly. This reflected Leo’s deep love for God and his neighbor.
Today, what does your lifestyle say about who you belong to in the first place? Your deeds reveal your heart. Your deeds, choices, and priorities reveal whether you love God more than yourself. An active, daily, and consistent willingness to keep getting up every time you stumble will gradually transform your life into one that is loving and like Christ. It’s the whole reason we are called to be Normal Orthodox Christians!
P.S. A model of faith and the image of gentleness, the example of your life has shown you forth to your sheep-fold to be a master of temperance. You obtained thus through being lowly, gifts from on high, and riches through poverty. Leo, our father and priest of priests, intercede with Christ our God that He may save our souls.
Fr. Barnabas Powell is the parish priest at Sts. Raphael, Nicholas, and Irene Greek Orthodox Church in Cumming, GA. He is also the founder of Faith Encouraged Ministries and produces the Faith Encouraged Daily Devotional on Substack. Watch the Faith Encouraged YouTube Channel here - https://www.youtube.com/@FaithEncouragedTV
