Weekly Sermon Insights: Love

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Love is not optional - it is a new commandment

April 12, 2026

Tim Bower

Message Notes

Love in 1 John (primarily 2:7–11, 3:14–16, 4:16–21), with supporting references from other Scriptures.

Main Theme

Love (especially agape love) is a central commandment and evidence of genuine faith.
John emphasizes both vertical love (toward God) and horizontal love (toward brothers/sisters in Christ).
Love is not optional — it is a new commandment in emphasis and example, and a practical demonstration of being “in the light.”

Types of Love Discussed (Greek distinctions)

The preacher outlines five common types (though only three are major in the New Testament):

Eros — Romantic/sexual love (transactional in early stages; never appears in the NT).
Venus (Latin) — Sexual arousal/lust (not inherently sinful in marriage).
Storge — Natural affection, empathy, common courtesy (e.g., feeling compassion for a stranger’s misfortune, like an injured Olympic skier).
Philia — Brotherly/friendship love (conditional; must be earned; can end if the relationship sours).
Agape — Unconditional love; always wanting the best for the other regardless of circumstances.
- Best example: Parental love for a child (even when the child rebels or disappoints).
- This is the love God has for us and the love we are commanded to show others.

Key Passages in 1 John

1 John 2:7–11

An “old” commandment (from the beginning) that is also “new” in emphasis and realization because the true light is shining.
Test: Whoever claims to be in the light but hates his brother is still in darkness.
Whoever loves his brother abides in the light and has no cause for stumbling.
Hating a brother = walking in darkness, blinded by it.

1 John 3:14–16

We know we have passed from death to life because we love the brothers.
Whoever does not love abides in death.
Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer (no eternal life abiding in him).
Definition of love: Christ laid down His life for us → we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers.

1 John 4:16–21

God is love; whoever abides in love abides in God, and God in him.
Perfect love casts out fear (fear relates to punishment).
We love because He first loved us.
Strong test: If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar.
Commandment: Whoever loves God must also love his brother.

Old & New Testament Connections

Old Commandment — Leviticus 19:17–18: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (part of the law; includes not hating in your heart, not taking vengeance, treating others fairly).
Love fulfills the law — Romans 13:8–10: “Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.”
New Commandment / Emphasis — John 13:34–35: “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you… By this all people will know that you are my disciples.”
Greatest Commandments — Matthew 22:37–40: Love God with all your heart/soul/mind + love your neighbor as yourself → on these two depend all the Law and the Prophets.

Practical Insights on Agape Love

1 Corinthians 13:4–7 definition: Patient, kind, does not envy or boast, not arrogant or rude, not irritable or resentful, does not rejoice at wrongdoing but with the truth, bears/hopes/endures all things.
Love is demonstrated, not just spoken (requires action and sometimes sacrifice).
Love is evidence of salvation and a powerful testimony to the world.
Love is new in example — Jesus showed it consistently (compassion on the woman at the well, healing the sick, drawing tax collectors and sinners). Even His strong rebukes (temple cleansing, calling Pharisees a “brood of vipers”) were acts of love: protecting the vulnerable and calling sinners to repentance.
Love sometimes requires toughness (defending truth, correcting false teachers) — but always out of love for God and others.

Applications & Challenges

Before Christ, natural human tendency is self-centered competition, envy, and conditional love (Titus 3:3).
At conversion, the Holy Spirit pours God’s love into our hearts (Romans 5:5) → enables us to love unconditionally.
Horizontal love (brothers) is inseparable from vertical love (God). You cannot truly love God while hating your brother.
Perfect love removes fear of judgment because we rest in Christ’s finished work.
We must continually grow in showing agape love in all relationships (family, friends, coworkers, even difficult people).

Closing Prayer Emphasis

Thanks for God’s unconditional love.
Conviction for times we fail to show love.
Prayer for hearts that discern truth and demonstrate love in every relationship through actions, even when difficult.
Gratitude that Christ first loved us and laid down His life.

These notes summarize the sermon’s balanced, practical treatment of love in 1 John — emphasizing agape love as both commandment and evidence of new life in Christ, while acknowledging the tension between love and necessary confrontation.