The Sole Commandment: A Message of Love from 1 John

by
0

I’ve been writing a lot lately about what God has done in my life—stories like “A Jealous God” and “I Know a Guy”—and trust me, there’s more of those coming. God’s done some big things through His grace for Jill and me, and I’ll keep sharing those stories. But today, I need to step away from my story and talk about what we all need—something so essential, so foundational, that everything else in our Christian walk flows from it: Love. Love God and love others.

“We love because he first loved us. Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen.” (1 John 4:19-20, NIV)

Pause and Remember

Jesus loves you and I.

I need you to stop for a second. Just stop. Let that sink in. Jesus loves you. Jesus loves me.

I’m sitting here amazed at the love God bestows on me. And honestly? You should be too. Not in some arrogant way, but in that humbling, tear-in-your-eye way when you realize you don’t deserve it, but He gives it anyway.

I’ve been reading through 1 John lately, and it keeps hitting me: this epistle’s central message is love. Not rules. Not a checklist. Love—what God wants from us is to love Him and love each other. That’s it. That’s the whole thing.

Who You Are vs. Who They Think You Are

Here’s something I’ve been chewing on: Character is your relationship with God. Reputation is your relationship with others.

Think about it. Who you are when nobody’s watching—that’s between you and God. That’s your character. But who people think you are? That’s your reputation. And here’s what I’m learning: when I focus on my character, when I really invest in my walk with God, He takes care of my reputation.

I used to have it backwards. I’d worry so much about what people thought of me that I’d neglect what God thought of me. But when love for God is real, when it’s genuine in the secret place, love for others becomes authentic too. You can’t fake that.

Loyalty in a Disposable World

Be loyal to God. Be loyal to others.

Man, we live in a world where everything is disposable, right? Relationships, commitments, promises—it’s all “until something better comes along.” But that’s not what love does. The historian Eusebius said that John, the guy who literally walked with Jesus, would say in his later years: “The sole commandment of Christ is to love, for he that loves has no need of anything else.”

The sole commandment. After everything John saw—the miracles, the crucifixion, the resurrection, the years of ministry—he boiled it all down to love.

What This Actually Looks Like

So what does this mean for me? For you? In our everyday lives with our phones buzzing and our feeds scrolling and our tempers flaring?

It means when I’m about to fire off that angry response online, I stop. Love doesn’t do that.

It means when someone hurts me, I remember how much I’ve been forgiven. Love keeps no record.

It means when I’m sitting with my family, I put the phone down. I look up. Love is present.

It means I reach out to that person I’ve been thinking about. I send the text. Make the call. Stop just thinking about showing love and actually do it.

It means I forgive—really forgive—the people who’ve wronged me. Because 1 John 4:20 doesn’t mess around: “Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar.” Ouch. But truth.

I’m not perfect at this. Not even close. But I’m learning that when I start my day talking to God instead of scrolling through my phone, things shift. When I choose to see people the way God sees them instead of the way they’ve annoyed me, things change.

The One Thing

Friends, in a world that’s constantly telling us we need more—more stuff, more followers, more success—maybe what we really need is simpler.

Love God. Love people.

That’s it. That’s the sole commandment. And honestly? It’s more than enough.

So today, right now, remember how deeply you’re loved. Let that change you from the inside out. And then let it spill over into how you treat the person in front of you, the person on the other end of that message, the person who cut you off in traffic.

Walk in love. It’s what we were made for.

A Prayer

Father, thank You for loving me first. Thank You for pursuing me when I was far from You, and for never giving up on me. Help me to really understand—down deep in my bones—how much You love me.

Lord, I confess I don’t love like You do. I get distracted. I get selfish. I hold grudges. I scroll past people who need me. Forgive me.

Teach me to love You with everything I have—my whole heart, my whole life. And teach me to love people the way You love them. Give me eyes to see them the way You see them. Give me a heart that forgives quickly, serves freely, and loves genuinely.

When I’m tempted to be critical, remind me of Your grace. When I’m tempted to be bitter, remind me of Your forgiveness. When I’m tempted to turn inward, remind me that love always looks outward.

Help me be loyal to You and loyal to others. Help me put down my phone and look up. Help me be present. Help me love well.

In Jesus’ name, Amen.