Speaker 1: Welcome to Faith Passed Forward, where we present scripture based content that edifies the church and glorifies God. This is a ministry of Bible Baptist Church and we feature the teaching and preaching of our pastor, Stephen Cox. We hope you are encouraged and helped by today's content.
Speaker 2: First John three eighteen. My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue, but in deed and in truth. A short reflection. Most people know how to talk about love. We tell people we care.
We promise to pray for them. We speak kind words, and we even have good intentions. But John reminds us genuine love is more than simply something we say. It's something we do. Let us not love in word, neither in tongue, but in deed and in truth.
Words certainly matter. Yet biblical love goes beyond what comes out of our mouths. It's demonstrated through our actions. Love shows up. It serves.
It sacrifices. It notices needs and then responds accordingly. John challenges believers to move beyond just talking about love and begin living it. Real love isn't measured by what we say we feel. It's revealed by what we are willing to do.
The bigger view. As John writes to these believers, he addresses them carefully with tenderness. My little children. That phrase reflects the heart of a spiritual father speaking to people he deeply loves. He's not merely giving instructions.
He's encouraging them to live out what they've already received. His challenge is simple. Let us not love in word, neither in tongue, but in deed and in truth. Scripture is full of examples of encouragement, comfort, and truth spoken at the right time. The problem comes when words are all we have.
It's possible to talk about love without actually loving. It's possible to say the right things while failing to do the right things. John wants believers to understand that genuine love is visible. It takes action. When someone is hurting, love seeks to help instead of simply offering sympathy.
When someone is struggling, love responds rather than merely acknowledging the need. When someone is carrying a burden, love looks for a way to come alongside and help bear it. This is the kind of love God demonstrated toward us. God didn't simply tell us he loved us. He showed us.
He met our greatest need through the sacrifice of his son. The cross stands as the ultimate demonstration that biblical love is active, not passive. Because we have received that kind of love, we're called to extend it to others. That may look a little different from one situation to another. Sometimes love means meeting a practical need.
Sometimes it means offering encouragement. Sometimes it means extending forgiveness, patience, or understanding when it would be far easier to walk away. Whatever form it takes, true love always moves beyond words. John's point is not that we should stop speaking loving words. His point is that our actions should support them.
A love that's only spoken is incomplete. A love that's lived becomes visible evidence of God's work in our hearts. Discuss. Why is it sometimes easier to talk about love than to demonstrate it? What are some practical ways we can show love to others this week?
How has someone else's actions demonstrated God's love to you? In what areas of your life could your actions better reflect your words? Pray, Lord, thank you for demonstrating your love through the gift of your son. Help me not only to speak words of love, but to show love through my actions. Open my eyes to the needs around me, and give me a willing heart to serve others as you have served me.