1 John 3:17, commentary and pictures

One who has this world's material goods and sees a brother in need yet shuts up compassion proves that the love of God does not dwell in him. Its how is a searching personal question, teaching that God's love in the heart necessarily brings tender compassion and practical care, so that closing the heart in mere words and sympathy puts that indwelling love at risk. That love is known because Christ laid down His life, which defines love and requires believers to lay down selfishness in deeds of help, for true love is not in word or tongue only but in deed and in truth. Brother means especially a fellow believer of the household of faith purchased by Christ's blood, yet compassion must not be kept for self, family, or a select few but is commanded toward all whose need is greatest. This world's good means food, clothing, money, possessions and comfortable provision entrusted as stewardship, laying personal duty on the possessor to open the hand wide, to support the work of salvation for perishing souls, and to relieve the poor, the sick, the widow and the distressed, with the promise of assurance before God and answered prayer in deed-love and the warning of hardened heart, lost spirituality, and judgment to come for selfish withholding.

Words and Question

Whoever holds material goods, sees a fellow believer in need, and refuses to show compassion proves that the love of God does not dwell in him. Love for others must be expressed in practical help and not merely claimed in words. Love must be shown in deed and in truth rather than in word and tongue only. Care for a person's real needs is the evidence that faith and love are genuine.

This world's good means earthly material means such as food, clothing, money, possessions, and comfortable provision. Open hands with such things are required toward poor believers in tight circumstances, including a struggling mother with young children living by scarce poorly paid work, with other believers stirred to share in that help. The larger the wealth entrusted, the greater the responsibility to use it to succor a brother in need and relieve suffering where it is in one's power to do good. A strong disposition to accumulate with little interest for poorer brethren is selfish blindness that sees only one's own advantage, arranges matters for self-benefit while letting others get along as they can, and decreases and destroys spirituality and godliness.

Brother means especially a fellow believer, one of the household of faith purchased by Christ's blood. Christ places infinite value on those purchased by His blood, adopts them as His children as objects of His tender care, and commits their temporal and spiritual necessities to His church to be supplied. What is done to help even the least of His brethren is counted as service done to Christ Himself, to be carried as the watchword into daily life through reverence, practical obedience, continual growth toward perfection of character, and imparting grace received. Compassion is commanded toward all, but especially toward those of the household of faith, and must not be kept for self, family, or a select few while giving nothing to those who need help the most. Keeping affection and the sunshine of Christ's righteousness selfishly reserved to be lavished only upon a few is selfishness with no place in the life of Christ and in no way represents Him, and those who do not let what they have shine forth will soon lose its sweet bright rays. It is a duty as a man and doubly as a Christian to support a poor relative with regular monthly help that will not be missed, being at least as kind as strangers, the church, or the town, while neglect is recorded in heaven as transgressing love to neighbor as self and awakens God's wrath to deprive of health and property.

How dwelleth the love of God in him is a searching personal question to be taken as before the Judge of all the earth. God's love in the heart necessarily brings tender compassion and practical care for others, especially for those for whom Christ gave His life. True love is known because God laid down His life, and it requires laying down self and life for the brethren in practical help and blessing. Closing the heart to people who need help, words, and sympathy puts that indwelling love at risk, for loveless selfishness proves the heart is in darkness and death rather than in light and fellowship with God.

Setting in First John

God's love is known because Christ laid down His life, and that act defines love and requires believers to lay down self and life for the brethren in practical help and blessing. The love required toward one another is as broad and full as Christ's love. True love is not in word or in tongue only but in deed and in truth, through faith which works by love and purifies the soul from selfishness, hardness of heart, moral defilement and spiritual pride. Personal deeds of goodness and care for real need are the evidence that faith and love are genuine, in contrast to Satan's sowing of dissension and strife. Loving the brethren in such deed-love proves passing from death unto life. It manifests and marks the children of God as distinct from the children of the devil. Hating a brother is murder with no eternal life abiding in him, and loveless selfishness proves the heart is in darkness and death, not in light and fellowship with God.

Such deed-love assures the heart before God. If the heart does not condemn, there is confidence toward God, and whatever is asked is received because His commandments are kept and the things pleasing in His sight are done. Keeping His commandments means believing on Jesus Christ and loving one another, doing righteousness under the old commandment from the beginning, the holy law, and abiding in Him by the Spirit given. This is the credential that Christ is formed within, the test and measurement of genuine religious experience and sanctification through the truth, and the religious obligation that must fashion all conduct after the divine Pattern. The chapter belongs to the testimony that joins the law and the gospel. Its teaching on loving one another expresses the great principles of the law in the two great precepts to love the Lord God with all the heart and to love neighbor as self, upon which hang all the law and the prophets, so that those who receive God's gifts and love in faith and in life and character are to give to others.

The disciples only understood this breadth of love after Christ's suffering, crucifixion, resurrection, words as the resurrection and the life, meeting in Galilee, ascension, and the revealing of that love by the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. When that love is in the heart it works like leaven to bring mind and soul and strength into complete harmony with the divine life. The third chapter of First John is to be studied, believed, practiced and shown in daily life by youth, students in schools and sanitariums, workers in printing offices, and instructors and leaders. Its teaching calls for becoming sons and daughters of God, walking uprightly in a crooked and perverse generation, showing the contrast between the principles of Christ and the principles of Satan, learning from Christ His meekness and lowliness that makes His yoke easy and His burden light, being witnesses for God by faithful, joyful service and by the Saviour's keeping power every moment, keeping hereditary and cultivated tendencies under control with character daily refined, sanctified and purified, offering only God's sacred kindled fire, and never speaking harsh, passionate, rash words but speaking as Christ spoke with courtesy and respect. Genuine conversion and reception of God's truth under it makes believers channels and representatives of God's grace rather than agents of division, who dwell on God's love and compassion rather than fixing attention on gloomy accounts of evil and Satan's power.

Duties Toward Others

The verse requires practical religion every day in the home, the neighborhood, the church, and the institutions, revealing Christ's meekness, tenderness, compassion, and unselfish generosity toward the poor, the distressed, and the needy. It calls for deeds of mercy and kind, uplifting speech like apples of gold in pictures of silver, instead of harsh words and unchristian, unbecoming actions that offend God. Those who shut up compassion are weakened and deprived of the Spirit of God. Christ commits the temporal and spiritual necessities of His people, purchased by His blood and adopted as objects of His tender care, to the church to be supplied, so that what is done to even the least of His brethren is counted as done to Him. This service to Christ in His brethren is to be the watchword carried faithfully into daily life through reverence for Christ, respect for His blood-bought ones, practical obedience to heaven's law, continual growth in attributes tending to perfection of character, and imparting to others the grace received when divine grace opens the heart.

The duty means love not in word or in tongue only but in deed and in truth, by opening the hand wide to a poor brother, lending him sufficient for his need, giving without a grieved heart, and relieving him when waxed poor and fallen into decay, without usury or increase. This belongs to home missionary work and to those in responsible positions uniting to see it done, including helping distressed brethren who helped the cause in its necessity. To refuse is to deal unjustly and unmercifully, to harden the heart and shut the hand, causing the cry of God's children to come up before the Lord as sin, hindering blessing and prayer from coming up as sweet incense, and bringing removal of prosperity. Having this world's good lays personal duty on the possessor himself to see need and relieve it where it is greatest under the direction of the Holy Spirit, with prayer and wisdom from God, bringing great blessing to the giver. Those who receive profit from books they have written are to receive a just share and hold it as a trust from God to be administered personally, and while it is right to place a portion in the treasury for general needs, they are to acquaint themselves with the necessities of the work and dispense means personally and lead out in benevolence, so that means are not expended in a few localities while many places where truth has not yet been lifted are left with little.

Those with resources must aid poorer people and struggling churches and institutions in proportion to how God has prospered them, rather than using everything to expand their own work. Believers are to receive in order to give as ordained channels through which God's goodness, mercy, and truth flow, as co-workers with Christ in communicating practical wisdom and benevolence that brings brightness and blessing, instead of shutting sympathy up in a selfish heart. Those who live for themselves are always in want and never satisfied, while those who give to others find the greatest satisfaction in this life and get the most good out of life. The verse applies to supporting the work of salvation with means, since money is God's own lent to men as stewards, and one who has this world's goods and sees perishing souls needing the truth yet will not dispose of those goods to send them the truth denies love. The obligation is urgent while Jesus stands before the Father pleading His blood, His sufferings and His death for sinners, and while messengers wait ready to carry the saving truth in papers and tracts that souls may be sealed with the seal of the living God, and even handing God's messengers money for that work is only a little thing. Those who profess present truth yet are wrapped up in selfish interests so the heart does not take in the needs and wants of humanity, and who consider it too great a sacrifice to help souls, show they are not living out redeeming love, wasting on travel not their duty what could bring spiritual food, and cannot share in heaven's song of redeeming love.

It calls for open hands with material things such as food and clothing toward poor believers in tight circumstances, and for stirring other believers to share in that help. This includes a struggling mother with young children living by scarce poorly paid work, carrying a fatherless boy through school, and relieving widows, the sick, the disabled, and the destitute, even when they have lost other church support for keeping the Sabbath and face blindness, confinement to bed, and incurable disease, for the poor are blessed of the Lord and helping them proves His love. It is a duty as a man and doubly as a Christian to support a poor relative with regular monthly help that will not be missed, being at least as kind as strangers, the church, or the town. Fellow believers should encourage and help a blind, poor, and diseased brother who is trying to support himself, not distress him or obstruct his way, and those who wrong him must repent and make the wrong right, with the church sharing responsibility if it allows him to be wronged. Neglect transgresses the law to love neighbor as self, comes from love of the world, love of self, and selfishness hardening the heart like stone, is recorded in the books of heaven, and awakens God's wrath to deprive of health and property, while compassion is commanded toward all but especially toward those of the household of faith.

Compassion includes brethren with the love of Christ in their hearts coming forward to help where they can a man humiliated by his mistakes and in need. It includes paying women who labor with their husbands for their time, because God hates robbery connected with offerings. Those who have means should consider a poor brother's circumstances in business, inquire into his wants, feel kindly sympathy for him, and ease his burden in many little acts in deed and in action and not in word merely, never demanding more than fair value nor taking selfish advantage of distress for a little gain, which God approves and will reward. Withholding compassion is loving money better than religion and better than God, dealing closely and covetously with brethren. Such selfishness and love of the world weakens a burdened, erring brother's hands, causes him to stumble and say he cannot live religion or keep the truth, and may cause him to stumble to perdition for earthly gain, whereas being a brother's keeper means being in degree responsible for his soul, loving as Christ loved enough to give life for a brother, helping, favoring, and binding the erring brother to the heart with strong Christian cords, lest the brother who stumbles be required at his hand.

The love dwelling in a person is proved by Christlike courtesy, forbearance, compassion, and kindness toward brethren even when they differ in views, forbidding crowding and pushing others because they do not see alike. No harsh, discourteous, or unkind treatment is excused on the ground that views are questionable, even if questionable, nor on the ground of office and position of responsibility. Those in responsible positions are under sacred obligation to be like-minded with God, meek and humble, an example worthy of imitation in words, spirit, deportment, and manner of treating brethren. The verse condemns being wrapped up in selfish interests, a strong disposition to accumulate with little interest for poorer brethren, seeing only one's own advantage and arranging matters to benefit self while letting others get along as they can, which is selfish blindness that decreases and destroys spirituality and godliness. It condemns choosing fashion and frivolity, seeking an easier path without self-restraint and forgetting God, which shows Christ's love is not ruling and wounds Christ and brings shame on His name, and it condemns coolly sending a brother away without aid instead of treating him with Christian compassion.

It calls for manliness and firmness in Christian character and warns against a cheap Christian character that works more harm in the world than the character of a worldling, because professed Christians mislead others by professing to represent Him whose name they assume. Love for Christ leads to earnest, untiring care for others, especially fellow believers, putting that love into action for people in need. The love of God dwells in a person only when selfishness is bravely overcome and no opportunity to help those around is allowed to pass. Each day, each hour, each moment weaves character and destiny, with every act drawing a thread that either mars or beautifies the pattern God designed to be bright and beautiful, so that carelessness and indolence, choosing own inclinations, forming unchristlike habits that bind with bands of steel, and walking away from Christ spoil the life and lead many others to miss the glories of heaven, while overcoming selfishness by helping others beautifies the life and makes the example a light that guides others to the cross.

Promises and Warnings

Doing deed-love is how believers know they are of the truth and assure their hearts before God, for if the heart condemns God is greater than the heart and knows all things, and if the heart does not condemn there is confidence toward God with answered prayer through keeping His commandments and doing what pleases Him. True religion always tells in its influence and actions, and the soul that seeks God in wise and unconditional surrender in private prayer apart from outward activity will have a life full of goodness, love and truth with conversation of heaven while kept from evil in the world. This calls for becoming sons and daughters of God, walking uprightly in a crooked and perverse generation, showing the contrast between Christ's principles and Satan's, learning Christ's meekness and lowliness that makes His yoke easy and burden light, being witnesses by faithful joyful service and moment-by-moment keeping power, holding hereditary and cultivated tendencies under control, offering only God's sacred kindled fire, and never speaking harsh passionate rash words but speaking with courtesy and respect as Christ spoke. It requires divesting selfishness, redeeming the past, letting light shine by good works that lead others to glorify the Father in heaven, and regulating all business transactions in strict accordance with the Word in thorough work for eternity, with character daily refined, sanctified and purified.

Those who so live grow continually in attributes tending to perfection of character, keep the peace of God through Christ Jesus upon heart and mind, and will hear the benediction of the good and faithful servant and enter the joy of the Lord. Christ places infinite value on those purchased by His blood, adopts them as His children as objects of His tender care, and commits their temporal and spiritual necessities to His church, so that what is done to the least of His brethren is done to Him, and this service to Christ in His brethren is to be the watchword carried faithfully into daily life through reverence for Christ, respect for His blood-bought ones, practical obedience to heaven's law, and imparting to others the grace received when divine grace opens the heart. Receiving in order to give rather than shutting sympathy in a selfish heart is living the word of God in dealings with fellow men, and believers are ordained channels through which God's goodness, mercy and truth flow as co-workers with Christ in communicating practical wisdom and benevolence that brings brightness and blessing, which is a good and holy work. Those who live for themselves are always in want and never satisfied, while those who give to others find the greatest satisfaction in this life and get the most good out of life.

Each day, each hour, each moment weaves character and destiny, with every act drawing a thread that either mars or beautifies the pattern God designed to be bright and beautiful. Overcoming selfishness bravely and letting no opportunity to help those around pass beautifies the life and makes the example a light guiding others to the cross. Carelessness and indolence spoil that life, choosing own inclinations forms unchristlike habits that bind with bands of steel, and walking away from Christ sets an example leading many others to miss the glories of heaven.

Those who shut up compassion are weakened and deprived of the Spirit of God, and a strong disposition to accumulate with little interest for poorer brethren and failure to manifest noble disinterested benevolence decreases and destroys spirituality and godliness by selfish blindness that sees only own advantage and arranges matters for self-benefit while letting others get along as they can. Practical religion must be brought into home, neighborhood, church and institutions by revealing Christ's tenderness, compassion, meekness, generosity and unselfish generosity toward the poor, distressed and needy, with deeds of mercy and kind words like apples of gold in pictures of silver and uplifting speech instead of harsh words and unbecoming unchristian actions which offend God. Those who possess much affection and the sunshine of Christ's righteousness are responsible to bestow it on all who need help most with self not placed first, not keeping it selfishly reserved for self, family or a select few, for such selfishness has no place in Christ's life and in no way represents Him, and those who do not let what they have shine forth will soon lose the sweet bright rays of heavenly grace.

Refusing to help is dealing unjustly and unmercifully, hardening the heart and shutting the hand, and the cry of God's children then comes up before the Lord as sin. It hinders blessing and prayer from coming up as sweet incense and brings removal of prosperity. Neglect is recorded in the books of heaven as transgressing the law to love neighbor as self, coming from love of the world, love of self and selfishness hardening the heart like stone, and it awakens God's wrath to deprive of health and property. The duty is to open the hand wide to a poor brother, lend him sufficient for his need without a grieved heart, and relieve him when waxed poor and fallen into decay without usury or increase, as home missionary work for those in responsible positions uniting to see it done, including helping distressed brethren who helped the cause in its necessity, and it is duty as a man and doubly as a Christian to support a poor relative with regular monthly help that will not be missed, being at least as kind as strangers, the church or the town, with compassion commanded toward all but especially toward the household of faith.

Selfish withholding for gain that deals closely and covetously and takes selfish advantage of brethren is loving money better than religion and better than God. Such selfishness and love of the world weakens a burdened erring brother's hands, causes him to stumble and say he cannot live religion or keep the truth, and may cause him to stumble to perdition for earthly gain. Being a brother's keeper means being in degree responsible for his soul, loving as Christ loved enough to give life for a brother, inquiring into his wants, feeling kindly sympathy, easing his burden in many little acts in deed and action not in word merely, and helping, favoring and binding the erring brother to the heart with strong Christian cords lest the brother who stumbles be required at his hand.

God calls for a decided and thorough change and reformation in every church and institution, because in the day of judgment all these matters will be set right and put on their proper basis. He will call stewards to account for closing the heart to the needy as a failure of mercy and stewardship. He who has large supplies and fails to relieve suffering when it is in his power to do good will receive large retribution, for justice and condemnation will come upon the possessor of wealth who selfishly withholds its benefit from those who need it, the larger the wealth entrusted the greater the responsibility to succor a brother in need. Keeping God's commandments means practicing mercy and the love of God and being upright in dealings with fellow men, while not serving God leaves ambition unrestrained to covetousness which ruins the soul and leaves the covetous rich miserable, discontented, unsatisfied and more miserable the more he grasps.

Professed followers who possess worldly goods but consider helping the cause of salvation too great a sacrifice and lack interest in God's work on earth show they do not live redeeming love and cannot enter heaven or sing the song of redeeming love. This applies to withholding money that could send messengers with saving truth and papers and tracts to perishing souls needing truth while messengers wait, for money is God's own lent as a stewardship entrusted for service, and wasting it on travel that is not duty can leave people without the spiritual food faithful messengers could have brought. Love for Christ cannot dwell in those who turn toward worldly self-indulgence and conformity, choose fashion and frivolity, seek an easier path without self-restraint and forget God, and by such conduct they wound Christ and bring shame on His name.