Stop and read these eight verses. Let the words say what they actually say—don’t sugarcoat them or try to explain away their blunt, abrupt message. Talk about straight talk! If you allow the impact of this single paragraph to unload its full weight on you, it will make you groan and squirm. You may even lose some sleep. To put it in one brief sentence, John was saying: lack of love is murderous. It is not simply unfortunate or unpleasant; it is not just disappointing and regrettable. There’s no middle ground; it’s either love or hate. And if you opt for hate instead of love, you are a murderer. Does that shock you? Seem too strong? Look, it’s right there in 1 John 3:15. Today, we’ll look at the age-old tragic account of Cain and Abel, the first offspring of the very first couple, Adam and Eve. The mixture of hate and jealousy that resulted in a terrible crime stands as a strong contrast to love—certainly to the kind of self-sacrificial love demonstrated by the One who laid down His life for us.

1 John 3:11-18

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