In 1 John 3:14, we read this:
We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love his brother abides in death.
Is John saying that in order to receive eternal life, you need to love other Christians? Lots of other pastors and Bible scholars teach 1 John 3:14 in just this way, but is that really what John meant?
If so, then how can eternal life be received “by grace alone through faith alone in Jesus Christ alone”?
If eternal life is also earned by making sure we love other people, then eternal life is partially earned by good works, and is no longer by grace alone through faith alone.
So what is the meaning of 1 John 3:14?
The Theme of Fellowship in 1 John
To understand 1 John 3:14, it is first of all important to understand why 1 John was written.
The first letter of John is written so that the readers may live a life of fellowship with God and with one another (1 John 1:3).
With this as his primary theme, John provides instructions throughout his letter about how to have fellowship with God and with one another.
Note that fellowship is not the same thing as a relationship (see Fellowship). You can be related to someone while not having any fellowship with them. Children are often estranged from parents, so that while they are still related, they never gather together to enjoy each other’s company.
The same thing can happen to those who are related to God and to one another through Jesus Christ. We can be spiritually related while failing to be in daily fellowship.
John writes his letter to make sure that those who read it maintain their fellowship with God and with one another.
With this theme in mind, John paints many contrasts in his letter, comparing the life out of fellowship with darkness and death, while describing life within fellowship as light and life (cf. 1 John 1:5-7; 2:8-10; 3:14-16; 5:11-13).
And while eternal life is mentioned in this letter (cf. 1 John 2:25; 3:15; 5:11), this is not because John is equating eternal life and fellowship, but because ongoing fellowship with God and one another is based on the unchanging fact of eternal life from God.
While you can have relationship without fellowship, you cannot truly have fellowship without relationship.
John knows his readers have the relationship with God and writes so that they might maintain their fellowship as well (cf. 1 John 2:12-14). To live out of fellowship is not to lose our eternal life, but to live away from light and love and in the realm of death and darkness.
1 John 3:14 is about fellowship with God and others
So when John writes in 1 John 3:14 that we know we have passed from death to life because we love our brethren, he is not talking about how we know we have eternal life, but how we know we are in fellowship with God and one another.
One way to know you are in fellowship with God is because you are in fellowship with other believers, that is, because you love one another.
The opposite is also true. Anyone who does not love his brother “abides in death.” The word “abide” means “remain, or to continually dwell” (see Abide), and so the one who hates his brother is not living in the fellowship that God wants and desires for us, but is instead continuing to live in the realm of death, from which Jesus rescued and delivered us.
1 John 3:14 is about escaping the realm of death in which we live, and experiencing true life
As seen in my studies on the word “Death,” the world is controlled by death. We engage in rivalry and accusation which leads to the death of others, and we kill others in the attempt to avoid our own death. We also believe that the death of our enemies will bring peace, but violence against our enemies only results in an increase of their violence against us.
Jesus came to rescue and deliver us from this never-ending cycle of escalating violence, but if we Christians continue to hate our brothers and live in rivalry against them, we have not escaped the control of death but continue to dwell in it and be ruled by it.
So, John invites his readers to love one another instead of hate, and in this way, escape the realm of death.
The context provides further evidence that physical violence against other human beings is what John has in mind when he writes about death. He is not talking about spiritual death or the loss of eternal life, or even that the one who hates his brother proves that he really wasn’t a Christian in the first place.
The context has nothing to do with such ideas.
Instead, John directs the reader to the first death in Scripture, when Cain murdered his brother Abel (1 John 3:12). John also goes on to describe death as “murder” (1 John 3:15).
While John does go on to say that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him (1 John 3:15), he does not mean that no murderer can be a Christian, or that no Christian can murder someone.
He means that when a Christian hates someone or murders someone (for this does happen), it is because they are continuing to follow the ways of this world, rather than the ways of God (see the discussion of 1 John 3:14-15 under Abide).
The meaning of 1 John 3:14
1 John 3:14 is not about gaining or keeping eternal life, or proving that you have it. Instead, it is about living in the way of life that God wants for His people, rather than the way of death that this world is accustomed to.
So, do you want to know that you are living in God’s way of life rather than the world’s way of death? You can know this if you have true and genuine love for other people.
Does this help you understand 1 John 3:14? Please ask any follow-up questions you might have in the comment section below.
Understanding the Gospel requires us to properly understand the key words and terms of the Gospel. Take my course, "The Gospel Dictionary" to learn about the 52 key words of the Gospel, and hundreds of Bible passages that use these words.
This course costs $297, but when you join the Discipleship group, you can to take the entire course for free.
Thanks Jeremy that clears up any confusion I had over this verse. Also shows how the use of any single verse out of context can change substantially what people can believe about eternal life and even authority (ie who should have it)
Thanks Grahame. Yes, context is so important!
If ETERNAL life can be lost (even temporarily) then it has the wrong name. We all need to get our “theology” in line with what God says; not what we hear others say. God is not in a swivel chair turning from us every time we slip or fall; He is always there to help us up. Since He is LOVE He cannot be anything that the opposite of love is.
Right! Yes, it is not like God loves us one day, and then not the next because of something wrong we said or did. His love is constant!
Where does the bible say you can lose eternal life?
It never says that. If one can lose eternal life then the word “eternal” should be replaced with a word like “temporary”.
You cannot hate a brother or sister in Christ, infact those born again cannot sin because Jesus stops them, he tells them off & also prevents it from happening again.
Anyone who sins doesn’t love God or know God.
Yet if you don’t hate your brother, sister, mother, father, the members of your family you cannot be Jesus disciple.
Hi Alison, perhaps if you were to reverse the meaning of what you have mentioned, it might assist in clearing any misunderstanding. eg Jesus doesn’t stop people sinning, that would take away our free will. In life the Holy Spirits quiet voice may say …think about the consequences of what would happen if you do what is being planned or He may call on us to consider the outcomes of what we just did and how much pain that has caused. In fact Jesus says He loves us unconditionally and then asks us to love Him back and then to love others including our families. Scripture tells us Love covers a multitude of sins. Hope this helps.
Alison I disagree with you. There are examples in the bible where believers sinned. King David for one. Remember Sin is lawlessness 1 John 3:4-11
1 John 1:9-10
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.
Notice John is speaking to believers.
Paul demonstrates that it is entirely possible for someone to be a believer and still sin.
1 Corinthians 5:11
But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother if he is guilty of sexual immorality or greed, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or swindler—not even to eat with such a one.
If a believer couldn’t sin then we would not see this in Revelation 2:1-3:22
“To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: ‘The words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand, who walks among the seven golden lampstands. “‘I know your works, your toil and your patient endurance, and how you cannot bear with those who are evil, but have tested those who call themselves apostles and are not, and found them to be false. I know you are enduring patiently and bearing up for my name’s sake, and you have not grown weary. But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first. Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent. …
Notice the believer is told to repent.. You don’t have need to repent if you don’t sin. You still have volition (the power of choice) and you also still have the ability to sin. The difference is is a believer is not longer under the “BONDAGE” of sin.
Also James says: “Indeed, we all make many mistakes. For if we could control our tongues, we would be perfect and could also control ourselves in every other way” (James3:2, NLT).
We don’t make a practice of sinning.
How many times can you pass from death to life
ONCE.
Eternal life is not something you earn . Its something gifted to you that you could never obtain under your own natural moral abilities. IF you can’t save yourself you can’t earn eternal life. The righteousness that God see is the righteousness of Christ not our own righteousness. Those who come to believe come to believe only because the father allows it. He is the won who draws the and gives them to the messiah and those who are given to the messiah WILL COME to Him. John 6.
Eisegeting the word of God is not an objective viewing of the context.
When it says but you passed from Death to life because you love your brothers please answer the obvious question the elephant in the room is what kind of Brothers people in the world or Christians you never answered this part it’s a huge question you’re overlooking please answer
Hi I’m wondering about Hebrews 10:29 if I’ve done theses sins have I lost my salvation?
Really scared about this.
Hi Maryanna, you can rest easy as spending eternal life with God is all about what Jesus did for us. He made it clear accept his offer of eternal life and you have it for eternity. Its a gift that comes freely from Him and is never taken away. When it comes to sin in this life its consequences occur in this life not in eternity, as that is secure for us. In essence salvation often appears in scripture in the context of deliverance from daily wrong doing. Jesus promised to help us with that too.
true my brother… this is a very complex topic to explain, very good point about communion with God… we can be of God, but being very far from him… it’s like sitting at the table without having a direct relationship with the host..