"Little children, let us not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and truth."
1 John 3:18 NASB1995
The chapter of I John 3 is an indictment of Christians on false love, and it challenges and destroys the delusions we can often be overcome by as people. But as such, it is also a tremendous chapter on true love! It shows us, all the way down to the foundation of Christ Jesus (I John 3:16), what love is. Love is a verb. Love is action. There are 2 figures of speech in this verse that help to emphasize this truth.
1. “Not… but…” - This is a common figure of speech, in many languages, used to emphasize. A great illustrative example in the Bible is when Jesus says, “Do not work for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to eternal life…” (John 6:27) We may interpret that as “not only… but also” or perhaps “not just… but especially”. Apply that to I John 3:18, “...let us not only love with word or with tongue, but also in deed and truth.” Or perhaps even more appropriate and true to the idea of the text, “...let us not just love with word or with tongue, but especially in deed and truth.”
2. Hendiadys - the expression of a single idea by two words connected with “and,” - That wouldn’t apply so much with “word” and “tongue” because those are connected by “or” and not “and”. But “deed” and “truth” are how we are to love. We are to love with “truth deeds” or “true deeds”. True deeds of love. That is the Christian way!
And so both figures together provide a double emphasis on the main point of this sentence - love is in the action. Love is the work. Love is the labor. Those are all ideas associated with the word “deed”. Just as faith without works is dead (James 2:26), so also, love without deeds is dead. May that truth be ever upon our hearts when we tell someone we love them. May that truth be ever upon our hearts when we tell God we love Him!
When your tongue speaks forth words of truth it is shown in your deeds (actions). Thus our modern-day proverb, “actions speak louder than words”. And they do. For consider Jesus. Consider His love. Jesus did not just teach us love by His words. He did teach us love by His words. He taught us marvelous lessons of love.(Luke 7:40-50) But the greatest lessons He taught us about love were through His actions. Love is a verb. Love is action. Love is not merely saying, “Go in peace. Your sins are forgiven you”, love is going to the cross so that your sins might be forgiven you! We know love by this… we know love not by the words and tongue of Jesus, but by the deeds and truth of Jesus! Praise God!
How will your family know your love? How will your brethren know your love? How will others know your love? How will neighbors know your love? How will strangers know your love? How will God know your love? Let 1st John 3 not be an indictment against our false love, but a commentary of how we have learned to truly love in word, tongue, deed, and truth in Christ Jesus.
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