1 John 3:11-12 For this is the message that you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another. We should not be like Cain, who was of the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own deeds were evil and his brother's righteous.
By this point, John has hinted a few times about the importance of love in the believer's life as a sign that new birth has taken place. But love can be an overused term. We should love one another, but what does that look like? John takes us all the way back to the first family to show us what church family love should NOT look like. Cain tried to blame his sin on his brother. His actions showed the evil contempt he had in his heart. Rarely do we see our contempt reach such levels, but it can be nonetheless just as real. Other believers' righteousness can make us look bad, feel guilty, and have us do things far less than godly. True love joins us together to pursue righteousness as a family, pulling for one another, building each other up, and not making excuses for our selfish behavior.
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