The Key to a Quiet Heart
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1 John 3:18-20
Little children, let us not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and truth. We will know by this that we are of the truth, and will assure our heart before Him in whatever our heart condemns us; for God is greater than our heart and knows all things.
Love in action
John encouraged his readers, his little children, to put love into action. The gnostics, who believed that salvation came through the knowledge of spiritual truth, didn’t believe their deeds were of any significance because their deeds were done in the body, which in their minds, was of the material world and therefore evil. In stark contrast, the true children of God, in whom the Son of God dwelled, are known by their deeds done in the body. When John used the word “truth” he was referring to reality. So as Jesus loves through us, it will be more than just words, loving deeds flow out of the reality of the living, indwelling Son of God.
John had just mentioned that the love of God is revealed through believers laying down their lives in this world and meeting one another’s needs through His supply (v. 17). God is glorified as we express His love in tangible, real generosity and hospitality. God’s love is illustrated in His word to His people in Isaiah 43:4-5 “Since you are precious in My sight, since you are honored and I love you, I will give other men in your place and other peoples in exchange for your life. Do not fear, for I am with you.” Yes, God spoke to them in words, “I love you,” but they needed Him to be with them and help them. So God didn’t just love them in words, he loved in deed and in truth. He came to be with them and to manifest His presence and power.
A quiet heart
When we put action with our words, the words have meaning and testify to the reality of the truth that Jesus lives in us. Love is the evidence that Jesus lives in us, which means God, who knows every single sin of our entire lives, has totally forgiven every one of them! Living to love with Jesus is the key to a quiet heart.
When John wrote in 1 John 3:19-20, “We will know by this that we are of the truth,” what was the “this”? It’s clear in verse 18: loving in deed and truth. In verse 16, John wrote, “We know love by this, that He laid down His life for us,” so we conclude that God’s love dwells in us if we love one another as He loved us. In this verse, he wrote that we will know that we are of the truth by two things. First, by the acts of love to our brothers and sisters in Christ. Second, by how we respond to our sin, namely, we trust that there’s no sin that God didn’t know when He justified us through the death and resurrection of His Son. We practice applying the truth we believe about Jesus to our lives daily. In other words, we abide in God’s love.
Before someone trusts in Christ, he has no way to quiet his heart. His heart knows some of his sins and rebellion against God. He know he lives selfishly and revolts at the idea of laying down his life for others. He may have tried to cope with the conviction, condemnation, and guilt by medicating it, drowning it out with activity, blaming someone else, or simply denying it exists. However, his heart doesn’t become calm and peaceful, it actually becomes more troubled when contemplating standing before God with nothing hidden. Deep down, he knows the truth is what God sees and nothing can be hidden from Him. He knows what he deserves and is therefore lives in guilt, shame, and fear.
This verse testifies to a reality for believers that successfully quiets the heart. The reality is that Jesus is God in the flesh, and when He died on the cross, He died with full knowledge of all of their sins. He knows more about them than they do. When a believer sins and his heart condemns him, the witness of the life of Christ in him assures his convicted heart with this glorious truth: God is greater than his heart and knows all things about him. He loved him when he was a sinner, so now that he is His child and has the security of His life in his mortal body, can’t he be even more assured of His love and acceptance? The Holy Spirit bears witness of this reality in the heart of the believer and the heart has a firm basis for peace and contentment. The love of God flows through a contented, quiet heart.
Have you experienced this ministry of the love of God? Has living to love with Jesus quieted your heart when it condemns you and recalls your sins? I hope so. It’s impossible to love when you feel condemned, guilty, and rejected. May we be encouraged today to quiet our hearts, find satisfaction and contentment in God’s knowledge and love, so we can love out of the fullness of Christ. As God puts people in our paths, may we be filled with the truth that the grace of Jesus Christ puts His love into action to meet the needs of others out of His abundance and riches.
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