1 John 3:16 16By this we have known love, that that one laid down his life for us, and we ourselves ought to lay down our lives for the brothers [and sisters].
This verse gives the greatest example of love. The verb have known is in the perfect tense, which indicates the assurance and confidence that John and his readers developed over time. They were getting know what love is all about as they learned to walk in the light of Jesus. The pronoun this points forward to the next clause that defines love. In the context of this letter, that one clearly refers to Jesus, who gave his life for us on the cross. He gave his life, believing in resurrection power to restore him from death. He had total confidence and trust in the Father that death was temporary and that three days later, he would rise again. He willingly gave his life because he loved humanity. He knew that his life would not end with death. His humanity cried out in the Garden of Gethsemane against drinking the cup of suffering, but his faith in his Father opened the door to victory.
The type of love we should have for our brothers and sisters should model Jesus’ self-giving love for us. Human love is usually conditioned by something: emotions, self-preservation, hormones, self-betterment, infatuation, reciprocal response, and many other things that often return to the one who shows the love. When this condition changes or is removed, human love begins to diminish. People in romantic situations fall “out of love.” The type of love John is writing about here is not conditioned by anything human because it models God’s love for us, shown through God’s giving his Son to die in our behalf (John 3:16). The greatest example of love is to lay down one’s life for another (John 15:13).
We are often tempted to let our human nature keep us from giving ourselves to others in unconditional love. As Paul the Apostle described it, we must put off the old life of selfishness (Ephesians 4:21) if we are ever to experience love in the imitation of Christ (Ephesians 5:1-2). We must die to self, knowing that there is new resurrection life to follow (Romans 6:4-6). This will take total faith and confidence in the Father. Faith becomes the open door for unconditional love.