By this we know love, because he laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers.
True love shows itself most strikingly when the Son of God gave Himself to die on a cross. We ought to be ready to lay down our lives for fellow-Christians when circumstances require it, moved by the same spirit that led the Saviour to sacrifice His life for the church.
AI summary
Christ's death for us is a singular manifestation of His love. When God calls us to lay down our lives for the brethren in times of persecution, or when the glory of God and the salvation of our brothers demand it, we must never hesitate. It is not needful that we live, but needful that we glorify God.
AI summary
Christ's example shows what true love is: He did not spare His own life. We cannot equal Him, but the Apostle calls us to follow His steps at a distance, so formed and regulated in our feelings that we desire to devote our life and death first to God, then to our neighbors.
AI summary