^35 (A)By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”

Obedience by Faith

^20 (A)If someone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, ^[a]how can he love God ^(B)whom he has not seen? ²¹ And ^(C)this commandment we have from Him: that he who loves God must love his brother also.

The Imperative of Love^(A)

¹⁰ In this the children of God and the children of the devil are manifest: Whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is he who does not love his brother. ¹¹ For this is the message that you heard from the beginning, ^(B)that we should love one another, ¹² not as ^(C)Cain who was of the wicked one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his works were evil and his brother’s righteous.

¹³ Do not marvel, my brethren, if ^(D)the world hates you. ¹⁴ We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love ^[a]his brother abides in death.

^10 (A)He who loves his brother abides in the light, and ^(B)there is no cause for stumbling in him.

^21 (A)that they all may be one, as ^(B)You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me.

⁵ But ^(A)whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God ^[a]is perfected ^(B)in him. By this we know that we are in Him.

Sharing in All Things

³² Now the multitude of those who believed ^(A)were of one heart and one soul; ^(B)neither did anyone say that any of the things he possessed was his own, but they had all things in common. ³³ And with ^(C)great power the apostles gave ^(D)witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And ^(E)great grace was upon them all. ³⁴ Nor was there anyone among them who lacked; ^(F)for all who were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the proceeds of the things that were sold, ^35 (G)and laid them at the apostles’ feet; ^(H)and they distributed to each as anyone had need.

Continuing Power in the Church

¹² And ^(A)through the hands of the apostles many signs and wonders were done among the people. ^(B)And they were all with one accord in Solomon’s Porch. ¹³ Yet ^(C)none of the rest dared join them, ^(D)but the people esteemed them highly. ¹⁴ And believers were increasingly added to the Lord, multitudes of both men and women,

⁷ And there was ^(A)strife between the herdsmen of Abram’s livestock and the herdsmen of Lot’s livestock. ^(B)The Canaanites and the Perizzites then dwelt in the land.

⁸ So Abram said to Lot, ^(C)“Please let there be no strife between you and me, and between my herdsmen and your herdsmen; for we are brethren.