By this perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.
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Augustine of Hippo
AD 430
he means, perfection of love, that perfection which we have bidden you lay to heart: In this know we love, that He laid down His life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. Lo here, whence that came: Peter, do you love me? Feed My sheep. John 21:15-19 For, that you may know that He would have His sheep to be so fed by him, as that he should lay down his life for the sheep, straightway said He this to him: When you were young, you girded yourself, and walked whither you would, but when you shall be old, you shall stretch forth your hands, and another shall gird you, and carry you whither you would not. This spoke He, says the evangelist, signifying by what death he should glorify God; so that to whom He had said, Feed my sheep, the same He might teach to lay down his life for His sheep.
Hereby we know the love of God, because He laid down His life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. S. John here goes back to the law and living pattern of perfect charity, even Christ, who by laying down His life for us, taught us in like manner to lay down our lives for the brethren. For in Him there shone forth that boundless love which far exceeds the love of all parents and kinsfolk. For Hebrews , the Infinite God, laid down His life for us unworthy and ungrateful sinners, with great suffering and shame to Himself, and thus tacitly gave us a pattern for us to imitate, by laying down our lives for the brethren.
But yet we must not risk our own salvation in order to save the souls of others, though we are bound to risk our life for their salvation, which is of more value than our own earthly life, which we must undoubtedly sacrifice for the eternal good of others, as S. Paul did and the other martyrs.
But you will ask, are we bound to risk our own lives for ...
The charity of God, because he hath laid down his life for us. Jesus Christ, therefore, who laid down his life for us, was God. It is true at present the words of God are wanting in most Greek manuscripts: yet the Protestant translation has them. (Witham)
John, in fact, exhorts us to lay down our lives even for our brethren. Too, that we may be able to quench the darts of the devil, when doubtless we resist him, and sustain his assaults in their utmost force. Accordingly John also teaches that we must lay down our lives for the brethren.
