* Evidence of life is not historical birth.

* Evidence of life is that you are alive - your heart and brain have activity going on.

* If there’s no activity in the heart and brain there’s no life.

* The same is true spiritually - evidence of spiritual life is not a day you can point to where you “got saved.”

* Evidence of spiritual life two-fold is a matter of the heart and mind.

* Vs 10 - give God your heart AND mind.

* 1) We do what’s right (actions start in the mind).

* Vs 9 - you won’t give yourself over to habitual sin & you’ll feel bad when you do sin.

* 2) We feel what’s right (love starts in the heart).

* Vs 11 - you can’t love God and hate His kids.

* Vs 12 - EX: Cain didn’t DO what was right so he didn’t LOVE his brother.

* Why did he kill him? Because his actions were evil.

* Because Cain didn’t DO what was right (actions) he didn’t FEEL what was right (love).

* When you habitually give into sin it dulls your conscience and hardens your heart.

* It attacks your doer and your feeler.

* So what’s the reward for loving others?

* Vs 13 - You’ll be hated by the world!

* John shifts us from the position of Cain to the position of Abel.

* He did what was right and loved his family, but he got killed for it.

* Vs 16 - Jesus got killed for loving people as well, but He received a crown and throne as a reward.

* The same is true with us - when we do what’s right and love others, we’ll be hated. But when we endure we’ll receive a reward.

* John is setting us straight by explaining how it all works.