GOD IS LOVE

One of the most beautiful passages of Scripture is found in 1 John 4:7-11, for in it we find the source of love and the manifestation of love, both coming from God, and how it should be shown by us.

God is love (verse 8), and He made known His love to mankind through the sending of His Son, and Christ’s life giving sacrifice on the cross (verses 9-10). Because He is love and showed such love toward us, it’s imperative upon our part to show our love toward Him by loving one another which He emphasizes twice in this passage (verses 7 and 11). If we’re unwilling to do so, the love of God is not in us (verse 8).

We cannot say that we love God, but not love our brothers and sisters in Christ. John makes this perfectly clear just a few verses later in chapter four when he says, “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, how can he love God whom he has not seen?” (verse 20). He finishes the chapter with a commandment from God: “he who loves God must love his brother also” (verse 21).

Brothers and sisters in Christ, God loved us so much that He gave His only begotten Son for our salvation (John 3:16). May we in turn love God and love one another as He expects us to do. As 1 John 3:23 reminds us, “And this is His commandment: that we should believe on the name of His Son Jesus Christ and love one another, as He gave us commandment.”