1 John 4:7-12, 19-21
“7.Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.
8.Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.
9.This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him.
10.This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.
11.Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.
12.No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.
19.We love because he first loved us.
20.Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen.
21.And he has given us this command: Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister.”
1 John Chapter 4 delivers a crucial message about God's love. John encourages believers to love one another, emphasizing that love originates from God. Since God is love, those who truly know God will naturally express love. Conversely, those who do not know God cannot understand true love.
God's love differs from human love. Human love can be conditional and changeable, but God's love is constant, unconditional, and holy. In the Old Testament, God's judgment and discipline were expressions of His righteous response to sin, and they are part of His love. God's love harmonizes with His justice, and His deep desire is to save people from sin.
God's ultimate act of love was sending Jesus Christ to atone for our sins. This love is unconditional, yet it does not condone or ignore sin. God hates sin and sent Jesus to pay the penalty for it. This act shows that God doesn't merely overlook our sins but has provided a sacrificial solution.
If we claim to love God while hating others, we deceive ourselves. Loving God includes loving those made in His image. This isn't optional; it's fundamental to our faith. Loving others is not merely a moral duty but a way to reflect God's love to the world. By loving others, we demonstrate our belief in and love for God, showing His love through our actions.
Therefore, loving others is not just a moral obligation; it's a way of spreading God's love. The commandments to love God with all our heart, soul, and strength and to love our neighbor as ourselves are central to our faith.
Prayer: Lord, we thank You for today's message that helps us understand Your love more deeply. May we remember Your unconditional love for us and strive to love and serve others. Let Your love flow through our lives and touch those around us.
(Note: This summary was created based on an AI draft.)
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