God Is Love

Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us. (1 John 4:7-12 ESV). Many years ago when I was in seminary, my New Testament professor began the section dealing with the writings of the Apostle John by saying, “The apostle’s writings are like a river in that they are narrow and swift; and, they are like an ocean in that they are deep and profound.” Over the last four decades I have found that to be an apt description of John’s work. In our reading today John simply states: “For love is from God.” It certainly sounds simple; however, the depth takes us to much more than at first thought. There are two points to look at today: First, we see that God literally is love. It is essential to his nature, for God in himself is a relationship. We do not make God loving, as if God needed to create us in order to have someone to love. In a healthy home, love flourishes long before children arrive because husband and wife love each other. Love flourishes within God, too, for the triune God is one in community. From all eternity, through all eternity, the Father, Son, and Spirit love one another. John therefore rightly proclaims that God is love. Second, God’s love is dynamic. God is love in another way. He actively loves us, the crown of his creation; this relationship is not static, it is active. His love for us caused him to send his Son to earth as a sacrifice for our sin. Jesus suffered for our salvation; he died so that we might live. He took our place to spare us from endless shame, torment, and misery. That God is love shows us the reason why God went to such lengths to love us. Then we read John’s conclusion. It is elegantly simple and clear: “Let us love one another because love is from God.” It’s amazing to me how some professing Christians can miss this point. I understand the temptation to judge the behavior of those who disagree with us. There are those who stand for everything we would stand against. However, our call is to love them whether friend or foe. Because God is love, we can love as well. We are not called to love that which we disagree with, but those are things not people. I have found that it is easier to accomplish this in practical living when I am intentional about who I am. Judgment is above my pay grade. Only Jesus has paid the price to be able to judge the hearts and minds of others. Let’s be careful to love as he does.