The Beloved Disciple's First Letter - Pt 16

 

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).

 

True love… what is it… what does it look like… how does it feel? Since I have been married for over half a century, nearly fifty-seven years, actually; and, I have worked with hundreds of people at every stage of their relationship, I think I have come to understand a few things about the thing we call “love.” There are elements of our relational experience that we all know as love, however, the apostle John gives us a different perspective than most of us have never really examined. In our reading today he teaches that true love originates from God's own nature, was proven through sending Jesus Christ as a sacrifice for human sin, and must flow out of believers into practical love for one another. Almost sounds like the three points of a sermon… perhaps I need to write that too!

 

At any rate, today I want us to look briefly at each of these core principles. First, God is the source of true love. John states that "love is from God" and "God is love". Love is not merely something God does, but an expression of His core identity. Anyone who truly knows God will reflect this kind of active, sacrificial love. I know that there are those times of difficulty and trial when that becomes challenging to believe. It is easy when our journey takes us through those dark, foreboding places that we doubt the validity of that truth. And John recognizes this as well. After all, he is writing this letter when he is suffering the deprivation of exile on a remote island, separated from friends and family, likely to be killed at any time.

 

So, John goes on to say that the ultimate proof of God’s love is in His demonstration of sending His Son, Jesus, into the world to be the "propitiation" (the atoning sacrifice that turns away wrath and brings reconciliation) for human sins. This love was initiated by God before humans ever loved Him. As I wrote yesterday, this is the ultimate proof of a love for someone – that a person would sacrifice their life on behalf of another. God has done that.

 

John goes on to say that because God loved humanity so deeply, believers have a moral and spiritual duty to love each other. This love is an intentional choice of action and self-sacrifice, mirroring Christ's example. This is what makes an invisible God visible: No one has ever physically seen God. However, when Christians love one another selflessly, God's invisible presence becomes visible through them, and His love is brought to completion or maturity within the community of faith.

 

You may not have found that kind of love in another person yet. I encourage you to look toward Jesus as you continue your search. However, if you have found it, please show it to others, especially those you are close to. How can we do less than that!