“Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God.” -I John 4:7
Belief in the Son of God leads to loving one another as Christians. Genuine faith loves the church whom God loves because God is love (4:7-8). Anyone born again by God actively loves God’s people and repents when confronted by God’s Word when failing to love. This is what John argues for in his first letter.
It is a theme played over and over again in the New Testament. Our faith leads to good works. What are these good works? The commands of Christ. In His Great Commission, our Lord tells us to make and baptize disciples, “teaching them to observe all I commanded you” (Matthew 28:18-20). What has our Lord commanded us? To love one another (John 13:34).
John tells us God is the source of love and love is His nature. This love of God has been revealed to us by sending us His Son Jesus (I John 4:9). God sent us His Son not because we loved Him but because He loved us (4:10). And we are certain of His love for us because He laid down His life for us (I John 3:16).
The love that God is and does by sending His Son who laid down His life for us is the love we ought to love one another with. John warns us, “Anyone who does not love does not know God” (4:8). Such a person is like Cain (I John 3:12) and be found murderers with the same hatred in our hearts (3:15). Our Lord taught us to not only love those who love us, but our enemies and people who hurt us (Matthew 5:43-48).
Love opens your heart to the needs of others (I John 3:17-18). As Paul commands, love carries others burdens in obedience to Christ’s commands (Galatians 6:2). Genuine love hates evil while holding to good (Romans 12:9). Love sets the mind to the excellencies of Christ above, having put off sin and put on compassionate, loving hearts being kind, humble, and patient with our dealings with others (Colossians 3:1-12). Love bears burdens of others and is quick to forgive (3:13-14).
Ephesians 4:2 reiterates that our faith puts on love and love’s obedience is displayed in our relationships by being humble, gentle, patient, and load bearing.
Consider Hosea and Gomer, a prophet of God and a prostitute turned unfaithful wife. This tells us a great deal of the patient, load-bearing love of God who first loved us, sought after us when we were not seeking (Romans 3:10–12), proving His love having sent to us His Son Jesus to die for us while we were still sinners (Romans5:8). God’s great love for us made us alive together with Christ (Ephesians2:4-5).
The good news for those with faith in Christ is the assurance His love for us is inseparable (Romans 8:38–39). God has proven His love for us, we ought to love one another (I John 4:11).
Consider those you have not reached out to in a while. Be intentional in finding ways to serve others in the love of Christ. Pray for opportunities to serve and display Christ’s love for you. In our love for one another we are promised that we see displayed the presence of our invisible God in and with us (4:12).
Heavenly Father, our souls rejoice in Your great love, displayed in sending Your Son Jesus Christ that we may be reconciled to our forgiving God who loved us first that we may love one another. Give us opportunities to serve one another and display Your love poured into our hearts born-again by Your Spirit. We praise You, our God of love. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
