Genuine Love is Seen and Experienced in God

READ 1 John 4

 I hope you are excited about the day in front of you.  We are surrounded with many opportunities to impact God's kingdom.

 There is a strong connection in this morning's reading, and that connection is that our love for God is proven by our love for others. 1 John 4:20 proves this, "If a man say I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?"  It is important to realize if we genuinely love God, we will also genuinely love God's people.

Our focus this morning is on verses 7-10, "Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. 8 He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love. 9 In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. 10 Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us, and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins."

vs. 7 - The Apostle John touches upon two simple truths. (1) We ought to love one another. As a principle, all true love is ultimately from God: “love is of God.” Love is one of the foundational characteristics of God—“God is love.” Therefore, of all people, His people ought to manifest the principle of love in their day-to-day living. (2) In manifesting a spirit of true love toward others, there is a clear indication that we are born of God and know God. John thus touches upon a sub-theme of the epistle: how to know that we truly are of God. The verb tense of the word translated “loveth" is present and implies ongoing, continual action. Therefore, one truly born again will, in general, be predisposed to love others. John’s point is that we ought therefore to fully develop that predisposition within us.

 vs. 8 - Conversely, "He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love." The thought is as simple as it is instructive. One who has no concern for others and their needs does not know God. More simply, such an one has never been born again and does not know the Lord. The Apostle thus sets forth one of the simplest descriptions of God’s nature, “God is love.” He not only loves, He is love. Clearly implied is that one who knows Jesus as Lord and Savior will manifest the same love, if only in limited fashion. We thus are called upon to fully develop the principle of agape love in our lives.

vs. 9 - The Apostle John sets forth a profound summary of this profound truth. "In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him." The ultimate manifestation of God’s love to us was revealed when He “sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him.” On three different occasions, John referred to Jesus Christ as God’s only begotten Son (John 1:18, 3:16, 3:18). God’s sending of Jesus was the ultimate demonstration of His love. Our Lord Jesus Christ was the personification of God’s love. The result was that “we might live through him.” The fact that we have eternal life is rooted in the infinite love of God. His mercy, grace, and kindness all emanate from His love.

 vs. 10 - John therefore defines and restates the love of God. "Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins." The initial phrase literally is: ‘In this is love.’ It is not we who loved God, but the converse. “He loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.” Several thoughts come to mind.

 (1) The word translated as love throughout this section is agape or its verbal form agapao. Its definition in either case is ‘a giving of oneself for another’ (or ‘to give of oneself for another’). For example, “God so loved the world, that He gave.” That thought clearly is in view here. Jesus’ coming was a giving of God’s most precious possession—His only begotten Son. He thus gave His best for us! 

 (2) The coming of Jesus Christ was to be “the propitiation for our sins.” The word translated as propitiation has the sense of an ‘appeasement’ or ‘satisfaction.’  Propitiation is simply the basis upon which God shows mercy to the guilty.  The coming of Jesus Christ was to deal with our sin problem. His sacrificial death and shed blood upon Calvary’s cross became the basis for God’s forgiveness and justification of our sins. God was satisfied with the finished work of Christ on our behalf. He therefore accepted Christ’s finished work so that we might be saved.  Hallelujah!

Enjoy your day loving God and loving others!

 Your Friend and HIS,

Pastor Abbott

MEDITATIONS

1.  Is your nature toward others loving or unloving?  Do others see God in you, or would it shock them to hear you call yourself a Christian believer?

 2.  In what practical ways can you be more loving?  Are you conscious of what God wants and expects of you?

3.  How does understanding God's love help you love those who are not easy to love?

4.  In what ways have you personally experienced God's love?

5.  In gratitude for the great gift of God—salvation through Jesus Christ—how can you best show your love for others?