Loving Sacrificially and Unconditionally

1 John 4:7-11 

7 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. 8 He who does not love does not know God, for God is love. 9 In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. 10 In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.

We are implored to show love for each other, not just feel it inside.  Love comes from God who demonstrated that unconditional and sacrificial love in Christ toward His people and the  sheep of His pasture.  This love, however, is only possible to those who are born of God through Christ by the power of His Spirit who transforms and leads us.  We are quite incapable of true love by God’s standards apart from Him in us.  This is why if we are reborn that we do love, and that if the evidence of love is not in us, neither is He.  Consider it a validation of salvation by regeneration.  God proved the love He has for us by sending His only Son out of Himself (not created as we are) to give us life out of the dark deadness of our hearts and souls by sin’s havoc which killed us (Romans 7:11).  He died to take on our guilt and punishment that we might live!  This is sacrificial love which none of us deserve (unconditional); we are called to live the love given us to others, unconditionally and sacrificially as well.  We can only love like this by God’s working in us, but we are responsible to put feet and hands with our heart by actions as He did for it to be more than a feeling alone.  He loved us first; we did not love God when He sent His Son to die for us, His enemies (Romans 5:8), but God chose to love in spite of our enmity to Him.  We are to love this way also.  Since God loved us like this, we are called and commanded to love each other like He loves us - sacrificially and unconditionally.  Yet we must find the ability and desire to do this by His enabling within us (Philippians 2:12-13) and our obedience to do as He does.