1 John 4:7-21
Knowing God Through Love (John 3:16)
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.
Seeing God Through Love
12 No one has seen God at any time. If we love one another, God abides in us, and His love has been perfected in us. 13 By this we know that we abide in Him, and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit. 14 And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son as Savior of the world. 15 Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. 16 And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him.
The Consummation of Love
17 Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world. 18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love. 19 We love Him because He first loved us.
Obedience by Faith
20 If someone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen? 21 And this commandment we have from Him: that he who loves God must love his brother also.
Love is the proof and way to know and see God, and drives out fear of eternal suffering by emboldening us as we demonstrate His presence in us in our love for Him and others. We are urged here to love one another since we have God’s love in us from our rebirth and we know Him personally and intimately. God demonstrated His love in His Son sent into this world to pay the full price for our sins as the perfect Passover Lamb sacrificed to reconcile us to Him, and He calls us in Him to love others as the second greatest commandment (Luke 10:27, Galatians 5:14) tells us. Since God so loved us out of the world (John 3:16, 1 Peter 2:9), we are bound to love each other as He does, no matter how little anyone (including us) deserves it. Though we have not yet seen God face to face with our eyes, we can see the evidence of His presence in our love given unconditionally in return by the enabling of His Spirit within. His Spirit not only seals us forever (Ephesians 1:13-14) as His own children, but gives us the assurance of our position in Christ and enables us to persevere to the end when He will return to take us to Himself forever. This is our certain hope that gives us peace with Him (Romans 5:1). We confess that the Father sent His Son as savior to the world for all who are drawn to believe and receive Him that we believe the love of God which has driven Him to so love us. As it tells here, because God is love we remain in His love as He remains forever in us, never to leave of forsake (John 10:28-29, Hebrews 13:5) any of his children whom He has called and died for. His love then drives out any fear of eternal punishment (Matthew 25:46) in our eternal security in our salvation that never ends. This absolute hope is our boldness to be as Jesus in the world to show His love through the gospel lived out and spoken through to the world. Yes, we are able to love Him and others because He first loved us and enables us to love one another in return. The proof of having the love of God and His presence sealing our salvation then is love for our brethren; if we hate others, we lie to ourselves and the Lord. Hate has no place in a child of the sovereign Lord. If we cannot love other we can see then we are incapable of loving the unseen God as it is written here. If we truly love God, then we will love others. Period. That is the demonstrable proof of our conversion and standing in Christ before the Father.
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