Love: The Unbreakable Bond

I John 4:7-12

Greetings

It is always a great honor and privilege to stand before you once again in order to share another portion of God’s will and way. As you may have noticed in the bulletin, this month, as we seek to celebrate Valentine’s Day—a time often associated with romantic love expressed through gifts, cards, and special gestures—I find it fitting to dedicate this month to a sermon series on love. I’ve titled this series "Love in Action."

Each sermon in this series may vary, as I’ve given our chaplains the flexibility to tailor their messages to their unique preaching styles. However, the central focus remains the same: love. My hope and prayer are that this series will be a blessing to all who labor here in the Cornerstone family.

As we walk through today’s sermon, my goal is to help us understand that love is not merely a symbolic concept but a practical and essential part of our faith. Love is not just an emotion—it is a calling, a command, and a reflection of our relationship with God. I want to challenge each of us to see love as evidence of our faith and to actively demonstrate it in our daily lives.

With that in mind, I invite all who are willing and able to turn with me in your Bibles to 1 John 4:7-12.

1 John 4:7–12 ESV

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.

Historical Context of I John

Christianity had existed for about 60–70 years.

John emphasized that Jesus is the Son of God who came in the flesh.

The Roman Empire sought to influence the Christian community.

Romans promoted Dualism—separating spirit and body.

They taught that sin existed only in the flesh.

This led to the belief that people could seek spiritual enlightenment while indulging in sin.

As we prepare to examine the passage that was just read, it’s important to first understand the historical and theological backdrop of what is taking place. By this time, Christianity had been around for approximately 60 to 70 years, and John, in his ministry, saw the need to encourage the Christians in Ephesus to remain steadfast in the apostolic teaching that Jesus is the Son of God who came in the flesh.

The emphasis is important because false teachings—heresies—were spreading. The Roman Empire played a significant role in shaping religious thought, and its influence extended into Christian communities. One particularly disruptive form of Gnosticism in John’s day was the principle of Dualism. This teaching claimed that the spirit and the body were entirely separate, that sin resided only in the flesh, and that a person could pursue spiritual enlightenment while indulging in sinful physical pleasures. Dualists denied the Incarnation, arguing that God could not have truly taken on human flesh—that Christ was merely a phantom, a man in appearance only.

Throughout this epistle, John appears to have these false teachers in mind as he strongly affirms that Jesus was the real, tangible, and authentic manifestation of God in the flesh. He insists that genuine knowledge of God must result in moral transformation. True faith is not just intellectual belief—it must be lived out in righteousness and love. This morning we will discuss three short points and the lesson will be yours. First lets discuss the origin of “True Love”

1. Origin of True Love

1 John 4:7–8 ESV

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.

Being born again doesn’t guarantee Godly love.

Love is God's nature.

Faith is shown through love.

As we study this passage, we find that this is the third and final time in John’s letter that he addresses the topic of love. Here, he is speaking to Christians in Ephesus—those who have been baptized, had their sins washed away, and received forgiveness. However, John is not merely reminding them of their salvation; he is urging, pleading, and persuading them to take love more seriously. He wants them to understand that being born again does not automatically mean you will love as God commands. In this context, they have already demonstrated love through obedience, but their journey is not complete. Now, as born-again believers, they must remain in the knowledge of God and make a deliberate, more conscious effort to love their brothers and sisters in Christ.

John emphasizes that love is central to God's nature. In verses 7-8, he commands believers to love one another—not as a suggestion, but as a necessary reflection of God’s very essence. He makes it clear that knowing God means embracing love, for God is love. This teaches us that our faith is demonstrated through our love for others.

However, in today’s world, the word “love” is widely used but often misunderstood. Many claim to spread a message of love, yet the only true message of love is the Gospel. Even then, the Gospel alone does not promote love unless believers actively live out the love that God has given us through our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

The kind of love John is speaking of is rare in our time. It is the selfless, sacrificial love described in 1 Corinthians 13:4-7:

1 Corinthians 13:4–7 ESV

Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

This is the perfect love that Jesus displayed when He gave Himself up for us on the cross—a love of total self-sacrifice. Sadly, this kind of love is rarely seen today. The world is still filled with hate, selfishness, and division. Even among the best of us, self-interest often overshadows true, Christ-like love.

The Apostle Paul warns us of this in 1 Corinthians 13:3, saying:

1 Corinthians 13:3 ESV

If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing.

In other words, acts of sacrifice and service are meaningless without true, selfless love. No matter how much we give or how much we endure, if our actions are not rooted in love, they amount to nothing. Then theres this Manifestation of God’s love that is so important

2. The Manifestation of God's Love

1 John 4:9–10 ESV

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.

As we move into these next verses, we see that God’s love is revealed to the world through Christ and His sacrifice for all mankind. This emphasizes a profound truth: God’s love moves beyond self-interest to self-sacrifice. Such a love challenges we, who are believers, to mirror that same sacrificial love in our own lives.

Some may ask, “How do we know that God is love?” It’s a fair question, especially in a world filled with evil, hate, and suffering. If the world is so broken, how can we be certain of God's love? The answer is found in His actions. Scripture reveals this truth:

1 John 4:9 ESV

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.

Despite the evil in this world—where we curse God, ignore Him, disbelieve Him, reject Him, and rebel against Him—God still loves us. Even as mankind turns away from Him, He continues to desire our redemption, to care for us, and to offer us salvation.

One of the key realities of life is that it is temporary. No matter how much we gain or suffer, at the end of it all, we die and leave this earth. Yet, even in the face of mortality, God's love remains. He has proven His love by sending His Son so that we might have eternal life. Though we will experience physical death, through Christ, we are given the gift of everlasting life.

Think about this: God did not send an angel, a prophet, or a servant like Abraham—He sent His Son. The Son who had been with Him for all eternity, the one whom He loved deeply. And it was not we who sought after God, but God who reached out to us. It was not Jesus’ plan—it was God’s plan to send His Son as the propitiation for our sins. This sacrifice demonstrates the depth of His love for us.

If we struggle to grasp the magnitude of this love, let's take it a step further.

Consider what Jesus had to endure. His death was not just a punishment—it was a sacrifice that absorbed God’s righteous anger against sin. That’s why He suffered so much. That’s why He was abandoned, disgraced, humiliated, beaten, ridiculed, and left in agony—crying out,

Matthew 27:46 ESV

And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” that is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”

Even the sun refused to shine, and the Father turned His face away. and Jesus in the flesh probably felt that His father turned his back on him, but Jesus took on so much sin the sins of the world. Sin that God hates. Jesus became the ultimate sin offering and it was more the sins that God turned his back to.

To help us understand this on a deeper level, imagine for a moment that you are in excruciating pain. Imagine being sick, weak, and crying out for help from your parents. But instead of rushing to your aid, they turn away. How would that make you feel? Unloved? Abandoned? But what if, in reality, they were teaching you something—preparing you for something greater?

Now, think of what was going through Jesus’ mind in that moment. Why would God put His only Son through such suffering? The answer is this: So that we might live through Him. When we put our full faith in Jesus and obey His commands, we receive newness of life.

That is the love that God has for us. That is the love He still has for us today. And that is the love He will have for us forever.

As we move into our third and final point this morning my friends. We also understand that there’s a response from the believer to Divine love.

3. Response to Divine Love

Finally, my friends, John makes a powerful statement in this verse:

1 John 4:11–12 ESV

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.

John is not making a mere suggestion—he is emphasizing a command. Love among believers is not an option or a passive ideal; it is an imperative response to the divine love we have received.

The Ephesians to whom John was writing had already been born again. They had taken the first step in demonstrating love through their obedience to the gospel. But John wanted them—and us—to understand that our journey doesn’t stop at conversion. We must continue growing in the knowledge of God, giving deliberate and conscious attention to the way we love one another.

Now, let’s be honest. Loving others isn’t always easy. In fact, sometimes the hardest people to love are those closest to us—our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. John is specifically addressing believers here, emphasizing that we should at the very least love one another as members of the same faith. Yet, we often struggle even with that!

We haven’t even begun talking about those outside our faith—our neighbors, our co-workers, the people we interact with daily. Why is it so difficult to show love to the very people we see regularly? I can’t answer that for you, but I suspect it’s because familiarity breeds frustration. We spend so much time around one another that we are certain to get on each other’s nerves.

Within the church, Satan works overtime to stir up division—through misunderstandings, failures in communication, and clashing personalities. If we’re not careful, these small irritations can fester, replacing love with resentment. Yet, it often seems easier to love people who are distant—distant family members, old friends—because there’s less opportunity for conflict.

But here’s the truth: If we are not showing love, then in that moment, we do not truly know God.

I know it’s hard. But it is necessary. It is a direct command from God. And beyond that, our love—or lack thereof—serves as a testimony to the world because the world indeed is watching us.

Non-Christians observe how we treat one another. If they see bitterness, hostility, and division among believers, what reason do they have to turn to Christ? Imagine an unbeliever saying:

"Why should I give my life to Christ when you, a Christian, show nothing but hate? If this is what Christianity is about, I want no part of it."

The world is always looking for an excuse not to believe in God, not to follow Christ. Let’s not give them that excuse. Instead, let’s reflect the love God has shown us.

John makes it clear: If God so loved us, we ought to love one another.

Think about that.

God loved us even when we opposed Him. God loved us when we disobeyed Him. God loved us when we ignored Him, rejected Him, and sinned against Him.

If He could love us despite all of that, there is no person we should refuse to love.

If God went to the greatest lengths—giving His own Son to die for us—then we should be willing to go to great lengths to love one another.

That includes loving those who oppose us. Loving those who mistreat us. Loving those who curse us and persecute us.

God loves them, and He has shown it in the most supreme way possible. If we are truly His children, we must do the same.

A Personal Example

Throughout my life, there have been people who didn’t care for me, and honestly, I never understood why. When I worked at the sheriff’s office, there was one individual in particular who seemed determined to make my life miserable. He slandered my name to my supervisors, went out of his way to make things difficult for me, and did everything in his power to push me to quit.

It got so bad that we had heated confrontations—even arguing in front of the inmate population. And in those moments, I allowed him to push me outside of my character.

But here’s the turning point.

Eventually, this individual got a job promotion, and the platoon held a farewell dinner for him. Now, be honest—if you were in my shoes, would you have gone?

I did.

As difficult as it was to swallow my pride, I showed up to support him and congratulate him.

And let me tell you—the look on his face was priceless. He was shocked that I had come. Even the platoon commander didn’t show up, but I did. And though we never became best friends, from that day forward, his respect for me changed. He appreciated what I had done.

That is the kind of love the world needs to see in us.

That is the kind of love that plants seeds in the hearts of unbelievers.

Brothers, sisters, and friends, our response to to divine love is to love others

God has shown us a love so deep, so sacrificial, that it demands a response and Johns says it best in his gospel.

John 13:35 ESV

By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

The greatest testimony we can give to this world is not just our words, but our love.

So, let’s love those who oppose us. Let’s love those who challenge us. Let’s love those who don’t deserve it—because neither did we.

And in doing so, we reflect the very heart of God.

Conclusion

This morning, I ask each of us to reflect:

Have we lacked the love that God has commanded us to show? Have we failed to love our brothers and sisters in Christ? Have we slandered them, set them up to fail, or withheld forgiveness—whether for something they did knowingly or unknowingly? If so, I encourage us all to repent and commit to showing the love that God requires of us.

Have we failed to love those outside of Christ? Have we struggled to love those who ignore us, reject us, or even persecute us? If that is the case, let us not only ask for forgiveness but also pray for strength—because loving those who mistreat us is not easy. It takes prayer, sacrifice, and God’s power to love as Christ did. That is my prayer this morning—for all of us to grow in that kind of love.

Finally, if you have not yet made the decision to give your life to Christ, you are living beneath your privileges. You have yet to fully express your love to the One who first loved you.

Jesus Christ came to this earth, suffered, bled, and died so that we might live for Him. As we discussed earlier, true love for God begins with obedience. Saying “I love You, Lord” is not enough—real love is shown through action. Jesus Himself said:

"If you love Me, keep My commandments." (John 14:15)

Why not take that step today? Why not answer God’s call by:

Believing in Him (Hebrews 11:6)

Repenting of your sins (Luke 13:3)

Confessing Jesus before others (Matthew 10:32-33)

Being baptized for the forgiveness of your sins (Acts 22:16)

It is at that moment—through baptism—that your sins are washed away, and you are born again as a child of God. This is the very transformation that John speaks of in our passage today. It is through this rebirth that you begin your journey of love—loving God, loving your brethren, and even loving those who oppose you.

At this time, if that is your desire, we are here to support you.

If you need to study God’s Word, we are here to study with you.

If you need prayers, we are here to pray for and with you.

The chaplains are here to pray for you, and I will remain here after the service to hear your requests.

Whatever your need is this morning, we are here to help, encourage, and uplift you.

As we stand together, let us pray.

Closing Prayer

Most gracious eternal God, we come with humble hearts and bowed heads so grateful for the gifts of life. Dear father we often come before you expressing how much we love you, but at times our actions and how we behave tend not to show you. As we prepare to leave this place I pray that your word has pierced our hearts and helped us to see that it takes more. Help us to repent this morning turning back to you. Help us to show love to our brothers and sisters in Christ as well as those we interact with daily. Help us to truly show our love to you not just in word but also in our actions. All these things we ask in your precious and holy name! Amen!