For God so Loved Us We Ought to Love Each Other.

Scripture I John 4:7-11

1 John 4:7–11 KJV 1900

Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love. 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. Herein is love, not that we 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 ought also to love one another.

 This evening I want to offer some comments on a section of I John 4. As I studied this section I found that the book of I John is essentially one giant paragraph. It is one idea, one line of thought throughout. Any section of I John is tied to every other section in a way that makes it makes it difficult to look at a section without discussing the whole. I do not intend tonight to look at the entire book of I John so I have a request for you. Tonight, if it strikes your fancy to do so read through the whole book. It is only 5 chapters and will not take more than a few minutes.

             To try and sum up the book of I John I offer one word, Love. This book explains the great commandments. It is a synopsis on love for God and for each other and how each of those play out in this life. Jesus said that the whole law was bound up in loving God entirely and in loving our neighbor as ourselves. John expands and explains that concept.

             Lets jump in to I John chapter 4. We will begin with verses 7 and 8. “Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.”

             Here is shown the source of and one of the directions to which that love should flow. God is the source of Love and we are to love one another. What does that mean, what does that look like? That’s not a question that has a quick simple answer is it. I think a way to approach loving one another is to ask yourself, “If I was in that situation what would I wish someone would do for me?” then go do that thing! Jesus explained loving our neighbor with the story of the good Samaritan. This man put the needs of another ahead of his own needs. That’s an idea that has lost favor in our society. We now have this idea that we come first and with whatever leftover money, time, or energy we have we can spend it on others. That is quite the opposite of loving another as ourself. When life is lived this way we find no time to care for others for there is always something that we need to do for ourselves. An argument that you will hear against selfless living is often along this line “If I don’t take care of myself I won’t be able to help anyone else.” That seems pretty convincing but it misses a fundamental aspect of human nature. The more care we put towards ourselves the less we are actually taking care of ourselves. You see God designed us to be outward focused. To be filled with His love and let that flow out from ourselves to Him and to each other. The best self-care is caring for others. Now if we rely on ourselves to love one another we will become burnt out and disillusioned with ourselves and with others. “For Love is of God” The source of our care for others is God. The source of our love is God. All Love comes from God and without God there is no love.

              What is a sure sign of being born of God? Verse 7 goes on to say those who truly love are born of God. God does not do things partway. A partial love, a selfish love, a sensitive love, a love based on condition is not what is being talked about here but entire and selfless love.

              Conversely what is a sure sign of not knowing God? A lack of love. A disregard for our neighbor, a disdain for our brother, these things run contrary to the love of God and thus are not found in the heart full of God’s love.

For God is love. This sentence is the hope of mankind. God is love! Love is not just something God feels or does but rather love is the nature of God. “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. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation (means of turning away wrath) for our sins.”

God, while we were yet sinners, while we yet despised and rejected Him, while we yet disdained His sacrifice sent His Son. What is love is the often asked question and the answer is God is love. What does love like is the question, sacrifice comes the answer. God, because He loved us and not because we loved him, sent His son to turn away the wrath of His justice from us not because He without cause and was correcting a wrong on His end but rather because we had sinned. Because we were deserving of that wrath.

We did not love God though God is perfectly worthy of Love. God loved us though we are entirely unworthy of Love. God proved that love to us while we did not love Him.

“Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.” Love is the character of God. For us to be filled with his spirit and our character changed into His likeness it follows that we then Love one another. This should bleed into every aspect of our lives. I know I do talk about this often, but Jesus summed up the entire law and prophets in two commands and loving each other is one of them. I am not the least bit ashamed to repeat myself on this topic. I do not do it because I think we are doing a bad job, but rather to keep God’s law of Love ever before our eyes. Deuteronomy 6 told the Israelites to keep the law in their hearts, to bind it on their hands, to keep it for a frontlet between their eyes, to write it on the posts of their houses and upon their gates. By constant reminder I hope to fulfill this in our lives. To keep the new law ever before your eyes so that every deed and action and throught is passed through the lens of love for God and for each other. So that is why, just a few days before singles awareness day I remind you once again to Love one another. To let the love of God flow through you toward your spouse of course, but also toward your children, your extended family, your church family, your friends and to all you come in contact with.

Husbands are commanded to love their wives as Christ loved the church and gave himself for it, we are also all commanded to love one another with the love of Christ. With a self sacrificial love that puts others ahead of ourselves. So let the law of God be ever before. Remember how Christ loved you while you were yet a sinner, and now that you are filled with His love, so love each other.