Love is the essence of our relationship with God and our discipleship as children of God. John points out to us that if there is a miss when it comes to expressing God’s love outwardly, there is likely a problem of connection with God inwardly…
7 Dear friends, let us continue to love one another, for love comes from God. Anyone who loves is a child of God and knows God. 8 But anyone who does not love does not know God, for God is love.
9 God showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him. 10 This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins. 11 Dear friends, since God loved us that much, we surely ought to love each other.
1John 4:7-11 NLT
Let us continue to love one another. John is laser focused on the expressions of true discipleship. Our dedication to love those around us confirms our identity as children of God. If we cannot love, we do not know God. Very cut and dry, but we are not surprised. This is John’s way.
The core identity of God – love – should be evident in his children. Turns out that’s not overly harsh or cut and dry. It’s very practical and sensical. If you represent God, and you do not love, you are hypocritical. God is love.
We again hear the example of God’s amazing act of love: he sent Jesus to live as a human so that we could have eternal life through him. John says, “This is real love.” God’s sending of Jesus to be a sacrifice for our sins is real love.
Since God did that (vs. 11), “we surely ought to love each other.” Simple. We are the recipients of the sacrificial love of God. So love each other based on that sacrifice. Can you hear an echo of the Lord’s prayer? Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us…
We receive grace so we give grace. We are loved so we love. And if we do not love or show grace or forgive, our identity as children of God and his love and grace and forgiveness is suspect. Let me put it another way.
If the impact of our experience of God’s love and sacrifice is not great enough within our lives to generate corresponding love and sacrifice, we should check our connection to God. It may not even be there, because this is precisely what experiencing God is all about…
Amen.
Marc Kinna
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