Love is a wonderful and necessary part of Christianity, and in 1 John chapter 4, we learn three very important truths about love.
First, love comes from God. John writes, “love is from God” and “God is love” (1 John 4:7, 8). God is the source of love, and if not for God, we would not be able to know or experience love.
Second, love is defined and demonstrated for us in Christ. In verse nine, we read, “By this the love of God was manifested in us, that God has sent His only begotten Son…” (1 John 4:9). We can begin to understand what love is by considering that God sent Jesus and that Jesus gave His life on the cross because of and for each of us.
Finally, all of us are commanded to love. In verse 11, John writes, “if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another” (1 John 4:11). Love is not a suggestion or an option; it is a command.
It is not enough for us to experience the love from God or consider how much Christ loves us. It is also necessary for us to love each other in the same way. God’s love was sacrificial, and ours should be too. God’s love was regardless of circumstance, and ours should be the same. God’s love is actively demonstrated, and our love toward each other must be no different.
Matt Langfield