1John 3:8-11 God’s message to humanity from the very beginning has been to love one another.
12 – Genesis 4:1-15 We do not determine the right way to love God; rather, we love Him as He tells us to do. We are also to love Him with the right attitude. Cain did it his own way, but Abel did it God’s way.
1John 3:12-18 Love is more than noble intentions; it must also include godly action.
1John 4:7 – Do you want to know God? Love is not optional.
8 – “Born of God” and godly behavior are convincingly connected throughout the epistle of 1John. Loving others and knowing God are also persuasively linked together. By the practice of love, we learn to know God more and more, and conversely, a stranger to love is a stranger to knowing God. The difference between knowing and not knowing God is loving one another.
The phrase “God is love” is not interchangeable with “love is God.” Our self-contrived impression of love is not how we understand God. When we develop a correct biblical understanding of God, we can begin to understand genuine love. Love does not define God; rather, God defines love.
9 – Standards are provided in the Scriptures so that we know how to love rightly.
Luke 10:27; John 13:34
1John 4:9 and 10 – He loved us because He decided to do so and not because we were deserving or attractively loveable. We love others the way God loved us because He loved us first.
“Why is she giving me these gifts?” I responded because it is your birthday. “She doesn’t even know me so why would she give me gifts?” I said, because she loves you! “Why would she love me if she doesn’t even know who I am?” She loves you because God loves her and tells her to love others as He loved her. My words were heard but, not necessarily understood as this soul recently made inquiry about my wife’s actions. Our standard for love is based upon God and not what others do or don’t do or what they deserve or don’t deserve. We love others the way God loves us.
1John 4:11 and 12
Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has seen God at any time; if we love one another, God abides in us, and His love is perfected in us.
13 – We have the example in Christ, the directions in the scriptures and the ability and specific instructions with the holy spirit.
Ephesians 3:16 and 17 – The only way we can love others the way God loves us is with His help through the holy spirit.
0 Comments