Articles
God Is Love - 1 John 4:15-21
Leland and Philip Graham Ryken refer to the first epistle of John as “a small classic on the subject of love.” John used various forms of the word love over 30 times. Why did he make love a focal point of his letter? It has been suggested that John wrote in order for people to know if they were truly followers of Jesus. One of the hallmarks of Christianity is love for others (1 Jn. 4:11). However, an absence of love for others reveals that our love for God is impossible. John wrote, “If someone says, ‘I love God,’ and hates his brother, he is a liar; for the one who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen” (1 Jn. 4:21).
The central focus of John’s discussion about love revolves around the fact that God is love (1 Jn. 4:8). Concerning this reality about God, David Jackman writes, “John is not identifying a quality which God possesses; he is making a statement about the essence of God’s being. It is not simply that God loves, but that he is love.” Love emanates from God and makes things possible. For example, we can have fellowship with God because of His love for us and our response to it. John wrote, “We have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us. God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him” (1 Jn. 4:16). John’s use of the word abide is significant because it relates to fellowship. God is love, and the believer who adheres to love has the assurance of fellowship with God.
Participation in God’s love also brings confidence. John wrote, “By this, love is perfected with us, so that we may have confidence in the day of judgment; because as He is, so also are we in this world. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love” (1 Jn. 4:17-18). The thought of standing before our Creator on the day of judgment can elicit fear and dread. However, we can have confidence on that day knowing that we adhered to love—just as Jesus did.
God is love and that makes it possible for us to love others. John wrote, “We love, because He first loved us” (1 Jn. 4:19). The instruction manual for loving others would refer readers to God. He displayed sacrificial love by sending His Son into the world, and our sacrificial love for others is proof that our claim to love God is genuine. We are able to serve and love others because God has shown us the way.
How can believers be assured that they belong to God? John instructed them to consider that God is love. He has made it possible for us to abide in love, to be confident on the day of judgment, and to love others. God is love! Let’s share that message with others.
