In this is love, not that we have 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 also ought to love one another.
– 1 John 4:10-11
Over and again, God tells us that His love preceded our love. We didn’t love Him first. We were rescued by the blood of Christ and given new hearts, and then we loved Him back. This is the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Since we know God has done such a thing for us, we ought to be compelled to love others in a similar manner. Here, the Apostle tells us that we ought to love “one another.” He is talking about the church loving the other members of the church. It is similar to what Jesus says in John 13:35, “By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”
Our love for the people beside us in the pews ought to flow out of our knowledge of the great love God has for us. We ought to be willing to bear with another, forgive one another, and admonish one another. This love should be evident to any who know us.
This sort of love is supernatural. It is not a camaraderie like the Kiwanis or Lions Club. It is not a sorority or fraternity of similar minds. It is a diverse group of people put into an adopted family and set on a mission by the King of Heaven and Earth. Our fellowship is unnatural in the world. When people see that sort of fellowship they take note and wonder. Let us love one another with the supernatural love of God.
God's Love Compels Us
In this is love, not that we have 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 also ought to love one another.
– 1 John 4:10-11
Over and again, God tells us that His love preceded our love. We didn’t love Him first. We were rescued by the blood of Christ and given new hearts, and then we loved Him back. This is the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Since we know God has done such a thing for us, we ought to be compelled to love others in a similar manner. Here, the Apostle tells us that we ought to love “one another.” He is talking about the church loving the other members of the church. It is similar to what Jesus says in John 13:35, “By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”
Our love for the people beside us in the pews ought to flow out of our knowledge of the great love God has for us. We ought to be willing to bear with another, forgive one another, and admonish one another. This love should be evident to any who know us.
This sort of love is supernatural. It is not a camaraderie like the Kiwanis or Lions Club. It is not a sorority or fraternity of similar minds. It is a diverse group of people put into an adopted family and set on a mission by the King of Heaven and Earth. Our fellowship is unnatural in the world. When people see that sort of fellowship they take note and wonder. Let us love one another with the supernatural love of God.