Three Compelling Reasons to Love One Another
I John 4:7-21
Love is perhaps the most misunderstood word in our modern vocabulary. We use it to describe everything from our feelings about pizza to our deepest commitments to family. But what does love truly mean in the biblical sense? And more importantly, why should we love one another?
The apostle John, in his first epistle, returns again and again to this theme of love—not because he's repetitive or forgetful, but because it's that essential to our faith. Church tradition tells us that in his old age, John would be carried into church meetings, and when asked to speak, he would simply say, "Little children, let us love one another." When people grew weary of hearing the same message, he would respond with profound simplicity: "Because the Lord commanded it. And that's enough."
The Test of Genuine Faith
Throughout 1 John, three major themes emerge as tests of authentic Christianity: what we believe about Jesus (doctrine), whether we obey Him (morality), and how we love others. These aren't optional extras or advanced-level Christianity—they're the fundamental markers of genuine faith.
The sobering truth presented in 1 John 4:8 is this: "He that loveth not knoweth not God, for God is love." This isn't a gentle suggestion; it's a stark reality check. If love doesn't characterize your life, you may need to question whether you truly know God at all.
But before we become discouraged, we must also recognize that love isn't automatic or effortless. Even as believers, we have room to grow. Some people are easy to love; others require us to "put the pedal to the metal" and work at it. The capacity for love has been placed within us, but we must cultivate it, nurture it, and allow it to mature.
Love Provided by the Father
So why should we love one another? The first reason is that love is provided by the Father—it originates with God Himself.
Before creation existed, love already was. It existed in perfect harmony within the Trinity—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit loving one another in complete unity. Jesus Himself prayed, acknowledging that the Father loved Him "before the foundation of the world."
When we say "God is love," we're not suggesting that God overlooks sin or tolerates evil. Earlier in his letter, John also declares that "God is light"—representing His absolute holiness. God's love doesn't override His holiness, and His holiness doesn't negate His love. All of God's attributes exist in perfect unity.
This matters because we can't single out one attribute of God and make it more important than the others. We can't say, "God is love, so He won't judge anyone." That's a dangerous distortion. God is completely holy AND completely loving—both are true simultaneously.
But here's the beautiful part: when God created humanity in His image, He shared this attribute of love with us. This is why love exists in the world at all. Even unbelievers can love—parents sacrifice for children, soldiers lay down their lives for comrades. This is God's common grace to all humanity.
However, salvation gives us the capacity to love on an entirely different level. We can love our enemies. We can love those who persecute us. We can demonstrate a quality of love that reflects the very nature of God Himself.
Love Personified in the Son
The second reason we love one another is that love is personified in the Son—we see the supreme demonstration of love in Jesus Christ.
Never has love been more clearly displayed than in the life and death of Jesus. Romans 5:8 tells us, "But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." This is extraordinary—Christ didn't die for friends, but for enemies. We were hostile to God, yet He sent His Son to die for us.
Consider this powerful illustration: In 1937, John Griffin operated a railroad drawbridge over the Mississippi River. One day, he brought his eight-year-old son to work. While Griffin was busy, his son wandered off and became tangled in the massive gears that operated the bridge. Suddenly, Griffin heard the whistle of a train approaching—carrying 400 passengers.
He faced an impossible choice: run to save his son and let 400 people die, or throw the switch, crushing his son but saving the passengers. With agonizing heartbreak, he threw the switch. As the train passed safely over the lowered bridge, he looked through the windows and saw people playing, reading, eating, napping—completely unaware of the sacrifice that had just been made for them.
This is a pale shadow of what God did for us. The world has no comprehension of the sacrifice God made when He sent His Son to satisfy His wrath against sin. Jesus lived a sinless life, took our sins upon Himself, and absorbed all of God's judgment on the cross. This is propitiation—the satisfaction of God's righteous anger against sin.
And because God has so loved us, we ought also to love one another. This isn't merely a suggestion—it's an obligation, a command flowing from the greatest act of love the universe has ever witnessed.
Love Perfected by the Spirit
The third reason we love one another is that love is perfected by the Spirit—God's love matures and ripens within us.
When you were saved, God planted the divine seed of love in your heart. But like any seed, it needs to grow, mature, and bear fruit. This is what "perfect love" means—not flawless love, but fully mature love.
Why does this matter? Because "no man has seen God at any time." The world cannot see God directly. But they can see Him in us—in His children, where love is being perfected. The question is: does the lost world see God in you through your maturing love?
How do we know God's love is being perfected in us? Several signs emerge:
We experience the ministry of the Holy Spirit, who convicts us of sin, opens our eyes to truth, and draws us to prayer. We become bold witnesses for Christ, naturally sharing what we've experienced. We refuse to sacrifice truth for love—authentic love never compromises biblical truth. We know experientially that God loves us, giving us peace and security. We have no fear of judgment because perfect love casts out fear. We understand that God loved us first—He sought us, not the other way around.
And perhaps most importantly, we show our love for God by loving our brothers and sisters in Christ.
The Ultimate Test
Here's the piercing question: If you claim to love God but hate your brother, how can that be genuine? God dwells in His people. If God dwells in your fellow believer, and you say you love God but hate that believer, your claim is contradictory.
This is the seventh time in his letter that John addresses false claims. You cannot authentically love the invisible God while hating the visible brother or sister in whom God dwells.
A Call to Growth
So search your heart today. Is this kind of love marking your life? Is it growing, maturing, bearing fruit? Are you becoming more loving, more patient, more kind, more sacrificial?
Love was provided by the Father as part of His very nature. Love was personified in the Son through His sacrifice on the cross. And love is being perfected in you by the Spirit who dwells within.
This is how the world will know you belong to Him—by your love. Not by your bumper stickers, not by your religious activities, not by your theological knowledge, but by your love.
May we pray today: "Father, perfect Your love in me. Let it grow, mature, and bear fruit that points others to You."
Love is perhaps the most misunderstood word in our modern vocabulary. We use it to describe everything from our feelings about pizza to our deepest commitments to family. But what does love truly mean in the biblical sense? And more importantly, why should we love one another?
The apostle John, in his first epistle, returns again and again to this theme of love—not because he's repetitive or forgetful, but because it's that essential to our faith. Church tradition tells us that in his old age, John would be carried into church meetings, and when asked to speak, he would simply say, "Little children, let us love one another." When people grew weary of hearing the same message, he would respond with profound simplicity: "Because the Lord commanded it. And that's enough."
The Test of Genuine Faith
Throughout 1 John, three major themes emerge as tests of authentic Christianity: what we believe about Jesus (doctrine), whether we obey Him (morality), and how we love others. These aren't optional extras or advanced-level Christianity—they're the fundamental markers of genuine faith.
The sobering truth presented in 1 John 4:8 is this: "He that loveth not knoweth not God, for God is love." This isn't a gentle suggestion; it's a stark reality check. If love doesn't characterize your life, you may need to question whether you truly know God at all.
But before we become discouraged, we must also recognize that love isn't automatic or effortless. Even as believers, we have room to grow. Some people are easy to love; others require us to "put the pedal to the metal" and work at it. The capacity for love has been placed within us, but we must cultivate it, nurture it, and allow it to mature.
Love Provided by the Father
So why should we love one another? The first reason is that love is provided by the Father—it originates with God Himself.
Before creation existed, love already was. It existed in perfect harmony within the Trinity—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit loving one another in complete unity. Jesus Himself prayed, acknowledging that the Father loved Him "before the foundation of the world."
When we say "God is love," we're not suggesting that God overlooks sin or tolerates evil. Earlier in his letter, John also declares that "God is light"—representing His absolute holiness. God's love doesn't override His holiness, and His holiness doesn't negate His love. All of God's attributes exist in perfect unity.
This matters because we can't single out one attribute of God and make it more important than the others. We can't say, "God is love, so He won't judge anyone." That's a dangerous distortion. God is completely holy AND completely loving—both are true simultaneously.
But here's the beautiful part: when God created humanity in His image, He shared this attribute of love with us. This is why love exists in the world at all. Even unbelievers can love—parents sacrifice for children, soldiers lay down their lives for comrades. This is God's common grace to all humanity.
However, salvation gives us the capacity to love on an entirely different level. We can love our enemies. We can love those who persecute us. We can demonstrate a quality of love that reflects the very nature of God Himself.
Love Personified in the Son
The second reason we love one another is that love is personified in the Son—we see the supreme demonstration of love in Jesus Christ.
Never has love been more clearly displayed than in the life and death of Jesus. Romans 5:8 tells us, "But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." This is extraordinary—Christ didn't die for friends, but for enemies. We were hostile to God, yet He sent His Son to die for us.
Consider this powerful illustration: In 1937, John Griffin operated a railroad drawbridge over the Mississippi River. One day, he brought his eight-year-old son to work. While Griffin was busy, his son wandered off and became tangled in the massive gears that operated the bridge. Suddenly, Griffin heard the whistle of a train approaching—carrying 400 passengers.
He faced an impossible choice: run to save his son and let 400 people die, or throw the switch, crushing his son but saving the passengers. With agonizing heartbreak, he threw the switch. As the train passed safely over the lowered bridge, he looked through the windows and saw people playing, reading, eating, napping—completely unaware of the sacrifice that had just been made for them.
This is a pale shadow of what God did for us. The world has no comprehension of the sacrifice God made when He sent His Son to satisfy His wrath against sin. Jesus lived a sinless life, took our sins upon Himself, and absorbed all of God's judgment on the cross. This is propitiation—the satisfaction of God's righteous anger against sin.
And because God has so loved us, we ought also to love one another. This isn't merely a suggestion—it's an obligation, a command flowing from the greatest act of love the universe has ever witnessed.
Love Perfected by the Spirit
The third reason we love one another is that love is perfected by the Spirit—God's love matures and ripens within us.
When you were saved, God planted the divine seed of love in your heart. But like any seed, it needs to grow, mature, and bear fruit. This is what "perfect love" means—not flawless love, but fully mature love.
Why does this matter? Because "no man has seen God at any time." The world cannot see God directly. But they can see Him in us—in His children, where love is being perfected. The question is: does the lost world see God in you through your maturing love?
How do we know God's love is being perfected in us? Several signs emerge:
We experience the ministry of the Holy Spirit, who convicts us of sin, opens our eyes to truth, and draws us to prayer. We become bold witnesses for Christ, naturally sharing what we've experienced. We refuse to sacrifice truth for love—authentic love never compromises biblical truth. We know experientially that God loves us, giving us peace and security. We have no fear of judgment because perfect love casts out fear. We understand that God loved us first—He sought us, not the other way around.
And perhaps most importantly, we show our love for God by loving our brothers and sisters in Christ.
The Ultimate Test
Here's the piercing question: If you claim to love God but hate your brother, how can that be genuine? God dwells in His people. If God dwells in your fellow believer, and you say you love God but hate that believer, your claim is contradictory.
This is the seventh time in his letter that John addresses false claims. You cannot authentically love the invisible God while hating the visible brother or sister in whom God dwells.
A Call to Growth
So search your heart today. Is this kind of love marking your life? Is it growing, maturing, bearing fruit? Are you becoming more loving, more patient, more kind, more sacrificial?
Love was provided by the Father as part of His very nature. Love was personified in the Son through His sacrifice on the cross. And love is being perfected in you by the Spirit who dwells within.
This is how the world will know you belong to Him—by your love. Not by your bumper stickers, not by your religious activities, not by your theological knowledge, but by your love.
May we pray today: "Father, perfect Your love in me. Let it grow, mature, and bear fruit that points others to You."
No Comments