1 John 4:7-21
God's LOVE and Our Love
7 Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9 This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. 10 This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. 11 Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 12 No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.
13 This is how we know that we live in him and he in us: He has given us of his Spirit. 14 And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. 15 If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in them and they in God. 16 And so we know and rely on the love God has for us.
God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them. 17 This is how love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment: In this world we are like Jesus. 18 There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.
19 We love because he first loved us. 20 Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen. 21 And he has given us this command: Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister.
Scripture is all about love...And Jesus is Scripture and fulfills Scripture, so He is full of LOVE...
Let all that we do in life be done in love...Because hate stirs up strife and controversy, but love covers all offenses...And as you journey through life, love one another because love binds everything together in perfect harmony...Above all things in life, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins...So as you journey through life hang on to the virtues of faith, hope, and love...And remember that the greatest of these virtues is love...The reason we love is because God first LOVED us...God shows His LOVE for us in that while we were still sinners, His Son died for us...God, being so rich in mercy, because of His Great LOVE with which He LOVES us, even when we were dead in our trespasses and sins, He made us alive and together with His Son - by His Grace we have been saved...See what kind of LOVE the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are...The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know Him...God is LOVE...
Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is LOVE...There is no fear in LOVE, but Perfect LOVE casts out fear...For fear has to do with punishment and negativity, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love...God so LOVES this world, that He gave His Only Son, that those who believe in Him should not die but instead have eternal life -with Him and His Son...Jesus gives us a commandment that seems to be a natural thing and a Way of Life, the new commandment He gives us is that we love one another: just as He has LOVED all He has met and been with, we also are to love one another...By this all people will know that we are Disciples and followers of His and Christians, if we have love for one another...A greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down His life for his friends...
Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God...Let us love one another, for love comes from God...Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God...Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is LOVE...This is how God showed His LOVE among us: He sent His One and Only Son into the world that we might live through Him...This is love: not that we loved God, but that He LOVED us and sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins...He died for us on the cross...So dear friends, since God so LOVES us, we also ought to love one another...No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and His LOVE is made complete in us...And so we know and rely on the LOVE God has for us...God is LOVE...Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them...This is how love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment: In this world we are like Jesus...Let us love one another...There is no fear in LOVE...But Perfect LOVE drives out fear, because fear is a negative thought and works against the mind...The one who fears has trouble in loving others, because it takes our energy and has us live in our heads with thoughts of fear, despair and anxiety, because this fear is not made perfect in love...
As God has LOVED His Son, so He has LOVED everyone, including His enemies...Now remain in His LOVE...If we keep His commands, we will remain in His LOVE and we will be set free in LOVE, just as Jesus has always kept His Father’s commands and has always remained in His LOVE...And You, O LORD, are a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast, unconditional, divine LOVE...You have this Great Faithfulness and Great Patience with us...So remember that the LORD our God is God, the Faithful God who keeps covenant and steadfast LOVE with those who love Him and keep His commandments, to a thousand generations...God is LOVE, yesterday, today, and forever...
Jesus teaches us that the Two Greatest Commandments in the Bible are to love God, and to love neighbor...Love has forever tied God to us and our neighbors...We all can live in Perfect Harmony, when we find His LOVE...