1 John 4:7-21
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.
1 Now there was a Pharisee, a man named Nicodemus who was a member of the Jewish ruling council. 2 He came to Jesus at night and said, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs you are doing if God were not with him.”
3 Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.”
4 “How can someone be born when they are old?” Nicodemus asked. “Surely they cannot enter a second time into their mother’s womb to be born!”
5 Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. 6 Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. 7 You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’ 8 The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”
9 “How can this be?” Nicodemus asked.
10 “You are Israel’s teacher,” said Jesus, “and do you not understand these things? 11 Very truly I tell you, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, but still you people do not accept our testimony. 12 I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things? 13 No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven—the Son of Man. 14 Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, 15 that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.”
16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. 19 This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. 20 Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. 21 But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God.
John 13:34-35
Love One Another
34 "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."
Man's knowledge is limited...John writes about Nicodemus about not knowing all about the things of this earth...Now there was a Pharisee, a man named Nicodemus who was a member of the Jewish ruling council...He came to Jesus at night and said, “Rabbi, we know that you are a Teacher who has come from God...For no one could perform the signs You are doing if God were not with Him.”...Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.”...“How can someone be born when they are old?”...Nicodemus asked. “Surely they cannot enter a second time into their mother’s womb to be born!”...Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit...Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit...You should not be surprised at My saying, ‘You must be born again.’...The wind blows wherever it pleases...You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going...So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”...“How can this be?” Nicodemus asked.
When Jesus was teaching Nicodemus, we can see that Nicodemus does not understand everything...Man does not understand things completely...We only understand what we know...And when we speak, we can only speak of what we know, which is very little in the infinite universe...Jesus speaks of the Spirit in His teachings to Nicodemus...And as He finishes His teaching with Nicodemus, His words are about God, and God's LOVE for the world...The Spiritual is about love, because God is LOVE...And love, and loving unconditionally is a Spiritual thing...The love one has for their children, for their parents, for their friends, and even God, there is no definitive, rational ground for it, regardless of how much someone knows and how much someone has learned...The love we have in us, comes from God...God gave us love, when He created us...What we have know and the knowledge we have, is what we have learned while we have been on earth...Jesus shows us we know little, if anything, about heaven, and the heavenly things...In Jesus' words and teachings to Nicodemus, we go from questions about being Jesus, to being born again, to our limited knowledge, to God, and to God's LOVE for this world...The world and heaven is all about love...Now Jesus is from heaven...And He knows all things...
Jesus replies, “You are Israel’s teacher and do you not understand these things?...Very truly I tell you, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, but still you people do not accept our testimony...I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things?...No one has ever gone into heaven except the One who came from heaven—the Son of Man...Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.”...Jesus is plainly telling Nicodemus that those from heaven, know more than us who only know a few of the earthly things...And since Jesus is from heaven, we should accept His testimony...But still we earthly people who do not readily accept the testimony of those from heaven...
Jesus completely understands everything...He has this complete knowledge of the world and universe...By completely understanding everything and each and everyone of us, He can completely LOVE each of us...He can completely LOVE everyone, because He knows each and all of our thoughts and our feelings...He knows how our early years affected us and our personalities, how the environments we have grown up and lived has affected us and by knowing us completely He can LOVE us...Complete understanding, completely loves...We can learn from Jesus and His teaching to Nicodemus, and His disciples...Following Jesus and being a disciple of His, we can love completely without complete understanding...This is because God lives in us and His LOVE is made complete in us...
Complete Understanding is LOVE...