1 John 4:7-21
God is 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.
Mark 12:28-31
The Greatest Commandment
28 One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?”
29 “The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 30 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ 31 The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.”
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.”
Matthew 5:43-48
Love Your Enemies
43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. 46 If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? 47 And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? 48 Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
1 Corinthians 13:8-13
Three Great Virtues
8 Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10 but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears. 11 When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me.12 For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.
13 And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.
Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love...Yet, the atheist believes that there is love in this world without God...We learn from St. John that we love because God first LOVED us....God is LOVE...
St. John, who is called the Love Disciple or the Beloved Disciple, wrote many words about the love of God and Jesus...St. John makes it clear that God is LOVE, and that love comes from God...He LOVES us first, and we learn love from Him...So, to me, that means faith is much related to love...The atheist will disagree with this, but love and faith are not two separate, distinct and unrelated things...Believers believe that love and faith are virtues from God and come from Him...Faith, hope, and love are not isolated and separate things...These virtues work together, it seems to me, in one's life...
When we acknowledge that Jesus is the Son of God, then God in us and we are in God....We know we are to love one another...And so we know and rely on the love God has for us...We thank and praise the Father that He is love...Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them...We are taught by His Son to Love our LORD with all of our hearts, and all our souls, and all our minds, and all of our strength...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...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...We love because He first loved us...Whoever claims to love God yet hates his neighbor is a liar...For whoever does not love their neighbor, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen...And He has given us this command: Anyone who loves God must also love their neighbor...And Jesus furthers this love for our neighbor, by telling us that we have heard the that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’...But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven...He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous...God gives good gifts to the unbeliever...God LOVES them in spite of their non-belief...If you only love those who love you, what reward will you get?...Are not even the tax collectors and the non-believers doing that?...And if you greet only your own people, how are you doing more than the non-believer?...Do not even pagans do that?...Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect...We are to do our best to love everyone as God LOVES...And we understand the great difficulty in this, just as we understand the Perfection of God, and Him asking us to be perfect and the great difficulties of this also...
These are some of the instructions that Jesus gave His original Disciples...And He gave them a new command before He left... “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another...By this everyone will know that you are My disciples, if you love one another.”...If God so LOVES us, we should love one another...These are instructions are about love and loving God and loving others...They are faith based instructions about love...