RESOURCES — SHORT ARTICLES

 

SHORT ARTICLES BY TOM ELSEROAD
	2021-04-20	We Love Him Because He First Loved Us (1Jn.4:19)
		1Jn 4:19  We love Him because He first loved us. John is writing about how we should express the love of God toward others. Earlier he commented, “if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another” (v.11) Believers have come to know by experience the love that God has for us (v.16). Because of God's love there is an expectation that we should act on that love. If love originates with God, then the one who is walking with God should be demonstrating love (v.17). God's love is perfected in us in that we have confidence in the day of judgment. His love has kept us from condemnation. It is this kind of life-saving love that He showed us, and what is expected to show to each other. This kind of love is free from fear because there is no punishment in our futures (v.18). Love made the first move. Our love for God is simply a response to His love for us. God modeled for us what love looks like. We have come to know and believe His love (v.16). So, we are neither ignorant nor incapable of showing His kind of love to others. In fact, loving our brother is both an expectation and an imperative. Because He first loved us, we can and must love others. If someone claims to love God whom we have not seen but does not love his brother whom we have seen, then that person is lying (v.20). If we are not loving our brother, then we are not loving God. John reminds his readers of Jesus' command that we love our brother (v.21). John adds to the logic of love as he asserts that the believer is born of God. And anyone who loves the Father should obviously love the child born of the Father (1Jn.5:1). When we are loving God and observing His commandments, we can know we are loving the brethren (1Jn.5:2). To love God means to obey Him. We should not love simply with words, but with sincerity in our deeds (1Jn.3:18). Loving in truth and sincerity is so important that John lists it as a logical next step after believing in Jesus (1Jn.3:23).. 1Jn 3:23  And this is His commandment: that we should believe on the name of His Son Jesus Christ and love one another, as He gave us commandment. God has not told us to do something He was not willing to do first. Indeed, “We love Him because He first loved us.” Pastor Tom Elseroad

 

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