Love One Another, Part 2

1st John, chapter 4 verse 7, says “Beloved, let us love one another, because love is from God; everyone who loves is born of God and knows God.” We are called to love one another because God has loved us. 1 John 4:19 reads “We love because he first loved us.” God’s love for us was demonstrated by Christ coming and dying for us. Paul writes in Romans 5:8 “But God proves his love for us in that while we still were sinners Christ died for us.” Humans have individually and collectively turned their backs on God. Since the time of Adam and Eve, we have distanced ourselves from God by our actions. Yet God, though he had no reason to, has chosen to redeem us by the sacrificial death of His Son, Jesus Christ. That by believing in Christ for our salvation, we can join in a relationship with God, which is what we were designed for. Now since God has loved us and redeemed us because of His love, we are to respond in kind. Let’s look at what it means to love one another.

In 1 John 4:7, the author uses the term agape for love. Agape, as we saw last time, means more than just an emotional feeling. It is love for all people. God shows agape by dying for all people, “For God so [agape] the world that he gave his only son, that whoever believes shall not parish but have eternal life.” This is given freely to all. God does not give his love with strings attached. He does not require that we give anything back to him in order to receive this love. He gave us a way to be united with him. Because of our sins, there is no reason for God to love us. There is no reason for God to offer us salvation. But because of his love, he has chosen to give.

Paul defines love in chapter 13 of 1 Corinthians. He writes “Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.”

God is our example of how to love. We are to love others unconditionally. We are to help others no matter what we will receive in return. We are to help others no matter who they are. Matthew 25 gives us a good example of how to love. This is the story of the separation of the goats and the sheep. The sheep are entering heaven while the goats are entering hell. The reason the sheep go to heaven is because they welcomed the stranger, fed the hungry, visited the imprisoned, clothed the naked. Jesus says that they did these things for him. When asked when he was hungry or thirsty, naked or in prison, Jesus says “Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these, you did it to me.” We love by serving. By serving others we love God. By serving others we share God’s love.

Love is the highest attribute of God. Without God’s love, it would not be possible for us to be with him. It is the only attribute that is said to be God. 1 John 4:8 says “Whoever does not love does not know God, for God is love.” Paul says for us that love is the greatest thing we can do. 1 Corinthians 13:13 “And now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; and the greatest of these is love.” Love will always last. When our faith becomes sight, love will endure. When our hope is fulfilled, love will endure. Love never ends. In verse 1 of the same chapter, Paul says that without love, he is “a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.” Without love, our faith is without worth.
We must always remember that we love not to receive, but to give. We love because God loves us. In the story of the goats and sheep, the righteous are surprised that they are being rewarded for their love. They did it without selfish ambitions. If we give for selfish reasons, we will receive our selfish reward and not an eternal reward. Jesus tells us that when in the temple observing the priests giving. We love in response to God’s love. His love is so great that we must respond with love. If we do not love, how can we call ourselves Christians?

So love one another! Love your neighbor as yourself! Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and might! Love without conditions! Love not to receive, but to give! Love!