1 John Part 16

Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. 8Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. 1 John 4:7-8

Love Love Love

How do we love one another? The Bible says that we show love to God by obeying his commands. This is not appropriate in relationships between Christians unless someone has authority over us in a particular situation. So, how do we love one another?

First Corinthians 13 gives what I believe is the most complete description of what love is in the Bible. What does this passage tell us about love? It tells us what love is and also what it is not. What it does and what it does not do.

Let's make two lists. First, what love is and does:

1. Patient
2. Kind
3. Rejoices in the truth
4. Always protects
5. Always trusts
6. Always hopes
7. Always perseveres

Second, what love is not and what it does not do:

1. Envy
2. Boast
3. Proud
4. Rude
5. Self-seeking
6. Easily Angered
7. Keep a record of wrongs
8. Delight in evil
9. Fail
   

It is clear that love is shown in thought and action. It involves emotion like rejoicing and lack of envy, but is primarily action based. Even when you describe love as patient, it means that love shows patience through actions. Love shows kindness through actions. We must keep doing these things more and more, having our actions towards one another being motivated and influence by this godly love. Even just working on increasing one of these characteristics in our lives would make us much more effective at showing true love towards one another.

I am struck by the constancy of love. Three things that love does starts with the word 'always.' Love is not fickle. Love doesn't usually protect. Love always protects. Love doesn't usually come through. Love never fails. Never.

When one reads what love is and what it is not, it is almost self evident what John says about love in 1 John 4:7-8. First, love comes from God. It certainly could not come from any of us? Who does not envy? Who does not boast? Who is not self seeking? It seems like self seeking is almost all that we (I) do. Who is naturally patient? Who is not proud? Who isn't rude at their core, even though you may resist the rude words and actions just to be polite? Maybe I'm revealing more about myself than is wise, but since no one is good as the Bible says, I know I'm in 'good' company.

Also, anyone who loves must know God, for how could you love apart from his Spirit? It is impossible. And anyone who does not know God can not love, for God's Spirit has not taught him what love is and how to carry it out.

Look at the list of what love is not. It is no surprise that the first seven characteristics on that list have to do with our self-centeredness? We are self centered, so we envy what others have wanting it for ourselves; we boast about what little we do have; we are proud and self-protective; we are rude, disregarding the value of others; we are self seeking in all we do, and finally and easily angered if anything goes wrong or if anyone dares do anything we don't want him to do. Love demands that we seek the good of others above our own. That's what God did for us.