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1 John 4:7-21 - God is Love
In 1 John 4:7-21, the Apostle John encourages and
challenges us to love others. The reasons given are that God is love; love
comes from God; and that God loved us. But what does "God is love"
mean? This is not saying that God = Love (or Love = God). Rather, the underlying
Greek indicates that Love is an attribute or quality of God. But this raises
a philosophical problem: Love is not some passive or intransitive emotional
feeling - it is an action and it always has an object. To say "I love"
is meaningless - What do I love? So then, how can Love be a quality of
God? The Bible teaches that God is three persons, Father, Son and Spirit,
yet one God. God is Love and He has always been Love, even before He created
us and loved us, because there was always Love between the Father and the
Spirit and the Son. This is why God is Love and why Love comes from God.
Therefore, since we are slowly being moulded into Christ's likeness and
growing up into mature children of God, it is only natural that we reflect
God's character and qualities - including Love. "If anyone says, ''I
love God," yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does
not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not
seen." - 1 John 4:20.
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