1 John 4:16
So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.
Tag: God Defines Love
We live in a twisted world. We live a world that has twisted the meaning, source and expression of love in such a way, love is used to abuse more than protect or create positive feelings. We tend to want to define God as a loving God. But, in reality, according to this verse, He IS love. This is not a simple attribute He possesses. Love is God’s very being. Note the commentary of John MarArthur on 1 John. He captures this beautifully:
MacArthur:
“God by nature is love, and therefore He defines love; it does not define Him. People constantly impose on God a human view of love, but He transcends any such human limitations. That God is love explains a number of things in the biblical worldview. First, it explains the reason He created. In eternity past, within the perfect fellowship of the Trinity, God the Father purposed, as a love gift to His Son, to redeem a people who would honor and glorify the Son (cf. John 6:39; 17:9-15). Thus, though God existed in perfect Trinitarian solitude, He created a race of beings out of which He would love and redeem those who would in turn love Him forever.
Second, the truth that God is love explains human choice. He designed sinners to know and love Him by an act of their wills (cf. John 7:17-18), though not apart from the work of His Spirit (cf. John 1:12-13; Eph. 2:5; Titus 3:5). God’s greatest commandment is that people love Him with all their heart, soul, mind, and strength (Mark 12:29-30).
Third, the reality that God is love also explains His providence. He orchestrates all the circumstances of life, in all their wonder, beauty, and even difficulty, to reveal many evidences of His love (Pss. 36:6; 145:9; Rom. 8:28).
Fourth, that He is love explains the divine plan of redemption. If God operated only on the basis of His law, He would convict people of their sin, and justly consign everyone to spend forever in hell (cf. Ps. 130:3). But His love provided a remedy for sin through the atoning work of Jesus Christ (Matt. 1:21; Gal. 4:4-5) on behalf of all who repent of their sin and trust in His mercy (John 3:14-15). In the most well-known statement of His earthly ministry, Jesus said, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life” (John 3:16; cf. 2 Cor. 5:19-20; 1 Tim. 4:10; Titus 3:4-5).”
We might be able to add a fifth insight that will encourage us a bit more, which captures the message in this verse: God’s love is abiding. Note again what the verse says:
1 John 4:16
So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.
This “abiding” will give those “in” Christ the “assurance” we need to live this life. John is writing to a group of people under much stress from the world. The world’s love is fleeting. It is “performance” based. Yet, God’s live is “abiding”. It rests on us and in us through the Spirit of God. We can have great assurance when we confess that Jesus is the Christ and our Savior. His love abides in us and on us. That should change our world life view.
Notice the next verse John writes:
1 John 4:17
By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because as he is so also are we in this world.
We can have confidence in regard to God’s Judgment because His Love abides on us.
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