A God of Love
"7 Beloved, I am writing you no new commandment, but an old commandment that you had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word that you have heard. 8 At the same time, it is a new commandment that I am writing to you, which is true in him and in you, because the darkness is passing away and the true light is already shining." 1 John 2:7-8
Yesterday we discussed the importance of obeying God’s commandments as revealed to us in Jesus Christ Himself, in order to really know who God is. In verses 7-11 John sheds light on one of the most significant ways we can show obedience to God. In these verses he brings up one of the most important commandments to follow as a Christian who desires to follow and know God’s desires! What is the commandment?
It is a commandment of love. Love is deeply rooted in all of God’s commandments that He taught us through Jesus. In fact, Jesus Himself performed the greatest act of love that ever happened: He sacrificed Himself by dying on the cross so that we could spend eternity with Him! We cannot even begin to know what love is if we don’t understand how well Jesus loves us!
And because as Christians, we do understand that Jesus loves us, He Himself told His disciples in John 13:34, “Just as I have loved you, are also are to love one another.” John is reminding us that with the same sacrificial love with which Jesus loved us, we should love other believers!
In the old times, without Jesus’ examples, people weren’t able to love one another in this kind of way. But now, as that darkness is leaving, the light that was introduced by Christ is showing brighter and brighter as Christians begin to deeply love each other. What a merciful God whose greatest commands are to love Him and to love our brothers and sisters in Christ! What a merciful God whose entire rule system centers around love itself!
Questions for reflection and discussion
1. How do you think love and obedience work together?
2. How can you show love to your brothers and sisters?
Dear God, we thank You for being a God of love. We thank You that everything You do and everything You direct us to do centers around love. We pray that You would help us to love others just as You have loved us. Amen.
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