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The theme of our discourse is the unending and divine nature of God's love. This profound truth is encapsulated in the song's lyrics, based on 1 John 4:10-11, which assert: "In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another." Let us look at what the Word of God says.
This passage arises from the First Epistle of John, written by the Apostle John. John, known as the apostle of love, composed this letter to a community of believers facing false teachings about who Jesus was and what it means to live a life in Christ. These verses are nestled in a discourse aimed at revealing the very essence of God's character: that God is, indeed, love. Observing the elder's perspective, we witness a church that needed to understand love not as a feeling, but as an actionable nature stemming from the Divine.
In John's day, the congregation wrestled with Gnosticism, which distorted the truth about Christ's nature and His role as our Savior. John sought to correct these errors by grounding his readers in the sacrificial and living love of God, a love not abstract but manifest in the mission and work of Jesus Christ. John emphasizes that this love is initiated by God, independent of human action. Hence, the call is for believers to embody this love, rejecting the counterfeit doctrines of the time.
To grasp the depth of John's message, we examine two Greek words crucial to our understanding: *agape* and *hilasmos*.
Agape (ἀγάπη): The Greek term for love here isn't merely affection or familiarity, but a profound, self-giving love that seeks the highest good of the other. *Agape* is unconditional and sacrificial. This word reflects the very nature of God, as elucidated by John when he writes, "God is love" (1 John 4:8), meaning in God's nature, He continuously and actively embodies love.
Hilasmos (ἱλασμός): This is the term translated as "propitiation" or "atoning sacrifice." It denotes a sacrificial act that turns away wrath and makes amends for sins. In the context of the passage, it refers to Christ's death on the cross, which is the ultimate expression of God's love, making forgiveness and reconciliation with God possible for humanity.
Understanding these terms expands our awareness that love, according to God's standard, is inherently sacrificial and redemptive, not contingent on the merit of its recipients.
### The Nature of Divine Love
The opening declaration, "This is love: not that we loved God, but that He loved us," emphasizes God as the initiator of love. Romans 5:8 affirms, "But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." This love is preemptive and self-sacrificing, akin to a shepherd who lays down his life for the sheep, as Jesus describes in John 10:11.
### Revelation of God's Love
Repeatedly, the lyrics proclaim, "God is love. In this love was revealed among us: He sent His one and only Son." This revelation is central to Christian theology. In John 3:16, we see the essence of this revelation: God's love propelled Him to send His Son into a world that was devoid of life, that through Christ, we might attain life and sonship. The incarnation is the manifestation of God’s agape—a love that becomes flesh and dwells among us (John 1:14).
### The Call to Love One Another
"Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another" directly links divine love to human responsibility. Jesus Himself commanded in John 13:34, "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another." Our love for each other, therefore, is not simply an ethical duty, but an outworking of divine nature implanted within us.
### Living Through Him
The repetition underscores the life found "through Him." In John 15:5, Jesus explicates, "Apart from me, you can do nothing." Our spiritual vitality and ability to love sacrificially stems from our union with Christ. Galatians 2:20 captures this reality: "I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me."
1. Meditate on God's Love: Regularly remind yourself that God’s love is not based on your performance or merit but is freely given. Reflect on Romans 8:38-39, understanding that nothing can separate you from His love.
2. Receive His Love Prayerfully: In times of prayer, ask the Holy Spirit to fill your heart with God's agape love. Ephesians 3:17-19 encourages us to be rooted and grounded in love, comprehending its breadth, length, height, and depth.
3. Abide in Christ: Live connected to Jesus through the Word and prayer. Allow His life to flow through you, enabling you to love others authentically. Reflect on John 15:4, "Abide in me, and I in you."
4. Love One Another Actively: Love is completed in action. Identify practical ways to demonstrate love to those around you, bearing in mind 1 John 3:18, “let us not love with words or speech, but with actions and in truth.”
Proclamation: Father, we declare that You are love. We receive Your unconditional love bestowed upon us through Your Son, the atoning sacrifice for our sins. We choose to remain in this love and to love others as You have loved us.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for Your boundless love that sent Jesus to redeem us. Fill us with the knowledge and fullness of Your love, that we might pour it out on others. Let our lives be a testament to Your nature, transforming us to love sacrificially, as Christ loved us. In Jesus' mighty name, Amen.
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