1 John 4:1-12, 18-19 (NASB)
let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God
and knows God. 8 The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love. 9 By this the
love of God was manifested in us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world so that
we might live through Him. 10 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. 11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one
another. 12 No one has seen God at any time; if we love one another, God abides in us, and His love
is perfected in us. (…) 18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear
involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love. 19 We love, because He first
loved us.
7 Beloved,
1 John 4:1-12, 18-19 (MSG)
beloved friends, let us continue to love each other since love comes from God. Everyone
who loves is born of God and experiences a relationship with God. The person who refuses to love
doesn't know the first thing about God, because God is love—so you can't know him if you don't
love. This is how God showed his love for us: God sent his only Son into the world so we might live
through him. This is the kind of love we are talking about—not that we once upon a time loved God,
but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to clear away our sins and the damage they've
done to our relationship with God. 11-12My dear, dear friends, if God loved us like this, we certainly
ought to love each other. No one has seen God, ever. But if we love one another, God dwells deeply
within us, and his love becomes complete in us—perfect love! (…) 18There is no room in love
for fear. Well-formed love banishes fear. Since fear is crippling, a fearful life—fear of death, fear of
judgment—is one not yet fully formed in love. 19We, though, are going to love—love and be loved.
First we were loved, now we love. He loved us first.
7-10My
What kind of Love?
1. v. 9: God loved us so much that he sent his only Son into the world so we might live through him.
a) God loved us enough to take the form of a human being and live among us.
b) God loved us while we were still undeserving.
2. v. 19: We love because God first loved us.
a) We learn to love by being loved.
b) The more we love God, the more capable we become of loving ourselves and
others.
3. Love and fear are incompatible.
a) v. 18a: Perfect love casts out fear. Likewise, fear casts out love.
b) There is nothing we can do to make God love us more. And there is nothing we
can do to make God love us less.
God’s greatest gift to humanity was Jesus, love incarnate. He arrived on earth as a baby, whose
birthday we celebrate at Christmas. There is no gift that has the power to change who you are, into
a better version of you, than God’s love. ◊