I John 4:7  Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God.
8  He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.
9  In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him.
10  Herein 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 ought also to love one another.
12  No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us.

As we have noted before, God is concerned that His children demonstrate the love of God in their hearts and lives. In this chapter, John was directed to begin by addressing the saints as “beloved”. God has a special relationship with His children. He loved all people but those who turn to Him and are saved enter into a special relationship with Him. That special relationship provides changes in the recipient’s life. A true saint cannot be steeped in sin. He cannot live in bondage to sin. That is contrary to the new nature that God has given him.
As we read and study the Bible, we see that God addresses sin. He calls it what it is. In our study of the book of Ezekiel, God used some clear, descriptive words to remind Ezekiel of the challenges he would face in being God’s prophet to the nation of Israel at that time. He was not the only one, but he was given a specific task and it would not be a welcome task. God loved Israel then and He still loves them now. He demonstrates that love by speaking the truth and providing real answers to man’s needs. That love is not just for the Jews but for all people.
I watched part of a documentary on a “homeless encampment” in Canada. There are so many of them now in our country. The government has no answers for these illegal situations. They want to throw money and drugs at these people. They want to stop the proclamation of the Gospel to these people and others. Those who live in those places need to be saved. Too often they have been indoctrinated in homes and schools that are void of truth. Even if a home is seeking to honour God, it is essential for parents to guard their children’s exposure to the world. Children lack discernment. Some are more influenced by peer pressure than others. A good church is important. A good church will be motivated by the love of God. It will be a place where the truth is proclaimed and where God’s love is evident.
John wrote that every one that loveth is born of God and knoweth God. Thus we are reminded once again that saved people are created in Christ Jesus to do good works. God expects His children to behave according to what He has made them in salvation.
In verse 8 we are reminded that those who do not demonstrate true love for one another prove they do not know God. The apostle Paul was told to address the fighting that was taking place among the church members in the church in Corinth. They were saved, but they were not behaving like saved people. God told them they needed to change according to who they were in Christ. Carnality can happen, but it is not acceptable to God. The fact is that God is love and those who are saved have the nature of God in them.
In verse 9 we are reminded that God manifested His love toward us by sending His only begotten Son into the world. That is a picture of true love. True love is the love that causes a person to care enough about the other person to want God’s best for the person.
That is what God did for mankind. He wants people to be forgiven and saved. He sent His Son, Jesus Christ to come and lay down His life for man when man was not looking for salvation. Jesus Christ shed His blood on that cross so that we can be saved. No one is seeking for God’s salvation on their own. The Holy Spirit, Who is the third person of the Godhead, works in the hearts of all lost people to seek to draw them to God. God wants all to know His peace. Those who are saved have the love of God in them and they also want others to know the peace of God in their hearts. There is true joy among God’s people because they can develop relationships that are pleasing to God and to one another. God changes the way a person thinks when he is saved.
We are reminded in verse 10 that love is of God. We do not love God on our own. Again we are reminded that love involves more than just emotions. It emanates from the heart of the saved person. As we see in our text, God is love. That is His nature. Everything that God does is an expression of His love for man. Even in His judgment He is demonstrating true love. Love remains true. When God warns of punishment for sin, He does not go back on His Word. God does not lie. He is honest and true. The same is true regarding the blessings of God. God does not skimp on His blessings. He loves to bless His children.
In verse 10 we see that big word “propitiation”. He satisfied His Father’s demand for the removal of sin. God required the shed blood of a perfect man to be able to forgive the sins of man. Only Jesus Christ is without sin. Only Jesus Christ can forgive our sin.
In verse 11 we are further reminded that because God loves us, we ought also to love one another. It is a requirement of a true child of God. It is part of who we are once we are saved. It is impossible to be a saved person and not reflect the image of our God and Saviour. God does have requirements for His children. He provides the means to meet those requirements. Those requirements are not grievous to the true child of God. The true child of God does not begrudgingly obey God. The love of God is in his heart and that is what motivates the true child of God to act in love toward others.
In verse 12 we are reminded that no man has seen God at any time. We, those who are saved, express the love of God because we are saved. Sadly, at times born again Christians give a very poor picture of God’s love. Jesus addressed this sin in the church of Ephesus in Revelation 2. When a child of God leaves that first love, everything else falls apart. We notice there and elsewhere in the Bible that God is not content to leave His children in the depraved state. The true child of God needs to get out of that slump and back into that right relationship with his loving heavenly Father. He can do this if he is truly saved.
God spent much time here reminding true saints that we must demonstrate that love of God in our hearts. It is who we must be if we are saved. We can be that. God provides the means for His children to grow and glorify Him.
Pastor Bartel