Made for Love

1 John 4:7-21
7 Dear friends, let us continue to love one another, for love comes from God. Anyone who loves is a child of God and knows God. 8 But anyone who does not love does not know God, for God is love.
9 God showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him. 10 This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.
11 Dear friends, since God loved us that much, we surely ought to love each other. 12 No one has ever seen God. But if we love each other, God lives in us, and his love is brought to full expression in us.
13 And God has given us his Spirit as proof that we live in him and he in us. 14 Furthermore, we have seen with our own eyes and now testify that the Father sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. 15 All who declare that Jesus is the Son of God have God living in them, and they live in God. 16 We know how much God loves us, and we have put our trust in his love.
God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them. 17 And as we live in God, our love grows more perfect. So we will not be afraid on the day of judgment, but we can face him with confidence because we live like Jesus here in this world.
18 Such love has no fear, because perfect love expels all fear. If we are afraid, it is for fear of punishment, and this shows that we have not fully experienced his perfect love. 19 We love each other[b] because he loved us first.
20 If someone says, “I love God,” but hates a fellow believer,[c] that person is a liar; for if we don’t love people we can see, how can we love God, whom we cannot see? 21 And he has given us this command: Those who love God must also love their fellow believers.

“ So God created human beings in his own image. In the image of God he created them;
 male and female he created them.” Genesis 1:26

What were we made for? Why were we created? In short, to live as the image in which we were created.This passage in 1st John is one of the most profound descriptions of that image and what it looks like to live in light of it. John, one of Jesus’ 12 disciples - also known as the disciple whom Jesus loved - was so marked by God’s expression of love in the person of Jesus that He also understood it to be the goal of His identity in Jesus. As He writes in verse 12,
“No one has ever seen God. But if we love each other, God lives in us, and his love is brought to full expression in us. “ This concept of “full expression” is the idea of maturity, or completeness. In other words, love completes us. More specifically, God’s love completes us as His image bearers in the world. We were created to be His vessels of love to the world, and John makes it clear that love for and towards one another is not optional for the Christian. 

Love is the evidence of belonging to God. Our identities as children of God is wrapped up in our ability and desire to love others. Why? Because we are created to be like our father who is the very definition of love. If love is the central part of God’s identity, it must also be the mark of His children. His love for us identifies us as His, so our love for each other must identify us as His.

What does this kind of love look like? 
“9 God showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him. 10 This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.”

God’s love is shown. 
He proved how much He loved us through the sacrificial generosity of sending His Son. His love is not just spoken, it’s shown. Love is not just something we say or that we feel obligated to. It is first and foremost, shown or proved. What is so astounding about God’s love shown towards us is that it did not have a prerequisite. God’s love was shown to us even before we wanted to give to us in return. Real love goes first. His love sets the standard for the love Christians are called to embody. In 1 John chapter 3, John challenges us to not just say we love each other, but to show the truth by our actions. He says our actions will show that we belong to the truth. (1 John 3:18)

God’s love is generously sacrificial.
How do we practice this kind of love? His love shown towards us was generous and it cost Him. It was over and above what we could ask, think, or imagine. How often would we say that love cost us something? We are most like God when we love others sacrificially and generously.

God’s love is who He is and thereby who we are to be.
… God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them. “ The word love here is the word Agape. Agape love is an intelligent, purposeful,  attitude of self-esteem, and devotion; the selfless, purposeful, outgoing attitude that desires to do good to the one loved. To live in love is to live in a constant state of Agape love towards others. In other words, our desire must be for the good and benefit of the ones we are called to love, which is each other. 

God’s love is not optional
21 And he has given us this command: Those who love God must also love their fellow believers.
This command is a riff from the very words of Jesus at the last supper just moments after He served the disciples by washing their feet.  “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.  By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” (John 13:34-35). At the end of the day, for those who say they say they love God must and will love others. It’s an intentional decision to show, give sacrificially, and distribute God’s love towards others. If we have truly been transformed by the Gospel at our core we will love others with the same extraordinary love God has loved us.

God’s love seeks the highest benefit of humanity. That highest benefit was and is Christ. 
He saw our need and filled it. His love through Christ transformed us into vessels of His love to the world. 

Today, ask someone what their greatest need is right now? Then do your best to fill it. If it isn’t something physical, pray with them and ask God together to meet that need.

Spend time today thanking God for loving you even though you didn’t deserve or ask Him too. Then ask Him to reveal to you where His love could be communicated to others in your life today.