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12 “No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us.”

1 John 4:12

Yesterday, we learned that loving as God loved us means showing mercy instead of fighting back.

In verse 12, John makes an interesting comment: “No one has ever seen God. What does he mean? Based on the content of his epistle, it is likely that there were false teachers claiming to have so-called visions of God that enabled them to have superior knowledge. Those false claimants were likely gnostics.

In the Gospel of John, the Apostle writes:

18 “No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father's side, he has made him known.”

John 1:18

John points out that the invisible God is made known to the world through the incarnation of the Lord Jesus.

But in 1 John, God is manifested to the world in a different way: through believers. Since Jesus ascended into heaven, we, the church, were made God’s representatives. When we love one another, His love is perfected in us. It becomes a fulfillment of Jesus’ command to love one another (John 13:35).

God is the source of Christian love. For this reason, this love achieves its greatest purpose when Christians love one another. While God is invisible, our love makes Him visible in the eyes of the world. People will know that God dwells in us when we show sacrificial love for our Christian brothers and sisters.

Countless men and women have changed their minds about God because they saw the concern, respect, and love shared among believers. Since they couldn’t see God, the closest manifestation of His existence is the cordial relationships in the church.

In other words, the presence of God becomes more evident when Christians love one another.

Pursue the Savior today!