“LOVING OTHERS WITH THE LOVE OF GOD”

11 “Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.”

1 John 4:11

A very popular Christian jargon is “I love you with the love of the Lord.” But when we say this expression, do we actually mean it? Well, what does it mean, anyway?

In our previous blog, we said that God’s love is a key motivation for Christian love. Today’s verse mirrors the same message.

John once again addresses his readers as “beloved,” which is translated from the Greek term “agapetos.” It is the same as saying “fellow Christians.” This word is applied to believers who are being reconciled to God and are gifted with eternal life.

John refers back to his statement in his Gospel: “If God so loved us.” This phrase refers to God’s self-sacrificing love that ultimately sent Jesus to the Cross to rectify our sin problem. He then urges his readers to love one another.

Using God’s love as the model for Christian love, he means that Christians’ love for one another should be unselfish and sacrificial. If Jesus took our shame and guilt and offered His life as payment for our sins, we should be willing to set aside our comfort and privileges for the sake of others.

From a practical standpoint, loving as God loved us means showing mercy instead of fighting back. It means choosing to be gracious even when we’re slandered or maligned.

The Apostle Peter gives the same command, but with a different tone:

9 “Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless, for to this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing.”

1 Peter 3:9

Christian love goes beyond the normal human response to evil. Instead of giving what our critics deserve, we bless them and pray for their ultimate good. This choice, according to Peter, is why we were called. This is perhaps the best way to be the salt and light of the world.

Do you love others with the love of the Lord?

Pursue the Savior today!