1 John 4:8, 16 - GOD IS LOVE.
1 John 4:8b, 16b (KJV, NKJV, NASB, NRSV,
NIV, ESV, HCSB, NLT) God is love.
INTRODUCTION
The greatest truth in all of Scripture is
this: God is love. [Experiencing God Day by Day by
Henry and Richard Blackaby.]
Love, in this passage, is absolutely not
human. The human heart is a complete stranger to
the kind of love described here. The definition
for God's agape love can be found in John 3:16,
it is self-sacrificial in nature; in I
Corinthians 13, agape love is patient, kind, not
jealous, doesn't brag, isn't arrogant, doesn't act
unbecomingly, doesn't seek its own, isn't provoked,
doesn't take into account a wrong suffered, doesn't
rejoice in unrighteousness but in truth, bears all
things, believes all things, hopes all things,
endures all things and never, never fails. And last,
agape love has Almighty God as its source. Love
is not God, God is love. We cannot exercise
this love without a personal relationship with
Jesus Christ. If you don't see it in your life,
ask God for it today and be prepared for a
radical change in your life. [In His Time; Walk With
Wisdom]
Everyone believes that love is important,
but love is usually thought of as a feeling. In
reality, love is a choice and an action, as 1
Corinthians 13:4-7 shows. God is the source of our love:
he loved us enough to sacrifice his Son for us.
Jesus is our example of what it means to love;
everything he did in life and death was supremely
loving. The Holy Spirit gives us the power to love;
he lives in our hearts and makes us more and
more like Christ. God's love always involves a
choice and an action, and our love should be like
his. How well do you display your love for God in
the choices you make and the actions you take?
[Life Application SB]
John says, "God is love," not "Love is God."
Our world, with its shallow and selfish view of
love, has turned these words around and
contaminated our understanding of love. The world thinks
that love is what makes a person feel good and
that it is all right to sacrifice moral
principles and others' rights in order to obtain such
"love." But that isn't real love; it is the exact
opposite - selfishness. And God is not that kind of
"love." Real love is like God, who is holy, just,
and perfect. If we truly know God, we will love
as he does. [Life Application SB]
COMMENTARY PEARLS
Mr. Happy Man
Its 6:00 a.m. in Hamilton, Bermuda.
Ninety-two-year-old Johnny Barnes stands on the edge of a
roundabout and waves at people as they drive past. He's
been here since before 4:00 a.m. He'll be here
until 10:00 a.m. He's not asking for money. He's
making people happy. He pulls back his right hand
to retrieve a kiss and blow it in the direction
of a taxi driver or commuter.
"1 love you! he shouts. Hello,
there, darlin'. I love you!"
And they love him! Bermudans call him Mr.
Happy Man. They route their morning commute to see
him. If he happens to miss acknowledging some
commuters, they often circle the roundabout until he
waves at them.
Johnny's philosophy is simple. "We human
beings gotta learn how to love one another. One of
the greatest joys that can come to an individual
is when you're doing something and helping
others.
Wouldn't you love to meet a person like
him? Better still, wouldn't you like to be like
him? [You Can Count On God by Max Lucado]
Because God Loves You
Someone told you that God loves good
people. Wrong. There are no good people.
Someone told you that God loves you if
you love him first. Wrong. He loves people who
have never thought of him.
Someone told you that God is ticked off,
cranky, and vindictive. Wrong. We tend to be ticked
off, cranky, and vindictive. But God?
GOD is sheer mercy and grace;
not easily angered, he's rich in
love.
He doesn't endlessly nag and scold,
nor hold grudges forever.
He doesn't treat us as our sins
deserve, nor pay us back in full for our
wrongs.
As parents feel for their children,
GOD feels for those who fear him.
(Psalm 103:8-13 MSG)
God loves you, and because he does, you
can be assured joy will come. [You Can Count On
God by Max Lucado]
COMMENTARY
God is love. Like rays of light from the
sun, love and light and joy flow out from Him to
all His creatures. It is His nature to give. His
very life is the outflow of unselfish love. We
are to be centers of light and blessing to our
little circle, even as He is to the universe. We
have nothing of ourselves, but the light of His
love shines upon us, and we are to reflect its
brightness. If you are the children of God you are
partakers of His nature, and you cannot but be like
Him. Every child lives by the life of his father.
If you are God's children, begotten by His
Spirit, you live by the life of God. In Christ
dwells "all the fullness of the Godhead bodily"
(Colossians 2:9); and the life of Jesus is made manifest
"in our mortal flesh" (2 Corinthians 4:11). That
life in you will produce the same character and
manifest the same works as it did in Him. {MB 77}
Love is power. Intellectual and moral
strength are involved in this principle, and cannot
be separated from it. The power of wealth has a
tendency to corrupt and destroy; the power of force
is strong to do hurt; but the excellence and
value of pure love consist in its efficiency to do
good, and to do nothing else than good. Whatsoever
is done out of pure love, be it ever so little
or contemptible in the sight of men, is wholly
fruitful; for God regards more with how much love one
worketh than the amount he doeth. Love is of God.
The unconverted heart cannot originate nor
produce this plant of heavenly growth, which lives
and flourishes only where Christ reigns.
Love cannot live without action, and
every act increases, strengthens, and extends it.
Love will gain the victory when argument and
authority are powerless. Love works not for profit nor
reward; yet God has ordained that great gain shall
be the certain result of every labor of love.
It is diffusive in its nature and quiet in its
operation, yet strong and mighty in its purpose to
overcome great evils. It is melting and transforming
in its influence, and will take hold of the
lives of the sinful and affect their hearts when
every other means has proved unsuccessful.....
Jesus was the Prince of Peace. He came into the
world to bring resistance and authority into
subjection to Himself. Wisdom and strength He could
command, but the means He employed with which to
overcome evil were the wisdom and strength of love.
2T135-6
LINKS FOR FURTHER STUDY
1 John 4:8, 16 - GOD IS LOVE.
http://www.abible.com/devotions/2022/20220306-1122.html
http://www.abible.com/devotions/2017/20170419-2035.html
http://www.abible.com/devotions/2018/20180218-1141.html
YOUR COMMENTS
If anyone has a paraphrase, commentary or
testimony on this passage of Scripture, either
personal or otherwise, I would be interested in
hearing from you. Thanks in advance and let's keep
uplifting Jesus that all might be drawn to Him. Fred
Gibbs
LINKS WORTH CHECKING OUT
Most Important Decision in Life:
http://www.youtube.com/embed/WGnEuGwvXqU?rel=0
A Man without Equal by Bill Bright:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NiVa7UoruIo
Steps to Peace by Billy Graham:
https://stepstopeace.org/
Seeking God Made Real:
http://vimeo.com/31489782
Prayer Made Real:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tc8VdMV26VE
LINKS FOR BIBLE STUDIES
Lifting Up Jesus Bible Studies:
http://www.liftingupjesus.net/
Amazing Facts Bible Studies:
http://www.amazingfacts.org/bible-study/bible-study-guides.aspx
Voice of Prophecy Discover Bible Study
Guides:
https://www.voiceofprophecy.com/study/discover
Glow Tract Video Bible Studies:
http://www.bibleresearch.info/
LINKS FOR BIBLE PROPHECY SEMINARS
Unlocking Bible Prophecies by Cami Oetman of
Adventist World Radio: https://www.awr.org/bible
Panorama of Prophecy with Pastor Doug
Batchelor: https://www.panoramaofprophecy.com/
Hope Awakens by John Bradshaw of IIW:
https://itiswritten.tv/programs/hope-awakens
Prophecies Decoded by Pastor Ron Clouzet:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL1A435C5373550657
