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Tag: I John

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I was having a conversation with my husband the other day, and I said, “The opposite of love isn’t hate; it is the absence of love. It is indifference.” He pondered that for a moment, and then did what every good techie does: he googled it. It turns out that, even though I was processing that thought for the first time, others had said it before, most famously holocaust survivor and Nobel Peace Prize winner, Elie Wiesel.

So, how do we know whether we are truly being loving or not? It’s not about feelings; it’s about conscious decisions. It is a choice. I John 5:2-4 tells us that we know we are loving others when we love God and keep His commandments. His commandments as summarized by Jesus are to love God and love others. (Matthew 22:37-40) Jesus also said that obeying his commandments is a natural progression of love for Him. (John 14:15) Later in the Gospel of John we read that if we obey Christ’s commandments, we will remain in Him just as He has obeyed His Father’s commandments and remains in His Father. (John 15:10) One assists the other: If we love God we will obey His commandments, and if we obey His commandments His love will remain in us.

These days, we use the term “love” quite loosely. I love chocolate. I love blue skies. I love my husband. These are examples that represent emotions and expressions of enjoyment. The kind of love discussed in these verses is unconditional, from the Greek word agape. A good summary of what that means and how it can be demonstrated practically is found in The Love Chapter (I Corinthians 13, particularly I Corinthians 13:4-7 ), but in general it means that we choose to love. Our love is not based on what we can get out of it, or even what we can give (and then feel good about). It is about loving others because God commands it, whether we particularly like them or not. That is something that is not easily done even if we really want to. It is only possible if we let the love of our Heavenly Father flow through us.

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In my last post (October 5, 2011) I discussed the dangers listed in Psalm 91, and the fact that God will protect us from those things. I suggested various ways to interpret what that protection really means. Perhaps today’s verse can help to provide the answer.

I John 4:18 tells us that perfect love casts out fear. We may be faced with all the arrows and hardships described in Psalm 91, we many even be faced with death, but if we have the perfect love of God in us, we need not fear. If we have accepted His gift of salvation, then we can have the confidence that nothing in this world can overcome us, for nothing can separate us from God’s perfect love. (Romans 8:35-39) If we focus on eternity, the hardships that we go through on this earth will not hold the same significance. Yes, we will still have trials and troubles, the Bible warns us of this (John 16:33), but they are only temporary.

We are told in I John 4:18 that fear has to do with punishment. If we have accepted Christ’s sacrifice on our behalf, then there will be no eternal punishment for us. We have already been forgiven and redeemed. Romans 8:1 tells us that there is therefore—because He paid the price—now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. If we are in Christ, we are joint heirs with Him, (Romans 8:17) and we have a blessed eternity to look forward to. And while we are on this earth, we are still in God’s love, and we have the Holy Spirit to guide us. Yes, there will be times of concern, but He is right there going through each trial with us. He understands every single thing that we must face. (Hebrews 4:14-15) And when the time comes, we will reach glory with the price for our sins already paid in full by our Saviour. There is absolutely no reason to fear.

Published on

I was having a conversation with my husband the other day, and I said, “The opposite of love isn’t hate; it is the absence of love. It is indifference.” He pondered that for a moment, and then did what every good techie does: he googled it. It turns out that, even though I was processing that thought for the first time, others had said it before, most famously holocaust survivor and Nobel Peace Prize winner, Elie Wiesel.

So, how do we know whether we are truly being loving or not? It’s not about feelings; it’s about conscious decisions. It is a choice. I John 5:2-4 tells us that we know we are loving others when we love God and keep His commandments. His commandments as summarized by Jesus are to love God and love others. (Matthew 22:37-40) Jesus also said that obeying his commandments is a natural progression of love for Him. (John 14:15) Later in the Gospel of John we read that if we obey Christ’s commandments, we will remain in Him just as He has obeyed His Father’s commandments and remains in His Father. (John 15:10) One assists the other: If we love God we will obey His commandments, and if we obey His commandments His love will remain in us.

These days, we use the term “love” quite loosely. I love chocolate. I love blue skies. I love my husband. These are examples that represent emotions and expressions of enjoyment. The kind of love discussed in these verses is unconditional, from the Greek word agape. A good summary of what that means and how it can be demonstrated practically is found in The Love Chapter (I Corinthians 13, particularly I Corinthians 13:4-7 ), but in general it means that we choose to love. Our love is not based on what we can get out of it, or even what we can give (and then feel good about). It is about loving others because God commands it, whether we particularly like them or not. That is something that is not easily done even if we really want to. It is only possible if we let the love of our Heavenly Father flow through us.