1 John 4:17-21

The theme of love is among the most basic themes of the Bible. 1 John 4 stands right at the heart of this theme and does so magnificently. First, let's back up to the gospel:

John 13:34: A new commandment I give to you that you love each other as I have loved you! That's potent. AS I HAVE LOVED YOU! Catch that! The love he commands is not squishy feel-good kind of stuff. It's so strong that tough love is for sissies in comparison. He loved us and gave Himself for us. Now he commands us to love each other the same way, a self giving, self-denying love. Whatever it takes. We'll see the echo in 1 John in a minute.

Another digression: Christian love is God's kind of love, rooted in His character. He loves us because He IS love. His very nature is to love. The two verses we first teach children are God is love and Be Ye Kind. Very close to the two great commandments to love God and love each other.

The verses are very easy to understand, but they are very difficult to carry out. Consider the rough verse 8: The one who does not love does not love God, because God is love.
Wow! We do not have a choice. If the Spirit of the Lord dwells in us, we absolutely, no excuses MUST love others, all others. Love has nothing to do with whether the one loved deserves it. Verse 10 says Love consists in this: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son... That's what I'm talking about. Love is giving. Love is acting. Love is not doing. Christian love has nothing to do with how you feel about someone or whether they deserve you love. You and I don't deserve God's love, so it's a great thing that's part of His character. But that's the hard part for us.

LOVE HAS TO DO WITH GOD'S CHARACTER – AND OURS! We are to love as He loved us even when we were still sinners and alienated from Him. We are to love others because of WHO WE ARE, not who they are.

Finally, look at verse 20: If anyone says he loves God and hates his brother, he is a liar.
Do you believe Scripture is inspired? We get lost in arguments about creation an the flood. Yes, I believe in those, and I hope you do. But this command is as important as the 10 Commandments – yea, even more important! So if you believe, obey!

Finally, John reiterates the command to those who love God that they must also love their brother. If you ask who is my brother, you miss the point. Go read the parable of the Good Samaritan.