Perfected in Love
Reflection on 1 John 4:7-12
“Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.”
This passage reveals the profound truth of God’s nature and the transformative power of His love. “God is love” is the cornerstone of this scripture. It reminds us that love is not merely an attribute of God—it is His essence.
John calls believers to reflect God’s love by loving one another. To love others is both evidence of our relationship with God and a response to His love for us. As John writes, “Whoever does not love does not know God.” Love, therefore, is the distinguishing mark of a true follower of Christ.
The ultimate demonstration of God’s love is the sending of His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. This sacrificial love defines true love—not based on human merit but flowing from God’s grace. It is not that we loved God first, but that He loved us, choosing to redeem us through Christ.
1 John 4:12 challenges us to embrace the truth that God reveals Himself through our love. When we choose to love, God dwells in us, and His love is made perfect. Henri Nouwen’s words resonate:
“In the end, love is not just a word or an action—it is the very face of God revealed in the lives of His children.”
Let us, then, love others selflessly, reflecting the God who loved us first and lives in us. Through this, His love is perfected in us and shines brightly to those around us.
Prayer
Gracious Father, thank You for showing us the depths of Your love through Jesus Christ. Help us to love others as You have loved us—selflessly, sacrificially, and wholeheartedly. May Your love dwell in us, transforming us into faithful reflections of Your heart. Teach us to embody Your love so that others may see You in us and glorify Your name. Amen.
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