1 John 3:11  For this is the message that you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another.

This verse gives the heart of the matter. John gets his message directly from the teachings of Jesus. The word “love” occurs 39 times in the Gospel of John. John is often called the Apostle of Love. Why is it so important that we love one another? Several reasons:

  1. Jesus commanded it for his disciples. It is the primary evidence that a person is a follower of Jesus (John 13:34-35).
  2. It imitates God’s character of love (John 3:16). This is at the essence of the image of God in which all people are created. By allowing God’s love to transform us and showing this love to others, we receive more of God’s image within us. We become who God created us to be.
  3. As a result, we find our greatest fulfillment when we love others as God has loved us. People seek this through philanthropic activities and good will acts of charity. These actions show that love is present. It is sad when non-believers show more love than believers. That means that believers are still too connected to the world of darkness. They are too much into self-preservation and protection.
  4. Love helps us release the hold of the world upon us. The world and the “god of this world,” the devil, seek to deceive us into thinking that love is all about self-pleasure, feelings, and emotions. To experience this type of love, we must constantly be filled with the pleasures this world offers. This is the great lie. These things are destroyed by moths, rust, and thieves (Matthew 6:19-20). Love shows where our treasure is.

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