1 John 4:19 Let us love, because he first loved us.
ἡμεῖς ἀγαπῶμεν, ὅτι αὐτὸς πρῶτος ἠγάπησεν ἡμᾶς.
Our motive and source for loving is God’s love towards us. First, God’s love provides the ability for us to love. Only when we open ourselves to God will we experience God’s love. God loves all people but not all people receive this love. God’s love is not coercive or imposing but inviting. We have a choice to accept God’s love and to allow it to enter our lives. Faith is the open door to receiving God’s love. John 3:16 has several key points to it that help us with this idea: “God so loved . . . whoever believes has eternal life.” God’s love leads to life everlasting for those who will receive it, trust it, and respond to it. Any human love detached from God’s love will be conditioned by earthly concerns. This type of love can be good and helpful to humanity, since it is a partial reflection of God’s love, but it cannot lead to eternal life. Only receiving God’s love shown through the Son will bring eternal life.
Second, God’s love provides us the motive to love others. We owe a debt of gratitude to God for being given physical and eternal life. Paul the Apostle wrote in 2 Corinthians 5:13 that Christ’s love compels or motivates him. Life has many hardships and trials, especially if we walk in the light since the darkness hates and rejects the light. Because we have allowed God’s love into our hearts, we are no longer motivated by our own ideas, attitudes, emotions or agendas, but we are motivated by the cross. God’s love provides the source, power, and reason for why we love others.
For older posts, click here.