How does 1 John 4:11 encourage us to love others sacrificially today? Beloved, Loved to Love “Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.” – 1 John 4:11 The Foundation of Our Calling • God’s love was demonstrated in history, and therefore stands as an objective, unchanging reality (Romans 5:8). • Because that love is real and measurable at Calvary, John presents an unarguable “ought.” Our obligation grows straight out of God’s prior action (1 John 4:19). • The verb “ought” speaks of moral debt; we owe others what we have freely received. Sacrificial Love Defined by Scripture • Self-emptying: “Christ Jesus… emptied Himself, taking the form of a servant” (Philippians 2:5-7). • Costly: “Walk in love, just as Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us” (Ephesians 5:2). • Active, not theoretical: “Let us love not in word and speech, but in action and truth” (1 John 3:18). • Persistent: Love “bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things” (1 Corinthians 13:7). What This Looks Like Today • Time investment: rearranging schedules to serve someone in need, even when inconvenient. • Generous giving: sharing resources until personal comfort is affected (2 Corinthians 8:1-4). • Hospitable living: opening homes and hearts without expecting repayment (Hebrews 13:1-2). • Forgiveness that absorbs the cost: “Forgiving each other just as in Christ God forgave you” (Ephesians 4:32). • Truth-telling in love: confronting sin for another’s good, shouldering the relational risk (Galatians 6:1-2). • Quiet, unseen service: choosing tasks no one notices, trusting the Father who sees in secret (Matthew 6:4). How We Find the Strength • Abiding: “If we love one another, God remains in us and His love is perfected in us” (1 John 4:12). Ongoing communion releases ongoing power. • Spirit-empowered: “By this we know that we remain in Him and He in us: He has given us of His Spirit” (1 John 4:13). The command is never separated from the enabling. • Eternal perspective: sacrificial love lays up imperishable treasure (Matthew 6:19-20). The Witness of Sacrificial Love • Credibility before a watching world: “By this everyone will know that you are My disciples, if you love one another” (John 13:35). • Assurance within the church: love confirms that we have passed from death to life (1 John 3:14). • Glory to God: visible, costly care puts the gospel on display (Matthew 5:16). Living Loved, Loving Well Receiving God’s concrete, historic love in Christ equips and obligates believers to offer concrete, historic love to others right now. Every act that mirrors Calvary—however small—joins heaven’s declaration: “God so loved us.” |
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