What does loving the Father imply about loving His children, according to 1 John 5:1? \Verse at a Glance\ “Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves the Father loves the child born of Him.” (1 John 5:1) \Key Insights from 1 John 5:1\ • New birth and belief in Christ link us into God’s family. • Loving the Father automatically extends to loving every believer, because each fellow Christian is “the child born of Him.” • John assumes no gap between vertical love for God and horizontal love for His children; they rise or fall together. \What Loving the Father Implies\ 1. Family Affection – God is not only Father to you but to every true believer. – Honor for the Father means affection for His household. 2. Visible Proof of Spiritual Birth – Our love for fellow believers validates that we are genuinely “born of God” (cf. 1 John 3:14). 3. Shared Identity in Christ – Every child of God carries the family likeness; loving them shows we recognize God’s work in them (cf. Galatians 3:26–28). 4. Unity Guarded by Love – Love maintains family unity and testifies to the world that Jesus truly saves (cf. John 13:34–35). \Supporting Scriptures\ • 1 John 4:20–21 — “If anyone says, ‘I love God,’ yet hates his brother, he is a liar…” • John 15:12 — “My command is this: Love one another as I have loved you.” • 1 John 3:23 — “…that we should believe in the name of His Son, Jesus Christ, and love one another…” • Romans 12:10 — “Be devoted to one another in brotherly love…” \Practical Checkpoints\ • Attitude Audit: Does irritation or indifference toward believers linger unchecked? • Active Care: Look for tangible ways to serve a fellow Christian today—time, encouragement, material help. • Forgiveness Flow: Grievances in the family hinder fellowship with the Father; release them quickly (Colossians 3:13). • Prayer Priority: Regularly lift up other believers by name, aligning your heart with God’s heart for them. \The Takeaway\ Love for God is inseparable from love for His children. Cherishing the Father means cherishing every son and daughter He has brought into the family through faith in Christ. |
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