What is the meaning of 1 John 4:10? And love consists in this • Scripture doesn’t leave love to our imagination; it defines it. • True love is measured not by emotion but by a concrete act of God’s will (1 John 3:16: “By this we know what love is: Jesus laid down His life for us”). • God’s definition stands in contrast to human ideas of love that fluctuate with feelings (John 15:13). • Love, therefore, is anchored in an objective reality—God’s redemptive plan—not in our subjective experience. not that we loved God • The verse first eliminates any thought that love originates with us. • Humanity, left to itself, is spiritually dead and hostile toward God (Romans 3:10-12; Ephesians 2:1-3). • Our hearts did not naturally reach upward in affection; we were “without hope and without God in the world” (Ephesians 2:12). • Recognizing this humbling truth magnifies the grace that follows. but that He loved us • Love begins in the heart of God, unprompted by anything worthy in us (Romans 5:8: “But God proves His love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us”). • God’s love is active, purposeful, and self-initiated (Titus 3:4-5). • Knowing we contributed nothing fosters gratitude and humility, freeing us from performance-based spirituality. and sent His Son • Divine love moves toward us: “God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son” (John 3:16). • The Father’s sending of the Son is a historical act—incarnation, life, death, and resurrection (Galatians 4:4-5). • God’s love is not abstract; it enters time and space in the person of Jesus (1 John 4:9). as the atoning sacrifice for our sins • Jesus became the “atoning sacrifice” (propitiation), satisfying God’s righteous wrath and removing guilt (Romans 3:25; Hebrews 2:17). • Our sins demanded judgment; Christ bore that judgment in our place (Isaiah 53:5-6; 2 Corinthians 5:21). • This sacrifice is complete and final—nothing needs to be added (1 Peter 2:24). • God’s love is therefore just as much about holiness as it is about tenderness; the cross upholds both. summary 1 John 4:10 reveals the very heart of the gospel: love is defined by God’s decisive action, not by our effort. We did not climb to Him; He came to us. The Father’s love is demonstrated through sending His Son, whose atoning death fully satisfies divine justice and secures our forgiveness. All genuine Christian love flows out of receiving this unearned, sacrificial love first. |
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