What is the meaning of 2 John 1:6? And this is love Love is not left to human imagination; God spells it out. “We love because He first loved us” (1 John 4:19). • 1 John 4:10 shows that real love is sacrificial, demonstrated when “He sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.” • John 3:16 reminds us that God’s love acts: “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son.” • Romans 5:8 underscores that love is proven “while we were still sinners.” John’s opening phrase, then, anchors love in God’s own character and actions, not in fleeting emotion. that we walk according to His commandments Love is measured by a lifestyle of obedience. Jesus said, “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments” (John 14:15). • Obedience and love are inseparable (1 John 5:3). • The two greatest commandments—love God and love neighbor—cover every moral demand (Matthew 22:37-40). • Walking suggests steady, habitual movement, not sporadic bursts; it pictures daily choices that align with God’s revealed will. This is the very commandment you have heard from the beginning John is not introducing a novelty; he is repeating what believers first heard when they received the gospel. • 1 John 2:7 calls it “an old commandment which you have had from the beginning.” • Jesus’ own words in John 13:34—“A new commandment I give you: Love one another”—were the starting point of Christian ethics. • By pointing back, John guards against any claim that truth evolves with culture; God’s moral standard remains constant. that you must walk in love The command lands personally: “you must.” It is not optional. • Ephesians 5:2 urges, “Walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us.” • Practical outworking appears in 1 Corinthians 13:4-7: patience, kindness, truth-rejoicing, endurance. • Galatians 5:22-23 shows that love tops the fruit of the Spirit, proof that the indwelling Spirit empowers this walk. summary 2 John 1:6 ties love, obedience, and lifelong practice into one seamless reality. Genuine love flows from God’s example, expresses itself through obedient living, rests on truth that has never changed, and shows up in daily choices that mirror Christ’s sacrificial heart. Walking in love is therefore the clearest evidence that we belong to Him. |
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