Beloved, let us love one another, because love is of God; everyone who loves is begotten by God and knows God. 1 John 4:7 NABRE
John is providing an extended mediation on what love is, where it originates and how it is best to be expressed. John is the Apostle of love and makes clear that love originates in God, God is love, God has demonstrated love through the gift of His Son who dies out of love. John wants us to understand that love is essential, particularly love for one another, which comes from God’s prior love. John opens this verse with the message we must love one another. This mutual love is a primary message of John. To show love for God, who loves us first, we must love those whom God loves. John’s primary message to the Christian community is to love. John makes it specific when he says, “love is of God;” Love’s origin is God, the source of love is in God Himself. John continues the verse by saying “everyone who loves is begotten by God and knows God.” If we truly display love, this proves we have been begotten of God, because if we are NOT born of God’s seed, then we could not truly love. Loving others demonstrates that we know God, we are living in a relationship with God and so we can truly love, because love has been given to us by God.
This word begotten is not a typical word, we hear it about Jesus in the Nicene Creed where we declare He is, “begotten from the Father before all ages.” We share good company when we love. To be begotten means we come from God, we are God’s. Although God deserves credit for all creation we have a choice to love or choose another path. We chose other ways without thinking, acting selfishly, thinking only of ourselves, not loving. In this case we don’t recognize God’s love in us and don’t act with love.
Do you love others? Do you know you are God’s?
Loving others demonstrates that we know God, we are living in a relationship with God and so we can truly love, because love has been given to us by God. Click To Tweet#bible’#godisgreat #jesus #christianity #dailybibleverse @youversion #BeAnEncourager #love #others #John #everybodyalways #god #jesuschrist #jesussaves #godisgood #dailydevotion #biblestudy #scripture #bibleverse #verseoftheday #pray #prayer #goodnews #loveeachother #godisgreat #thisVineyard #youversion #everythingalways