Loving God, loving others
Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and everyone who loves the Father also loves the one born of him. This is how we know that we love God’s children: when we love God and obey his commands. 1 John 5:1-2 CSB
In this final chapter of the letter, John reiterates the central truth of salvation, “everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God.” If you are a believer in Jesus Christ as the Savior, you are a new creation (see 2 Corinthians 5:17). John also emphasizes the security God provides to “Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ.” The Gospel’s message of salvation is for everyone and those who sincerely place their faith and trust in God, believing that He alone is the Christ, the Savior, will be saved. Faith in the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ is inextricably attached to loving others in the faith: “everyone who loves the Father also loves the One born of Him.” To love God the Father should lead to loving His Son, Jesus Christ. The same thing should be modeled, then, in our world: that if we love our parents, then we should also love our siblings. As we have seen in past weeks, the false teachers and antichrists were hateful individuals. Throughout the letter, John showed that a distinguishing mark of a believer is their love for one another. This is what the Lord Jesus Christ told His disciples in the gospel. “By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:35). Then, in verse two from our text, we see an interesting order of operations, “This is how we know that we love God’s children: when we love God and obey His commands.” Love is a genuine mark of a born-again heart, through loving God first and obeying His commands, which includes loving fellow believers. John 15:10 says, “If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love.” Obeying the Lord’s commands may not bring a happy smile to our face at times, but we obey because we love Him, and in doing so, display that love to others.
Blessings,
Isaac De Guzman
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