1 John 4 (NRSV)
7 Beloved, let us love one another, because love is from God; everyone who loves is born of God and knows God.
8 Whoever does not love does not know God, for God is love. 9 God’s love was revealed among us in this way: God sent his only Son into the world so that we might live through him. 10 In this is love, not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins. 11 Beloved, since God loved us so much, we also ought to love one another. 12 No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God lives in us, and his love is perfected in us.
Love is the essence of God.
Here are some questions for discussion:
1. Can you recall a time when someone’s love helped you experience something of God–even if they didn’t speak about faith?
2. If God initiated love knowing it wouldn’t be reciprocated how might that reshape out expectations in human relationships?
3. We were built for love, but suffer through evil and sin. How is this reflected in social media, the nightly news, and even our history books? Can we change that? Should we even try?
If you’d like to dig a little deeper, consider the following:
1. How does the statement that “God loved us first” shape our understanding of grace? What does this say about human worth before we ever act or believe?
2. If “God is love” then to love is not just to act like God but to participate in God’s being. Could loving others be understood as a spiritual way of being rather than a moral command? What does this suggest about the reality of the human identity?
3. What makes it hard to love without needing control, affirmation, or reciprocity? What does this passage say to the ego that wants to “perform” love rather than “embody” it?
4. “No one has ever seen God” but “we love ..” How might this further illuminate the notion of us as image bearers? What responsibilities do we have to the communities around us? How might this change the way we think of God’s nearness?
5. We can all be like stubborn teenagers at times. How does this complicate demonstrating love? Can this knowledge/reflection make the demonstration of love more effective than just talking about it?
6. My great-grandfather’s old pocket watch no longer works, it’s broken, but it remains a gift of great love. Does our broken nature diminish our worthiness of God’s love?
For further contemplation, consider these quotes & prompts:
1. Pastor Trey described evil as an intention. How has evil disguised itself as love in your life?
2. “Justice is what love looks like in public.” (Cornel West) Justice comes from the Latin for righteousness and equity. How does viewing love through the lens of impartial and fair treatment (equity) of others clarify its true nature as not transactional?