1 John 4:21
And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother.
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I really only love God as much as I love the person I love the least. ….. Dorothy Day
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In this passage which begins in v. 7, John speaks clearly about the tie between love for God and love for others (“love” is mentioned 27 times in 15 verses).
The message of the passage: “If you don’t love others, you don’t love God.”
John’s words disrupt my equilibrium, for he does not qualify whom we should love (nor did his Master; Matt. 5:46), but that we should love others, period.
Such a radical calling requires divine empowerment (which may be why the Holy Spirit comes into play in v. 13).
But this is what sets the Jesus-addict apart from the average Joe: love given, especially when not received or deserved.
That is the way God loved us,** so if we find ourselves loving others the same way, we can be assured that His love abides in us.
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If we don’t . . .
**v. 10: In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins
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