1 John 4:8 Commentary

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1 John 4:8

Comments

Since God always gives his children the ability to love fellow believers, then those who lack this ability evidently do not know God, for we cannot look into the divine being and turn away unaffected. We cannot say that we know him when we only know something of his power, or justice, or holiness, and yet know nothing of his love. All of his interactions with his people are expressed as love and grace, because only these could bring sinners like us into a relationship with him. When John says, God is love, he does not mean that God can be reduced to this one abstract entity. God is many other things besides love, for even in this letter John has also said, God is light and in him is no darkness. He cannot love at the expense of his other attributes.

Application

Those who know God are aware that he will not draw near to them unless they draw near to him, and they rejoice that becoming a Christian involves being transformed into his likeness; he does not embrace any close to him unless they are willing to become like him.

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1 John 4:8 Commentary and Bible Study