In 1 John 4:16, John boils life down to a simple formula, that “Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him” – and this, verse 17, is what God is “making complete (or fully developing) in us.”
God’s purpose in creating us humans and giving us life, therefore, is that we come to “live in love” as entirely and eternally as he does. That’s an amazing goal, so how on earth does he go about making it happen?
According to John, God does it in three ways, the first of which is telling us – as John does in verse 16 – that “God is love.” The starting point to living in love, therefore, is catching on to what God tells us about himself, that from top to bottom and all through his being, he is love.
Which may seem hard to believe with all the horrible things happening to us humans in this world, but it would give purpose to all that’s going on if we could see where it’s all leading – that it’s all been designed by a God whose life is love to help us see that life is love too. Which makes sense, because if we’re going to be living in his world forever where life is love, then life for us in this world must be preparation for it.
Like, for instance, when we’re born, because even in our messy world millions of babies enter a world of love, in the loving arms of our exhausted mother, in the sparkling eyes of our relieved Dad, and the steady stream of aunts, uncles and other assorted relatives and friends all saying we’re the most beautiful baby who’s ever existed. And it all comes so naturally, so that, even if no one thought it at the time, this incredible little living being is already being given a taste of what God has intended for him entirely and eternally.
And hopefully, “life is love” continues for that child too. Which God also made easy, because he built into parents a deep and lasting love for their children. Which for the parents is marvellous preparation for the life God intends for them too, because as John writes in verse 7, “Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.”
The love we experience so naturally, therefore, is God’s way of telling us he’s already “birthed” his very own self in us, so that we’re already on the way to living the life of love he lives, and intends for us forever. But how, then, does God make us aware of his love? According to John, it’s in “How God shows his love”….(next blog)
