"And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him."
1 John 4:16
“And we have known and believed.”
“We have come to know, and we still know…” Our knowledge of God (Jesus), precedes our belief in Him. We must learn the Biblical teaching about Him before we can put our faith in Him. Our faith does not thrive in a vacuum, but it is built on the truth of Him found in the scriptures. Our belief in Christ comes before our profession of Him.
“And we believe and are sure that thou art that Christ, the Son of the living God,” (John 6:69).
And just as sure that we know and believe Him, this passage teaches that we know the same thing about His love.
“The love that God hath to us.”
Believers are convinced that God loves them! Dear reader, do you believe this? You might agree that God loves His children, but let’s take away the generalization here. Do you believe that God loves YOU? At this very moment, we are not concerned about His love for all God’s children, nor for your church or your pastor, or for all the godly people you know, but do YOU know that God loves YOU? Does He love YOU, personally, as if YOU are the only one standing before Him? Are YOU entirely persuaded of this truth?
These words, “God hath to us,” is translated as “for us,” in other versions. He has love “for us.” We need to be assured of this truth. We know it and believe it! There is nothing that can keep His love from us (Romans 8:35-39).
“To feel God’s love is very precious, but to believe it when you do not feel it, is the noblest.”1 (Spurgeon)
“God is love;”
What a privilege for us, God not only shows us how He works but also lets us in on who He is. He is love.
Love divine, all loves excelling,
Joy of Heav’n to earth come down;
Fix in us thy humble dwelling;
All thy faithful mercies crown!
Jesus, Thou art all compassion,
Pure unbounded love Thou art;
Visit us with Thy salvation;
Enter every trembling heart.2
“And he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.”
It is impossible for an unregenerate man to have God’s kind of love in him. He may do some noble and gracious acts as a natural man, all lost men carry the fractured image of God in themselves (imago Dei), but to live in the realm of God’s sacrificial love inspired by the Savior, one must have His Spirit in him.
1. Spurgeon, as quoted by Guzik in the Enduring Word Commentary. Guzik, David, David Guzik’s Enduring Word Commentary, the electronic version in eSword.
2. The first stanza of “Love Divine, All Loves Excelling,” by Charles Wesley, 1745. Music, John Zundel, 1870. Copyright Status, Public Domain.