We’ve established that God is love, and love comes from God. The fifth point I want to make from the passage from 1 John above is that ONLY those who have been born of God and know Him (Christians) can love others the way God commands in His Word.
Whaaaat?!?! Yes, read that again to make sure you read it correctly. Let me quote the first part of that passage again here for emphasis:
Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.
1 John 4:7-8 NIV
And I’ll list these verses from the same chapter:
If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in them and they in God. And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them.
1 John 4:15-16 NIV
You see, if God is love and the Creator and source of love, then He is the only one with the authority to define how to demonstrate that love and empower others to love accordingly. Let’s dive deeper into Scripture regarding this.