1 John 4:9 (NIV)
“This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him.”
Love is the central issue John is addressing here. Not feelings, not romance, and not vague goodwill, but a love that has a source and a definition. God is the origin of that love, and He made it visible by sending His Son. John is clear that people come to know God, not through arguments or religious performance, but through the way His people love one another. Christian love is not self-generated. It flows out of what God has already done.
What strikes me is that this passage does not really change based on time or context. If I believe that God loved me enough to send His Son, even when I did not deserve it, then that love has to move outward. It cannot stay theoretical. It is not only something to be believed, but something to be lived.
That means love should shape every interaction I have with people. Not just by talking about God’s love, but by showing it through patience, kindness, and grace. I fall short of that constantly. I am human and sinful. Still, this passage calls me to try, to let God’s love be seen through me, even when it is inconvenient or undeserved.