How to Love God
John wants to make sure that we realize that God is love. God has loved us first because He created us and wants us to be with Him for eternity. There are a couple of conditions to be met.
First, we must recognize and accept the love God has for each of us. He demonstrated His love by sending His Son to die for our sins, to redeem us to make us worthy of the joy to be had in heaven with God.
Second, we are to love one another as Jesus loves us. No small matter because Jesus loves us with infinite, unconditional love. Fortunately, we are given a lifetime to learn how to do this. As human beings, we remember past hurts and failures. We find it hard to forgive. But unconditional love demands forgiveness.
Third, we must realize that to love God, we must love one another. The words John uses are: Whoever is without love does not know God, for God is love. If we do not love others, we do not know God. We must practice forgiveness in all its forms and complexities. Forgiveness is the outward sign of God’s love.
John uses the word begotten. Begotten means we are of the substance. Jesus is begotten by the Father. God created us which means we are not of the same physical substance of God. Through love we become the same spiritual substance as God. So, John can then say everyone who loves is begotten of God and knows God.
Baptism is the outward sign of our desire to be one with God. Let us continue to love one another.
May the Lord bless you in the name of the Father and if the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen