Love is the strongest power on earth. It’s the foundation of relationships, brings people together in unity, and inspires kindliness, forgiveness, and sacrifice. Where does love come from? Why are we able to love? Scripture gives us a clear answer in 1 John 4:19:
“We love because He first loved us.”
This short but powerful verse reminds us of a deep truth: we gain our ability to love from God. We did not create love, yet we reflect the love God originally gave us. Throughout this article, we will take a look at how to apply this verse in our Christian walk, the many ways in which God manifested His love, and how this truth transforms our understanding of loving other people.
The Source of Love: God Himself
Love is not something which is experienced or derived out of man. We are taught in 1 John 4:8 that “God is love.” That is, love is in His nature. God is the source of love, and whenever we feel or whatever we express in love has its origin in Him.
If God is the source of love, then our loving is not something we can generate in ourselves. It is a response to the love we experience from Him. We reflect God’s love to others in our relationships in the same way the moon reflects the sun’s light.
How God First Loved Us
A. God’s Love in Creation
From the beginning, God showed His love by making a good world. He made Man in His likeness (Genesis 1:27), and He gave us purpose, dignity, and the potential to know Him in a close relationship. God gave us everything we needed to prosper and to be at peace with Him and with one another.
B. God’s Love in Salvation
In spite of man’s sin and disobedience, God did not leave us. He demonstrated the greatest love by giving His own Son, Jesus Christ, to redeem us. It is stated in Romans 5:8:
“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
This is the clearest indication that God loved us first. He did not wait for us to be deserving or to go after Him first. In our sin and brokenness, He reached out for us. Jesus volunteered laying His life down in the cross to buy our sins. He gave us forgiveness and reconciliation with God.
C. God’s Love in Our Everyday Lives
God’s love is not just something in the past – it is eternal. He continues to love us through His presence, provision, and guidance. All that we breathe, every good that comes to us, and every moment of favor that we experience are testimonies to His love. He is faithful even when life becomes challenging, moulding and bringing us closer to Him (Romans 8:28).
Our Response: Loving Others
Because God already loved us, we can love others similarly. In fact, Love, according to Scripture, is not an option. It’s a command. According to John 13:34-35:
“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another“
It’s not always a simple thing to love. Individuals can be difficult to love, relationships become complicated, and occasionally when difficulties in life hit us, we just don’t feel like loving. However, when we look at our love as a response to God’s love, it changes all of that in our perspective.
A. Loving Unconditionally
God loves us without any conditions. He loves us even when we are weak and failing. In His love, we should love others and do so without expecting anything in return. Jesus taught us in Luke 6:35:
“But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked.“
True love does not hinge on whether or not someone deserves it but rather on the fact that we have already been loved by God.
B. Loving by Sacrifice
Jesus showed His love through sacrifice. True love is not just in words – it is action lived out. Loving others is being selfless, patient, and sometimes putting others before ourselves. A parent sacrifices sleep to care for their child. A friend sacrifices time to help someone in need of comfort. Someone forgives instead of retaliates.
Love is not always easy, yet when we love sacrificially, we are showing the love of Christ.
C. Loving Through Forgiveness
One of the hardest ways to love is through forgiveness. Yet, God has forgiven us completely. Colossians 3:13 says:
“Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.”
Hanging on to bitterness and anger does not permit us to experience the fullness of God’s love. Forgiving demonstrates His love in a powerful manner.
The Impact of Living in God’s Love
Once we grasp fully that we love because God loved us first, it transforms every aspect of our lives.
In our Relationships, we’re more patient, kind, and serving. In our Communities, love unites and gives peace, breaking down walls of hatred and division. And in our Personal Lives, we have more joy, purpose, and confidence, knowing that we’re loved deeply by God.
We love because He first loved us
“We love because He first loved us” is not just a theological truth. It’s a way of life. God is the fountain of all love. He first loved us unconditionally, sacrificially, and eternally. Our part is to reflect that love in our lives to others.
As we live in this knowledge of God’s love, we no longer love by duty, fear, or ego. Instead, we love freely because we have first been loved by the One who is Love himself.
The longer we abide in God’s love, the longer we can offer that love to the world. May we live each day with the confidence that we are loved immeasurably, and may that love radiate from us to those around us.
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