God is Love
John was the last apostle who wrote a Gospel and some epistles. What he wrote is remarkable, deserving careful study and consideration. Amongst the apostles, John stands out for a number of reasons – he was referred to as "the one whom Jesus loved" [1] - he was the youngest - the only apostle present at the crucifixion and the one to whom Jesus entrusted his mother’s care.
John had been very close to Jesus and an eyewitness of the events surrounding his earthly life, but in his Gospel he didn’t just tell the story of what had happened, as the others had done. He told it differently, and added many profound realizations which had matured with him in time. He omitted many of the events already recounted in the other Gospels, and added others. There is the impression, when reading John’s gospel, that he wrote to complete, to add what others had omitted and to explain what they hadn’t yet understood.
Often referred to as the theologian par excellence, John lived a few decades longer than his fellow apostles. With time he matured that understanding of the Word made flesh, of the nature and origin of Jesus and became the personification of what the master had spoken: "I still have many things to tell you, but are not within your reach for now, but when He, the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all truth "[2]. As already noted, the disciples didn’t fully understand Jesus while he was with them. Many things they only understood after his death and resurrection, and others still later. It seems as if John, by virtue of his longer life, was able to mature an even deeper and fuller understanding of the nature and mission of Jesus.
With the passing away of the apostles and other eye-witnesses, some strange "new gospels" had also begun to surface. Untrue or simply distorted, we now call these accounts or collections of sayings as apocryphal. John dedicated part of its first epistle to refuting one such fallacy. An idea had begun to circulate that Jesus had not "come in the flesh" [3], that he had not become human but had remained essentially spirit, like a ghost in some sort of visible form, but not like human flesh. As with this one, John also had the task of rejecting some of the first Christian forgeries.
His most important work, however, was to confirm, deepen and complete what Jesus had described as a progressive revelation of himself. He did this beautifully and in his writings he gave us more truth about the nature of Jesus and God than anyone else before him. Simply think of these words: "In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God. And the Word was made flesh. As many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God. You must be born again. Born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting. God is love "[4].
John’s writings went beyond recounting simple historical events; they led to the very origins of time, to the One who planned it all, "before Abraham was, I am '[5]. In the words of Jesus, which he quoted more than anyone else, he gave us an unparalleled view into the mind and heart of God.
God is Love
In his first epistle, John tells us what no one else had yet understood so clearly, that God is essentially love – that He loved us so much that He gave his son for us, to bear our sins and make us justified by faith. This priceless gift of God’s grace was already spoken of by Paul, but John revealed it to its greater extent. In simple but unmistakable words John said:" Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loves is born of God, and knows God. He that loves not knows not God, because God is love. And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwells in love dwells in God, and God in him" [6].
Already implied in the Old Testament, this law of Love was later emphasized by Jesus: "Then one of them, which was a lawyer, asked him a question, tempting him, and saying, “Master, which is the great commandment in the law?” Jesus said unto him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, you shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets” [7]. The “law” was the books of Moses containing the commandments and the “prophets” were the prophetic books. In practice Jesus was saying that the entire Bible known until then, could be summed up in two simple rules, love God and love others. Paul also devoted an entire section of his first epistle to the Corinthians to this very theme, and it is in chapter 13. In the previous chapters he had spoken of the gifts of the Holy Spirit and the corresponding roles that these imparted to believers. Then he concluded in that 13th chapter saying that all skills and charismas imparted by the Holy Spirit, were nothing if there was no love.
1 Corinthians 13
If I speak in the tongues of humans and angels but have no love, I have become a reverberating gong or a clashing cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can understand all secrets and every form of knowledge, and if I have absolute faith so as to move mountains but have no love, I am nothing. Even if I give away all that I have and surrender my body so that I may boast * but have no love, I get nothing out of it. Love is always patient, Love is always kind, Love is never envious or vaunted up with pride. Nor is she conceited, and never is she rude, never does she think of self or ever get annoyed. She never is resentful, is never glad with sin, but always glad to side with truth, whenever the truth should win. She bears up under everything, believes the best in all, there is no limit to her hope, and never will she fall. Love never fails. Now if there are prophecies, they will be done away with. If there are tongues, they will cease. If there is knowledge, it will be done away with. For what we know is incomplete and what we prophesy is incomplete. But when what is complete comes, then what is incomplete will be done away with. When I was a child, I spoke like a child, thought like a child, and reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up my childish ways. Now we see only a blurred reflection in a mirror, but then we will see face to face. Now what I know is incomplete, but then I will know fully, even as I have been fully known. Right now three things remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love.
I lack space and time to list all other scriptures pointing to a God of love and to a new covenant in which the new law is "love", but I’ll quote one of my favorites, "Love does no wrong to his neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law (commandments) [8].
The apostle Paul explained how the Old Testament and Mosaic Law had fulfilled the role of a "guardian" [9]. Its rules, prohibitions and consequences for wrongdoing had been for the purpose of keeping people from hurting each other and to enforce acceptable standards of behavior. He explained how the law had been added because of transgression [10], because of a lack of love in mankind, but how it hadn’t been the original intent of God, let alone the final one. It was simply a passage, as a guardian is for a child, until in Christ, man comes to maturity. About this Paul wrote more specifically: "When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things" [11]. The childish things he was speaking of were these exterior more visible aspects of religion, be they commandments, rituals or showy charismatic gifts, and concluded with what he felt were the real solid elements denoting maturity: "three things last: faith, hope, love, but the greatest of these is love" [12]. And so, that which was merely implied and almost cryptic in the Old Testament Law, was later revealed by Jesus, further expounded on by Paul and finally completed by John. Gradually, and with increasing clarity, the Holy Spirit revealed through these that love is the intent, substance and final goal of the relationship between man and God. As Christians, that’s what we should aim for, and it’s what denotes the passing of our spiritual childhood, the transition from external piety to a genuine spiritual maturity.
Growing in love
It is not within us, however, to constantly aim towards growth and maturity, which we cannot produce by our own efforts anyway. So we often settle for the more childish and visible aspects of our faith journey and do not reach for more, for what God actually give us. Instead we accept being tied to the past, to a religion that is still made of illustrative objects and symbolic ceremonies, and do not take hold of enduring spiritual realities. Finding some sense of the sacred in religion, with its buildings, rituals and customs, we settle for it and do not attempt to go past it, to discover a living relationship with God, without the crutches of religion. When a Samaritan woman, of a different faith, asked Jesus which was the right place and way to worship God, he told her " Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father… but the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeks such to worship him. God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth" [13]. By these words Jesus indicated that neither Jerusalem, a local sanctuary nor any other external religious function, could affect true spiritual communion with God.
So simple, deep and clear and yet, for a lack of desire for this type of relationship with God, we are prone to substitutes, exteriorities, counterfeits and toys that look like the real thing. Instead of God we choose the sacred, instead of loving God and others, we hide behind religion, in the illusion of spirituality that it creates for us. Nonetheless, God is a God of love, actually, He is love itself, and as such is not angry with those of us who are still children and play at religion. God loves us so much that He accepts us at all stages of our lives, knowing that we are destined to mature, and guides us through those life experiences that will help us to move forward.
The apostle Paul explained: "for now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known" [14]. So even if we were to always make forward progress in our relationship with God, it is only when we shall see Him face to face that it will all be clear. In the meantime, as creatures that need to live, grow and mature, we are each destined to walk at our own pace and to see whatever each stage of our growth affords us to see.
The Great Criteria
God does not judge us by some theological criteria, knowledge, ability, or anything of the kind, but by the love we give, and that’s why he said that “This is how everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another - the last shall be first - whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted” [15]. Love is humility and true humility is love. They are one and the same and we cannot love without humility, nor be truly humble without love. If we really wish to grow in our faith journey, to be more in tune with Him, then we must grow in love and humility. We must strive for this, clothe ourselves in it, embrace it and refuse to other way… the judging and pointing of the finger. We need to let God be God and not try to take His place, instead, we must look at ourselves and judge all that we do by the standpoint of love. This is our part and the way of the New Testament. We will never fully succeed, for we are human and fallible beings, but our failings will keep us humble and merciful with others, helping us to avoid the pride that comes from religious effort. But love is the way to walk. Love is all the religion that’s needed. It’s our purpose because it is where we came from and where we are heading. Love is the nature and light of God.
The light of God
Love, however, must not be confused with moral relativism and ethical subjectivism. Being nonjudgmental, tolerant and accepting of differences doesn’t annul the fact that absolute truths do exist, which implies judgment. Just as love is the light of God, the absence of it equals darkness and all its manifestations. It says, in fact: "Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness" [16]. We cannot, however, fight darkness with darkness. Darkness is only defeated by light because darkness is merely an absence of it. This is why Jesus, hanging on the cross, did not breathe out vengeance and resentment against those who unjustly judged him, but said instead: "Father forgive them for they know not what they do" [17]. That’s why he had also taught "Love your enemies. Do good to those who hate you. Bless those who curse you, and pray for those who insult you. If someone strikes you on the cheek, offer him the other one as well, and if someone takes your coat, don't keep back your shirt, either. Keep on giving to everyone who asks you for something, and if anyone takes what is yours, do not insist on getting it back. Whatever you want people to do for you, do the same for them. “If you love those who love you, what thanks do you deserve? Why, even sinners love those who love them. If you do good to those who do good to you, what thanks do you deserve? Even sinners do that. If you lend to those from whom you expect to get something back, what thanks do you deserve? Even sinners lend to sinners to get back what they lend. Rather, love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them, expecting nothing in return. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, for he is kind to ungrateful and evil people. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. Stop judging, and you will never be judged. Stop condemning, and you will never be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. Give, and it will be given to you, a large quantity, pressed together, shaken down, and running over will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use, you will be measured” [18].
This was the light that Jesus lit and it is what lights the way of every Christian. "By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love for one another" [19]. The God that Jesus and the apostles showed us is Love. May the God of love then give us strength to represent Him to men as He is and not to our limited image. A God who judges, vindictive and austere is much easier to emulate. A tooth for a tooth and an eye for an eye is to most of us an instinctively natural response. Even the disciples reacted this way when Jesus "sent messengers before his face: and they went, and entered into a village … and they did not receive him… and when his disciples James and John saw this, they said, Lord, wilt thou that we command fire to come down from heaven, and consume them, even as Elias did? But he turned, and rebuked them, and said, Ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of. For the Son of man is not come to destroy men's lives, but to save them” [20]. Thankfully God’s love is not like ours, but is unconditional: "But God demonstrates his love for us by the fact that Christ died for us while we were still sinners" [21].
May the light of God's love then shine in our hearts and free us from the chains of pride and human religiosity, what we often call light, but is not. May His light shine until the perfect day, when we will be in perfect communion with Him and one another.
This ends our study of the origins and purpose of Christianity. The first epistle of John it is a fitting conclusion for it and I invite you to read it fully and meditate upon it. Our study of the Bible, however, does not end here. We haven’t yet approached the Old Testament, with the story of creation, the fall of man and God’s plan of redemption, which are necessary elements for reaching a fuller understanding of God’s intents. The Gospels, however, will always remain central for each of us who have chosen to be Christians, so I wish you a profitable studying of the first epistle of John, and a continued review of the Gospels.
1. John 13: 23 20: 2 21: 7,20
2. John 16: 12,13
3. 1st John 4: 2
4. John 1,2,3 – 1st John 4: 8,16
5. John 8, 58
6. 1st John 4: 7,8,16
7. Matthew 22: 35 to 40
8. Romans 13: 10
9. Galatians 3: 24,25
10. Galatians 3: 19
11. 1st Corinthians 13: 11
12. 1st Corinthians 13: 13
13. John 4: 21 to 24
14. 1st Corinthians 13: 12
15. John 13: 35 Matthew 23: 12
16. Isaiah 5: 20
17. Luke 23: 34
18. Luke 6: 27 to 38
19. John 13: 35
20. Luke 9: 52 to 56
21. Romans 5: 8
