Last weekend, Pastor Roland preached a message on loving one another. He shared that we ought to love one another because God first loved us. Indeed, God tells us in 1 John 4:8 that He is love. There are many passages in our Bible that tell us of God’s love, and the most well known is John 3:16, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” This verse tells us how God demonstrated His sacrificial love for us through the act of giving.
God’s love is also ‘unconditional’, which means it is available to one and all, without any condition, as long as you believe in Him. We’ve probably heard this many times, but do we really understand what’s ‘unconditional’ love? The closest expression to God’s ‘unconditional’ love I can find is that of parents for their children. As parents, we continue to love our children, whether they’re good or bad, and even when they fail to meet our expectations. It is this ‘unconditional’ love that gives rise to the statement, “only his/her parents can love such a person!”
So dear disciples, having experienced and received God’s unconditional love, let us remember to take heed and practise Apostle John’s admonition in his epistle, “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)
“By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” - John 13:35
- Senior Pastor Nina Khong