7 Beloved, let us love one another, because love is from God; everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. 8 Whoever does not love does not know God, for God is love. 9 God’s love was revealed among us in this way: God sent his only Son into the world so we might live through him. 10 In this is love, not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins. 11 Beloved, since God loved us so much, we also ought to love one another. 12 No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us, and his love is perfected in us.
13 By this we know we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. 14 And we have seen and do testify that the Father has sent his Son as the Savior of the world. 15 God abides in those who confess Jesus is the Son of God, and they abide in God. 16 So we have known and believe the love God has for us.
God is love, and those who abide in love abide in God, and God abides in them. 17 Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness on the day of judgment, because as he is, so are we in this world. 18 There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear; for fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not reached perfection in love. 19 We love because he first loved us.
As a child I heard preachers who preached God’s love for us was “conditional.” They would give a list of things we needed to do to “earn” God’s love. As I got older, I questioned such preaching and teaching. Why? Because I learned and believed God sent His only son into a world full of sin because God loves us unconditional. It’s not that we NEED to do anything to earn God’s love because FIRST LOVED US, just as we are told in 1 John 4:19. That God loves us unconditionally should move us to change, to serve, to love one another. Once we open our hearts and minds to God and experience His love, we become His vessels for change in our world. Please do not allow anyone to convince you God’s love is conditional because it is not. When God, out of His love for us, sent His son to walk among us the world did nothing to “earn” the love of God. God’s love was already here. He created us out of love.
May the God of unconditional love abide in you always, Wes