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1 John 4:8, 16 - GOD IS LOVE.

1 John 4:8b, 16b (KJV, NKJV, NASB, NRSV, 
NIV, ESV, HCSB, NLT) God is love.  

INTRODUCTION

The greatest truth in all of Scripture is 
this: God is love. [Experiencing God Day by Day by 
Henry and Richard Blackaby.] 

Love, in this passage, is absolutely not 
human.  The human heart is a complete stranger to 
the kind of love described here. The definition 
for God's agape love can be found in John 3:16, 
it is self-sacrificial in nature; in I 
Corinthians 13, agape love is patient, kind, not 
jealous, doesn't brag, isn't arrogant, doesn't act 
unbecomingly, doesn't seek its own, isn't provoked, 
doesn't take into account a wrong suffered, doesn't 
rejoice in unrighteousness but in truth, bears all 
things, believes all things, hopes all things, 
endures all things and never, never fails. And last, 
agape love has Almighty God as its source.  Love 
is not God, God is love. We cannot exercise 
this love without a personal relationship with 
Jesus Christ. If you don't see it in your life, 
ask God for it today and be prepared for a 
radical change in your life. [In His Time; Walk With 
Wisdom] 

Everyone believes that love is important, 
but love is usually thought of as a feeling. In 
reality, love is a choice and an action, as 1 
Corinthians 13:4-7 shows. God is the source of our love: 
he loved us enough to sacrifice his Son for us. 
Jesus is our example of what it means to love; 
everything he did in life and death was supremely 
loving. The Holy Spirit gives us the power to love; 
he lives in our hearts and makes us more and 
more like Christ. God's love always involves a 
choice and an action, and our love should be like 
his. How well do you display your love for God in 
the choices you make and the actions you take? 
[Life Application SB] 

John says, "God is love," not "Love is God." 
Our world, with its shallow and selfish view of 
love, has turned these words around and 
contaminated our understanding of love. The world thinks 
that love is what makes a person feel good and 
that it is all right to sacrifice moral 
principles and others' rights in order to obtain such 
"love." But that isn't real love; it is the exact 
opposite - selfishness. And God is not that kind of 
"love." Real love is like God, who is holy, just, 
and perfect. If we truly know God, we will love 
as he does. [Life Application SB] 

COMMENTARY PEARLS

Mr. Happy Man
   Its 6:00 a.m. in Hamilton, Bermuda. 
Ninety-two-year-old Johnny Barnes stands on the edge of a 
roundabout and waves at people as they drive past. He's 
been here since before 4:00 a.m. He'll be here 
until 10:00 a.m. He's not asking for money. He's 
making people happy. He pulls back his right hand 
to retrieve a kiss and blow it in the direction 
of a taxi driver or commuter. 
   "1 love you! he shouts. Hello, 
there, darlin'. I love you!" 
   And they love him! Bermudans call him Mr. 
Happy Man. They route their morning commute to see 
him. If he happens to miss acknowledging some 
commuters, they often circle the roundabout until he 
waves at them. 
   Johnny's philosophy is simple. "We human 
beings gotta learn how to love one another. One of 
the greatest joys that can come to an individual 
is when you're doing something and helping 
others. 
   Wouldn't you love to meet a person like 
him? Better still, wouldn't you like to be like 
him? [You Can Count On God by Max Lucado] 

Because God Loves You
   Someone told you that God loves good 
people. Wrong. There are no good people. 
   Someone told you that God loves you if 
you love him first. Wrong. He loves people who 
have never thought of him. 
   Someone told you that God is ticked off, 
cranky, and vindictive. Wrong. We tend to be ticked 
off, cranky, and vindictive. But God? 
      GOD is sheer mercy and grace;
         not easily angered, he's rich in 
love.  
      He doesn't endlessly nag and scold, 
nor hold grudges forever. 
      He doesn't treat us as our sins 
deserve, nor pay us back in full for our  
         wrongs.
      As parents feel for their children,
      GOD feels for those who fear him. 
(Psalm 103:8-13 MSG) 
   God loves you, and because he does, you 
can be assured joy will come. [You Can Count On 
God by Max Lucado] 

COMMENTARY

God is love. Like rays of light from the 
sun, love and light and joy flow out from Him to 
all His creatures. It is His nature to give. His 
very life is the outflow of unselfish love. We 
are to be centers of light and blessing to our 
little circle, even as He is to the universe. We 
have nothing of ourselves, but the light of His 
love shines upon us, and we are to reflect its 
brightness. If you are the children of God you are 
partakers of His nature, and you cannot but be like 
Him. Every child lives by the life of his father. 
If you are God's children, begotten by His 
Spirit, you live by the life of God. In Christ 
dwells "all the fullness of the Godhead bodily" 
(Colossians 2:9); and the life of Jesus is made manifest 
"in our mortal flesh" (2 Corinthians 4:11). That 
life in you will produce the same character and 
manifest the same works as it did in Him. {MB 77}  

   Love is power. Intellectual and moral 
strength are involved in this principle, and cannot 
be separated from it. The power of wealth has a 
tendency to corrupt and destroy; the power of force 
is strong to do hurt; but the excellence and 
value of pure love consist in its efficiency to do 
good, and to do nothing else than good. Whatsoever 
is done out of pure love, be it ever so little 
or contemptible in the sight of men, is wholly 
fruitful; for God regards more with how much love one 
worketh than the amount he doeth. Love is of God. 
The unconverted heart cannot originate nor 
produce this plant of heavenly growth, which lives 
and flourishes only where Christ reigns.  
   Love cannot live without action, and 
every act increases, strengthens, and extends it. 
Love will gain the victory when argument and 
authority are powerless. Love works not for profit nor 
reward; yet God has ordained that great gain shall 
be the certain result of every labor of love. 
It is diffusive in its nature and quiet in its 
operation, yet strong and mighty in its purpose to 
overcome great evils. It is melting and transforming 
in its influence, and will take hold of the 
lives of the sinful and affect their hearts when 
every other means has proved unsuccessful..... 
Jesus was the Prince of Peace. He came into the 
world to bring resistance and authority into 
subjection to Himself. Wisdom and strength He could 
command, but the means He employed with which to 
overcome evil were the wisdom and strength of love.  
2T135-6 

LINKS FOR FURTHER STUDY 

1 John 4:8, 16 - GOD IS LOVE.

http://www.abible.com/devotions/2022/20220306-1122.html 

http://www.abible.com/devotions/2017/20170419-2035.html 

http://www.abible.com/devotions/2018/20180218-1141.html 

YOUR COMMENTS

If anyone has a paraphrase, commentary or 
testimony on this passage of Scripture, either 
personal or otherwise, I would be interested in 
hearing from you.  Thanks in advance and let's keep 
uplifting Jesus that all might be drawn to Him. Fred 
Gibbs  

LINKS WORTH CHECKING OUT

Most Important Decision in Life: 
http://www.youtube.com/embed/WGnEuGwvXqU?rel=0 

A Man without Equal by Bill Bright: 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NiVa7UoruIo 

Steps to Peace by Billy Graham: 
https://stepstopeace.org/ 

Seeking God Made Real: 
http://vimeo.com/31489782 

Prayer Made Real: 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tc8VdMV26VE 

LINKS FOR BIBLE STUDIES 

Lifting Up Jesus Bible Studies: 
http://www.liftingupjesus.net/ 

Amazing Facts Bible Studies: 
http://www.amazingfacts.org/bible-study/bible-study-guides.aspx  

Voice of Prophecy Discover Bible Study 
Guides: 
https://www.voiceofprophecy.com/study/discover 

Glow Tract Video Bible Studies: 
http://www.bibleresearch.info/ 

LINKS FOR BIBLE PROPHECY SEMINARS

Unlocking Bible Prophecies by Cami Oetman of 
Adventist World Radio: https://www.awr.org/bible 

Panorama of Prophecy with Pastor Doug 
Batchelor: https://www.panoramaofprophecy.com/  

Hope Awakens by John Bradshaw of IIW: 
https://itiswritten.tv/programs/hope-awakens 

Prophecies Decoded by Pastor Ron Clouzet: 
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL1A435C5373550657