thinking bible.

You asked

how does paul's writing about grace relate to john's emphasis on god's love here?

The passage, plainly, with room to sit with it.

1 John 4:7-8

Beloved, let’s love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God, and knows God. He who doesn’t love doesn’t know God; for God is love.

The Apostle John, writing towards the end of his life, is encouraging early Christian communities to live out their faith. His letters focus on the essential nature of God as love, and how this divine love should manifest in the lives of believers.

What does it mean for your understanding of God and human relationships that 'God is love' is not just a description, but a definition of God's very being?

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Read alongside it

  • Romans 5:8

    Paul's statement about God demonstrating love for us while we were still sinners connects God's love to grace.

  • Ephesians 2:8-9

    Paul describes salvation as being by grace through faith, a free gift of God.

  • John 3:16

    This famous verse links God's love to the giving of his Son, expressing a core act of divine love.

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