thinking bible.

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what did 'love' mean to john's original audience in the context of their world?

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.

This letter, likely written by the Apostle John in the late first century, addresses a Christian community grappling with false teachings and internal divisions. John urges them to live out their faith through love for one another, rooted in God's nature.

How might understanding God as the source and essence of love reshape our own actions and relationships today?

Keep thinking

Read alongside it

  • John 13:34-35

    Jesus gives a 'new command' to his disciples to love one another, which will identify them to the world.

  • Romans 13:8-10

    Paul states that loving one another fulfills the entire law.

  • 1 Corinthians 13:4-7

    Paul describes the characteristics of love, emphasizing its patient and kind nature.

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