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REVIEW
Love, Wrath and Evidence Over Effort
1 John 4:7-21
1 John 4:7–21 reveals John’s deep longing: that others would share in the same fellowship with God he experienced. At the center of that fellowship is this truth—God is love. He is the very foundation and definition of love, perfectly loving His people. Yet love is not His only attribute. God is also holy, just, righteous, merciful, and almighty. Because He loves, He also hates sin for the destruction it brings, and He rightly carries wrath against it.
If we focus only on God’s love while ignoring His wrath, we shrink the Gospel. If we focus only on His wrath while ignoring His love, we distort His heart. The beauty of the Gospel is found in holding both together—and nowhere is that clearer than at Easter. In love, God sent His Son as the propitiation for our sins—the atoning sacrifice that satisfies His righteous wrath and removes our guilt—so that we might be brought back to Him.
John then turns to what this means for us: “love one another.” This kind of love is not something we manufacture through effort or willpower. It is the natural evidence of abiding in God. As 1 John 2:5 reminds us, His love is perfected in us as we walk with Him. Just as we naturally reflect the voices and influences we treasure, an ongoing, conversational fellowship with the Father begins to shape us. As we abide in Him (John 15:7), His life takes root in us, and His love flows out of us.
This love is not passive acceptance—it includes a right anger toward sin because of how it separates people from God. Loving one another is evidence of God abiding in us.
This Easter, we rejoice that God’s love made a way through the cross, and His resurrection now empowers us to live in that same abiding fellowship. As we remain in Him, His love becomes visible in us—seen in how we love one another and reflect Him to the world.
REMEMBER
If we focus only on God’s love while ignoring His wrath, we shrink the Gospel. If we focus only on His wrath while ignoring His love, we distort His heart. The beauty of the Gospel is found in holding both together—and nowhere is that clearer than at Easter.
REFLECT
How does understanding both God’s love and His wrath deepen your appreciation for what Jesus accomplished on the cross?
In what ways is your love for others evidence of God abiding in you, rather than something you’re trying to manufacture?
This week, how can you more intentionally abide in God each day so that His love naturally flows through you to others?
RESPOND
Lord, teach me to abide in You.
Let Your love take root in my heart, shaping my words and actions.
Help me see Your holiness and Your mercy together,
and respond with courage and truth.
May my life show the evidence of Your presence,
not through effort, but through a steady walk with You.
This Easter, remind me that Your love has made a way,
and empower me to reflect that love to those around me.
Amen.
RELATE
This week, look for one person in your life you usually overlook or find difficult to love. Spend intentional time with them—whether it’s a kind word, listening without judgment, or serving them in a small way. Let your actions be guided by God’s love, not by what you think they “deserve,” and notice how His love flows through you without effort.
READ
Revisit: 1 John 4:7-27
Read Ahead: 1 John 5:1-12
REHEARSE
Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. 1 John 4:7
REJOICE
Rejoice
I Believe
Living Hope
