GROWING IN GOD’S LOVE

“Furthermore, we have seen with our own eyes and now testify that the Father sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. All who declare that Jesus is the Son of God have God living in them, and they live in God. We know how much God loves us, and we have put our trust in his love. God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them.”
1 John 4:14-16 NLT

Round and round … John circles around this great theme of God’s love, shown so clearly to us in the gift of His Son.

Why is this so important to John? There may be many reasons, but if we look into John’s own life, the “before and after” of his association with Jesus, the unforgettable Pentecost experience and his life “after death”, is it any wonder that he should be so enamoured with God’s love for us and the effects of that love on us.

Let’s look at the progress of John’s life. As a young disciple, together with his brother, James, he was a hothead. He wanted to call down fire on the Samaritans for not receiving Jesus.

“He (Jesus) sent messengers ahead to a Samaritan village to prepare for his arrival. But the people of the village did not welcome Jesus because he was on his way to Jerusalem. When James and John saw this, they said to Jesus, “Lord, should we call down fire from heaven to burn them up?”
Luke 9:52-54 NLT

Jesus rebuked them for their drastic solution. He nicknamed them “sons of thunder”!

During his three plus years with Jesus, John began to change. Unlike Peter, he seemed to listen more than talk. He was one of Jesus’ intimate three, with Peter and James, allowed privileges not given to the other nine.

What did Jesus see in these three young fishermen? They were rough diamonds but, after Pentecost, they each played a prominent role in the infant church. All three featured in the authorship of Scripture.

At the last Passover supper before the cross, it was John who occupied the privileged position beside Jesus, leaning against Him, which was apparently, perfectly acceptable behaviour then. He referred to himself more than once, not as Boanerges”, hothead, but as “the disciple whom Jesus loved”.

What changed him? Even before the Holy Spirit deluged the disciples at Pentecost, John could not be in the presence of such love without being changed. No doubt, Jesus’ love for him began to seep into his soul until all his doubts were removed. He was sure, as were his fellow disciples except Judas, that Jesus was the Son of God.

“Then Jesus turned to the Twelve and asked, “Are you also going to leave?” Simon Peter replied, “Lord, to whom would we go? You have the words that give eternal life. We believe, and we know you are the Holy One of God.”
John 6:67-69 NLT

John was the one who stood resolutely by the cross, sheltering Mary, watching the tragic scene unfold. No other disciples were named with him. To him, Jesus entrusted the most precious person in His earthly life, His mother.

It was “the disciple whom Jesus loved” who recognised Him on the shore of Galilee. Even in the early dawn mist, he knew that voice, he recognised that vague figure on the beach. “It’s Jesus!” he called out. It was Peter who impetuously abandoned his colleagues and jumped into the lake. It was John who helped get the boat to shore.

So many little details, together, paint a word picture of a man transformed. He could write with great assurance to his fellow believers,

“All who declare that Jesus is the Son of God have God living in them, and they live in God. We know how much God loves us, and we have put our trust in his love. God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them.”
1 John 4:15-16 NLT

Like Paul, John could weave his own story into his encouragement of other believers. “We know” he said with confidence. This is the knowing he urges us, his 21st century believers, not just about, but the knowing of life and experience, that God’s love is real, powerful and enduring, and we can trust Him through thick and thin by paying it forward in the lives of others as He has faithfully loved us.