Commentary on 1 John 4:19—5:4

Once again John emphasises the inseparable link between loving God and loving our sisters and brothers. We are to love because God loves first. Because of his love, the only response we can give is to return his love and pass it on. God’s love for us does not depend on our first loving him. Our love is always a response; it is never our initiative. But then our love for God is primarily shown by our loving those around us. John writes:

Those who say, “I love God,” and hate a brother or sister are liars, for those who do not love a brother or sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen.

It is so easy to love an invisible God. But it can be very difficult at times to love a very visible sister or brother. It is so easy to appear pious, devotional, even ‘holy’, spending long hours in front of Jesus in the tabernacle and in other religious activities, and yet living in very poor relationships with certain people.

The Letter puts it very simply:

…those who love God must love their brothers and sisters also.

John puts it another way by saying:

Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and everyone who loves the parent loves the child.

At the time this Letter was written, families were very closely-knit units under the headship of a father. So, in the same way, anyone who loves God our Father will naturally love all God’s children who are, of course, in a very real way our brothers and sisters. We must love every single child to whom our loving God has given life. I cannot refuse to love someone that God loves and for whom he sent his Son to die on a cross.

Again he repeats what he has already said:

By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey his commandments.

We love God by keeping his commandments, and earlier he has made it clear what those commandments are:

And these commands are not burdensome. This is not because they are always easy to carry out fully, but because we live in the strength of the Spirit and because they are in total conformity with our nature made in the likeness of God. There is nothing artificial or arbitrary about them. To observe them is to become more and more what we are meant to be—living in the image of our Creator God. The reading concludes:

And his commandments are not burdensome, for whatever is born of God conquers the world. And this is the victory that conquers the world, our faith.

It is by doing this that we will “conquer” the world of sin and of self-centred greed and hate. It is only this faith and love which can bring healing and wholeness into people’s lives.