Who's My Neighbor? A Biblical Call To Love Others预览

Your Own Reckless Love

Abba Flores

This verse is powerful and even more so when put into the context of the surrounding verses. It was written by the gospel writer, John and is found in what is often called the “God is Love” passage. In this passage, John writes about God being perfect love and how, we, as believers in Jesus, can reflect and imitate that perfect love.

To love God is to love others. The reverse is true as well: you cannot love others without also loving God. For most Christians, it seems “loving God” is enough. However, Biblically speaking, this is not true. You cannot just go to church and call it good. You cannot just say, “I’m okay. I love God, so, I’m going to heaven. I’m good.” If you love God but don’t love your neighbor, then you’re living a lie, because loving God is loving others! This is what 1 John 4 tells us anyway. Verse 20 says it this way, “If anyone says, ‘I love God,’ and hates his brother, he is a liar,”

Jesus, love incarnate, must be the ultimate example we are reflecting. This will not only tell those who do not know Jesus the kind of people we are, as a community of faith, but it will also tell those people who our God is. Our God is one of love, and we are called to love in the same way. 1 John 4:11 says, “ Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.” N.T. Wright takes this a step further. He says that we are to love one another in the same way that God loves us. 

There is a popular Christian song called Reckless Love written by Cory Asbury. The chorus says:

Oh, the overwhelming, never-ending, reckless love of God
Oh, it chases me down, fights til I'm  found, leaves the ninety-nine
I couldn't earn it, and I don't deserve it.  Still, You give Yourself away
Oh, the overwhelming, never-ending, reckless love of God

What if you replaced the word "God" with your name? Maybe you could replace the words “me” and “I” with a person you have difficulty loving? Does this reflect the kind of love you have for others? Would there be anyone who could say, “Oh, the overwhelming, never-ending, reckless love you have for them,” about you? With God’s help, we can love others in this kind of way.

Are you willing to give yourself away?