The love of God finishes its course in us who believe

1 John 4:11-12 Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has seen God at any time; if we love one another, God abides in us, and His love is perfected in us. Let’s recall how God so loved us from vs. 10. He sent His s on to be the propitiation for our sins. In love, God took upon Himself the burden of justice that our sins deserve. The wages of sin is death, and we all owe a debt which we cannot pay and still live. The Father and Son justified us through His death as our substitute so we could live to love with Jesus in the power of the Holy Spirit for His glory. Can you see how I came to that conclusion in vs. 12? Although no one has seen God at any time (and I think He was referring to God, the Father, the One and only, Almighty God), His presence in the lives of those who are His is revealed by His love flowing through them. His love is the light of His presence. As John wrote, “If we love one another, God abides in us.” The idea that God’s love is perfected in us as we love each other is insightful and instructive. The word connotes the completion of a course or the fulfillment of purpose. The love in the Godhead cannot be completed if it isn’t given, poured out upon undeserving creatures who in turn pour out His love to other undeserving creatures. So His love is literally perfected or completed in the body of Christ as one member loves another member of Jesus’ body with His love. So there it is: we live through Jesus as we love with Jesus. The body of Christ living to love with Jesus reveals God to the world. So love completes it’s course. It flows from God the Father, through the Son, and through His children as they love each other. Be encouraged by this great truth as you live to love with Jesus. You have God abiding in you, whose love isn’t finished accomplishing what it was sent to accomplish until you love someone by doing whatever it takes for their highest good, for God’s glory. As each person you love with Jesus receives His love, God’s love finishes its course so the world can see that God abides in you. And if He lives in you, He can also live in them, if they will believe that God sent His Son, Jesus Christ, in the flesh to save them from their sins and fulfill His purpose to reveal Himself through them as they love with Jesus.