1 John 4:13–21 | One of the key themes of 1 John is that true believers
love one another. John has continued to make this point throughout the
letter. And last week, as we studied verses 4:7-12, we saw the simple
command to love one another in light of the audaciously gracious love of
God. And while we can say “Amen” to that with our mouths and understand it
in our heads, the reality is that many of us can struggle with this in one
of two ways. The first struggle is that we can doubt that God can truly
love us like that. And the second struggle is that we can despair that we
are failing at loving others as God loves us. But John does not want us to
despair or to question God’s love for us. He desperately wants to assure us
of God’s love for us and His abiding in us which is evidenced by a
confidence before God and a love for others.