Knowing God Through Love (1 John 4:7-11)

Beloved,

There’s a question I want you to really wrestle with—not just intellectually, but personally:

How do you know that you truly know God?

• Not how long you’ve been in church.
• Not how much Scripture you can quote.
• Not how involved you are in ministry.

But how do you know that you know Him?

In a world filled with confusion, deception, and competing voices, this question rises to the
surface for many believers. It’s not just about doctrine in the mind, but transformation in the
heart.

In 1 John 4:7–11, we are brought face-to-face with a simple yet profound truth: the clearest
evidence that we know God is not what we say, but how we love.

Not perfectly. Not flawlessly. But genuinely—supernaturally—you love.

The apostle John writes:

This is not a suggestion—it is a defining mark of genuine Christianity. Love is not presented as an optional characteristic for especially mature believers. It is the evidence of new birth.

Before you came to Christ, the Bible says you were dead in your trespasses and sins. That means spiritually dead—separated from God, unable to respond to Him, and unable to love the way He loves.

You may have cared about people. You may have even sacrificed at times. But the kind of love that comes from God—the kind that is selfless, sacrificial, and unconditional—that wasn’t natural to you.

It wasn’t natural to me either.

But when you were born again—when you placed your faith in Jesus Christ—God didn’t just
forgive your sins. He gave you His Spirit.

And something changed.

Now there’s this tension inside of you. The flesh is still there, still selfish, still wanting its way— but now there’s something deeper. There’s a new desire.

• A desire to love people.
• A desire to serve.
• A desire to put others before yourself—even when it’s hard.

That doesn’t come from you. That comes from Him.

Love is not something you manufacture—it’s something that reveals that you’ve been made new.

With His Spirit comes a new capacity: the ability to love others in a way that reflects Him.

This means love is not merely learned behavior. It is regeneration on display.

We must not define God by our human understanding of love—we must define love by
God’s nature.

One of the biggest mistakes we can make is trying to define God by our version of love.

We live in a world that talks a lot about love, but very little of it actually reflects God. In today’s culture, “love” is often reduced to feelings, tolerance, or personal preference. But biblical love is not shaped by culture—it is revealed by God Himself.

The Bible doesn’t say, “Love is God.”

John tells us plainly,

That means He defines it.

This does not mean that everything we call “love” is from God. Instead, it means that all true
love originates from Him and reflects His character.

If we want to understand what love truly is, we don’t look inward—we look upward.

And where do we see His love most clearly?

At the cross.

So how has God defined love?

John answers that in one of the most powerful theological statements in Scripture:

Love is not an abstract idea. It is not a vague feeling. It is a historical reality—God sent His Son. This is the heart of the gospel.

Even more striking is verse 10:

Here we see the doctrine of propitiation—that Jesus satisfied the righteous wrath of God on our behalf. This is not sentimental love. This is costly, sacrificial, substitutionary love.

Let that settle in for a moment.

• God didn’t wait for you to get your life together.
• He didn’t love you because you were lovable.
• He loved you when you were at your worst, while you were a sinner—rebellious, broken, and undeserving.

And He didn’t just say it—He proved it.

He sent His Son.

Jesus Christ came into this world, lived the life you couldn’t live, and died the death you
deserved to die. And on that cross, He became the propitiation for your sins—He satisfied the righteous wrath of God on your behalf.

That’s love. Not words. Not feelings.

Sacrifice.

This is the kind of love that defines Christianity.

Now here’s where it becomes practical.

A lot of us try to love better by trying harder. But the truth is, you will never sustain real, godly love by effort alone.

The key to loving others is this: you must first receive the love of God deeply and personally.

We learn to love not by trying harder, but by receiving more deeply.

If we try to produce love in our own strength, we will quickly run dry. Our natural tendency is selfishness. We protect ourselves. We prioritize our comfort. We love when it’s easy—and
withdraw when it’s costly.

But when we meditate on the love God has shown us in Christ, something begins to change.

• When we remember that we were forgiven, we become more forgiving.
• When we remember that we were pursued, we become more willing to pursue others.
• When we remember that we were loved at our worst, we become more patient with others at theirs.

Love flows best from a heart that is continually overwhelmed by the gospel.

Let me be honest with you—love is easy when everything is going well.

• It’s easy to love people who treat you right.
• It’s easy to love people you get along with.
• It’s easy to love when it costs you nothing.

But that’s not where love is proven.

Biblical love is most clearly revealed in difficulty.

The true test of your love is not how you respond when people treat you well—but how you
respond when they don’t.

• When someone speaks harshly—do you respond with grace?
• When someone overlooks us—do you still serve them?
• When someone frustrates us—do you remain patient?

These are the moments where the Spirit of God produces something supernatural in us. Because loving difficult people is not natural—it is evidence of divine life within us.

Jesus said something powerful:

Notice what He did not say.

He didn’t say people will know we are His disciples by our knowledge, our programs, or even our passion. Those things matter—but they are not the defining mark.

The defining mark is love.

This means that our theology must lead to transformation. Sound doctrine should not make us cold or prideful—it should make us more like Christ.

If our understanding of God does not produce love, then we have misunderstood God.

John brings it all together with a clear application:

This is not optional. It is our calling.

But this kind of love does not happen accidentally. It requires intentionality.

It means:

• Slowing down enough to truly see people
• Being sensitive to the Spirit in conversations
• Choosing to engage, even when it’s inconvenient
• Serving others, even when it costs us something

It may even mean stepping outside of our comfort zones—talking to people we wouldn’t
naturally gravitate toward, investing in relationships that require effort, and choosing presence over preference.

Because love is not about what is easy—it is about what reflects Christ.

Perhaps the most powerful takeaway is not just what we learn—but how we respond.

The disciples once asked Jesus, “Lord, teach us to pray.”

Maybe your prayer today should be:


Teach me to love:

• When I don’t want to do it
• When I’m tired
• When I’m frustrated
• When I’m overlooked
• When it’s inconvenient
• When it costs me something

Because this is where discipleship becomes real. This is where theology becomes life. This is where the world begins to see Jesus in us.

If you feel like you struggle with love—you’re not alone. Every believer does. But that struggle is not a sign of failure—it’s an invitation.

An invitation to draw closer to Christ.

Because the more you abide in Him, the more His love is formed in you. And as His love is perfected in you, you begin to reflect Him more clearly to the world around you.

So today, don’t just aim to know about God.

Ask Him to transform you so that your life becomes living evidence that you truly know Him.

And the evidence that you truly know Him… is that you love.

And when you love like Jesus, you show the world who Jesus is.