Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.
Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.
This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through Him.
This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.
Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.
No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.
1 John 4:7–12
At the end of this passage in I John 4, John offers a truth that few of us would debate: No one has ever seen God.
What makes this statement all the more interesting is that the Apostle John (through the Holy Spirit) is the one writing these words. He spent years walking with Jesus, sitting under His teaching, watching His miracles. He saw the Son of God in the flesh. He saw Christ crucified, resurrected, and even ascend into heaven.
And yet, he can boldly declare that no man or woman has ever seen the Father fully—in all His glory, might, majesty, and holiness.
Even Moses was told by God in Exodus 33, “You cannot see my face, because no one can see me and live.”
At first reading, the phrase sticks out like a sore thumb. John is writing about the importance of love, and interjects this statement, “No one has ever seen God.”
But John continues—maybe even providing us with something more remarkable:
“If we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.”
Wow, what an amazing truth. We cannot see God with our eyes—this is true. But we can know He lives within us AND His love can be made complete in us.
Think about that juxtaposition.
Seeing God, face-to-face, is not an option for us (at least not if we want to live). But perhaps something greater is available: that the unseen God whose glory would overcome us can dwell within us, empowering us and making Himself visible to the world through us as His ambassadors.
This is how we know God is real in our lives. This is how His presence becomes undeniable. This is where humanity gets to see God. By our love for one another.
So if you’ve ever wondered, How do I know if God is near? How can I know His will for my life? John tells us exactly how: We choose to love one another.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, thank You for loving me first and showing me perfect love through Your Son, Jesus Christ. May everything I do be a reflection of You. And may I live and love in such a way that Your love is made complete in me. Amen.