By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. 14 And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. 15 Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. 16 So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. 17 By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because as he is so also are we in this world. 18 There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. 19 We love because he first loved us. 20 If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. 21 And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother. —1 John 4:13–21
You Can Know, Beyond Any Doubt, That You Have a
with God.
How can you know you have a relationship with God? John points out two things that give you confidence.
Believers are
Believers
“Our love for God must be visible in our love for others; otherwise, it is inauthentic.” —Chuck Swindoll
Genuine love isn’t cheap, it is expressed, and it requires
And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. 38 This is the great and first commandment. 39 And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. —Matthew 22:37–39
Why is it hard to love?
If there is an absence of love for others the most obvious answer from God’s Word is, you’re not
If there is inconsistent love for others, you have likely
Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven—for she loved much. But he who is forgiven little, loves little.” —Luke 7:47
But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— 6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus —Ephesians 2:4–7.
When you love others, you’ll know it—and so will
You Can Know, Beyond Any Doubt, That You Have a Relationship with God.