Knowing God Through Love^(A)

^7 (B)Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who ^(C)loves is born of God and knows God. ⁸ He who does not love does not know God, for God is love. ^9 (D)In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten ^(E)Son into the world, that we might live through Him. ¹⁰ In this is love, ^(F)not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son ^(G)to be the propitiation for our sins. ¹¹ Beloved, ^(H)if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.

Seeing God Through Love

^12 (I)No one has seen God at any time. If we love one another, God abides in us, and His love has been perfected in us. ^13 (J)By this we know that we abide in Him, and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit. ¹⁴ And ^(K)we have seen and testify that ^(L)the Father has sent the Son as Savior of the world. ^15 (M)Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. ¹⁶ And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and ^(N)he who abides in love abides in God, and God ^(O)in him.

Love Your Enemies^(A)

⁴³ “You have heard that it was said, ^(B)‘You shall love your neighbor ^(C)and hate your enemy.’ ^44 [a]But I say to you, ^(D)love your enemies, bless those who curse you, ^(E)do good to those who hate you, and pray ^(F)for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, ⁴⁵ that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for ^(G)He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. ^46 (H)For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? ⁴⁷ And if you greet your ^[b]brethren only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the ^[c]tax collectors do so? ^48 (I)Therefore you shall be perfect, just ^(J)as your Father in heaven is perfect.

Christ in Our Place

⁶ For when we were still without strength, ^[a]in due time ^(A)Christ died for the ungodly. ⁷ For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. ⁸ But ^(B)God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. ⁹ Much more then, having now been justified ^(C)by His blood, we shall be saved ^(D)from wrath through Him. ¹⁰ For ^(E)if when we were enemies ^(F)we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved ^(G)by His life. ¹¹ And not only that, but we also ^(H)rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.