Ep 909 - Sanctification – 1 John 4:13-21

Love one another. We’re all familiar with those words, but do we live them out in real life? If so, are we guilty of pre-determining who the “other” is referring to? Do we tend to make our own list of who we want to love, conveniently leaving off all those we find unlovable or simply unlovely? A big part of the doctrine of sanctification is learning to allow the love that God shows us, to not dead-end on us. In other words, He loved us so that we might love others. And Jesus commanded that we love others in the same way that He loved us: Selflessly and sacrificially. Jesus didn’t love as long as He was loved back. He didn’t withhold His love from those who lacked the capacity to love Him back. In fact, Jesus loved us when we were at our worst. He loved us when we were mired in our sin and lacking any capacity to reciprocate. Love is to be a non-negotiable mark of what it means to be a Christ-follower. We love because He first loved us. And we love because His love resides within us and must flow out from us.