DECEMBER 4 "WHOEVER LOVES IS OF GOD, REALLY?"

Whoever Loves is born of God” John writes, he sure did create some conflict when he wrote that. Surely we cannot presume that to mean that whomever loves his wife, his children, his horses, his dog Rover, his classmates, his family…is born of God. Surely that does not mean that the loving Buddhist and Muslim, are born or God? Surely he’s not implying that the atheist who loves his family is born of God? Surely he does not mean that the man who loves his male lover and a few other male lovers, is born of God? What is John talking about, “whoever loves is born of God, are you kidding me? We can only understand this to mean that whoever loves “partakes” in the divine nature of God. Because, as John writes, “God is Love”. In other words, when the atheist loves, who claims there is no God, he/she is actually partaking in the nature of the one he says doesn’t exist. Those that hate God, but yet love their families, ironically hate the one who gives them the ability to love and enjoy their families. And of course, John is actually speaking about a true love that is based on 1 st Loving God and 2 nd loving your brother and sisters in Christ, which he goes on to explain later on and in many of his writings. “If we do not love our brother”, John writes, “we have not the love of God in us” so here he clearly explains what he is really meaning. There are many people who have a great capacity to love and ironically, often that is what keeps them from God. They start to believe in their own goodness. They start to see themselves as very loving, benevolent and caring. And when the Gospel comes to them, that “Jesus Christ died for sinners, of which they are one”, they have a hard time accepting, that they are one. The man who is full of hatred and anger, of course has a much easier time accepting that. However what these men and women will experience down the road is their love is not the “true love” of God. Eventually someone will hurt them, stab them in the back, betray them, there will be infidelity, there will be injustices and violations committed against them and then they will see their love wiped out and replaced with hatred and animosity. Jesus said, “even sinners love those that love them”. True love, is love that stands in the face of injustice and betrayal. True love, comes from one source and one source only, God. “Father forgive them, for they know not what they do”. This is why John writes, “whoever loves, is born of God”.

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