As a child of the One True God, saved by His grace through faith in our Lord and Savior Christ Jesus, I stand in a truth that reshapes everything: God is love, and to know Him is to live in that love. The Apostle John writes with piercing clarity in I John 4:7-11 (NKJV):
“Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God, for God is love. In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.”
This passage is a cornerstone of our faith—a declaration that love is not merely an attribute of God but His very essence. It’s a call to action, a mirror to our souls, and a promise of life through Christ. Across the centuries, godly men like Charles Spurgeon, C.S. Lewis, John Bunyan, and Watchman Nee have echoed this truth in their own unique ways, pointing us back to the heart of God. Let’s explore their wisdom, paired with Scripture, to deepen our understanding of knowing God through love.
Charles Spurgeon: Love’s Divine Source
“If we empty our hearts of self, God will fill them with His love.”
Charles Spurgeon, the “Prince of Preachers,” understood that true love begins when we surrender our pride and self-reliance. God’s love flows into us only when we make room for it, and from that overflow, we can love others. This echoes I John 4:7—“everyone who loves is born of God and knows God”—because love is evidence of God’s transformative work within us.
Confirming Scripture:
“And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him.”
(I John 4:16 NKJV)
When we abide in God’s love, it becomes the wellspring of our lives, proving that we are His.
C.S. Lewis: Love’s Humble Reflection
“To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything and your heart will be wrung and possibly broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact you must give it to no one, not even an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements. Lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness. But in that casket, safe, dark, motionless, airless, it will change. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable. To love is to be vulnerable.”
C.S. Lewis, in The Four Loves, captures the risk and beauty of love—a reflection of God’s own vulnerability in sending His Son. I John 4:9 tells us, “In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world.”
God’s love was not safe or selfish; it was sacrificial, and He calls us to mirror that love, even at the cost of our comfort.
Confirming Scripture:
“Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.”
(John 15:13 NKJV)
Christ’s sacrifice defines love, and our willingness to love others reflects our knowledge of Him.
John Bunyan: Love’s Enduring Strength
“He that rides to be crowned, will not think much of a rainy day.”
John Bunyan, author of The Pilgrim’s Progress, reminds us that love endures through trials. Knowing God through love equips us to face life’s storms, for His love—demonstrated in Christ’s propitiation (I John 4:10)—is our crown and our strength. Bunyan’s words encourage us to press on, loving others as God has loved us, undeterred by hardship.
Confirming Scripture:
“And hope does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.”
(Romans 5:5 NIV)
God’s love sustains us, turning rainy days into testimonies of His grace.
Watchman Nee: Love’s Living Witness
“Our love to God is not a matter of words or feelings, but of deeds that prove we know Him.”
Watchman Nee, a Chinese church leader and teacher, emphasizes that love is active. I John 4:11 says, “Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.” To know God is to live out His love in tangible ways—deeds that testify to His presence in us. Nee’s insight challenges us to move beyond sentiment into action, proving our faith through love.
Confirming Scripture:
“But whoever has this world’s goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him? My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth.”
(I John 3:17-18 NKJV)
True knowledge of God’s love compels us to act, revealing Him to the world.
A Truth That Reshapes Everything
These voices from history converge on the truth of I John 4:7-11: God’s love is the source, the example, and the command for our lives. Spurgeon shows us its divine origin, Lewis its sacrificial nature, Bunyan its resilience, and Nee its practical outworking. Together, they affirm that to know God is to love as He loves—because He first loved us.
As I stand in this truth, saved by grace through faith, I’m reminded that love is not optional for the believer. It’s the mark of being born of God, the evidence of knowing Him. So, beloved, let us love one another—not out of duty, but out of the overflow of His love poured into us through Christ. In this, we live, we know God, and we make Him known.
What’s your next step in living out God’s love today? Share your thoughts below—I’d love to hear how this truth is reshaping your life too.
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