Is Love Enough?

 Love as a Watermark of Birth

This birth, "becoming sons of God" is characterized by love for one's brothers:

1Jn 4:7  Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God.

Of God (ek tou theou). Even human love comes from God, “a reflection of something in the Divine nature itself” (Brooke). John repeats the old commandment of 1Jn_2:7. Persistence in loving (present tense agapōmen indicative and agapōn participle) is proof that one “has been begotten of God” (ek tou theou gegennētai as in 1Jn_2:29) and is acquainted with God. Otherwise mere claim to loving God accompanied by hating one’s brother is a lie (1 Jn_2:9-11). -RWP

I've seen this verse tossed around a good bit by marginally aware Christians.  My gut is that they are drawn to the part about "whoever loves has been born of God and knows God."   The quick conclusion could be "Great, I love people, got it all covered.  Love people, love God," as if this were a qualification of eternal life in Heaven apart from belief in Christ. 

However, reading the commentary above, it seems the love is evidence, not cause of relationship.   And it is "persistence is loving," a bit more demanding.  What does he mean here?  I don't feel like wrestling with John this morning, but suspect that's where this is headed.

The philosophy of the true knowledge of God. “Everyone that loveth, knoweth God.” Not in creeds but through love shall come true knowledge of God. -B.J. Snell, BI

The BKC rightly points to the larger context of this conclusion--the continuance of this thought which was introduced in 1 John 2:

"And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments.
Whoever says “I know him” but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him: whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked."   1 John 2:3-6

Notice that casual Christians do not pull this verse often, but I think it's significant that knowing Him is also linked to keeping His commandments.  Also, notice that the knowing is followed by the commandment keeping, not evidenced by.   Further powerful is the connection in the next verse that "whoever keeps His word, in him truly the love of God is perfected."

So, now we have this order:

1. It starts with knowing God.
2. This knowing is evidenced by keeping His commandments--with the strong qualification that a person is a liar if they say they know God and do not keep his commandments.
3. Most beautifully---"whoever keeps his word, in him him truly the love of God is perfected."

Clearly the following of the commandments and the love are evidences of the "knowing God" and not the other way around.  This frees both the legalists and the humanists.   The legalists are free to follow the commands as a result of the knowing, not in order to know.  The humanists are free to love incompletely because the love is a result of the relationship and not another form of works.

Some further insights from the BKC:

Love stems from a regenerate nature and also from fellowship with God which issues in knowing Him (see 1Jn_2:3-5). The absence of love is evidence that a person does not know God. Significantly, John did not say such a person is not born of God. In the negative statement only the last part of the positive one (in 1Jn_4:7) is repeated. Since God is love, intimate acquaintance with Him will produce love. Like light (1Jn_1:5), love is intrinsic to the character and nature of God, and one who is intimately acquainted with God walks in His light (1Jn_1:7).