We have focused on two simple, but profound statements: God is love and God is light. Let us now develop this theme more fully, beginning with a passage from 1 John 4:16:
“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.” (NKJV)
The NIV says:
“And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him.”
It is one thing to know intellectually, theoretically – maybe out of Scripture or out of a sermon about the love of God – but it is something quite different to believe it or, as the NIV says, 'to rely on it'. I want to make it clear to you that there’s a step beyond knowing – it’s believing or relying on. It’s in a sense 'casting yourself upon'. It means, in a sense, 'taking a risk'. You really believe that God loves you so you commit yourself to Him without reservation. You’d never do that if you didn’t trust in His love. If you want to analyse everything and work everything out in advance, then you’ll never take this step of commitment – of total yielding to God, of putting yourself without reservation in His hands, of relying on Him, trusting Him to do whatever He wants – no strings attached, no conditions.
You see, that is how God initially loved you and me, and He brings us to a point where He wants the same kind of response from Him – no strings attached, no conditions, no reservations. It’s not just knowing. It’s believing in a sense of relying on, committing ourselves to, accepting for real what God says, what the Bible says about God – that God is love.
In 1 John 4:18, John says:
“There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love.” (NKJV)
There comes a point where, if we let fear dictate to us, it will hold us back from surrender to God’s love. I think there are so many people who know about God’s love but they’ve never relied on it. They’ve never stepped out in faith and said, "God, here I am. Take me the way I am, make me what You want me to be. I lay down no preconditions. I make no reservations. Here it is. This is my response to Your love. Your love was unconditional, no strings attached. My response is myself – unconditional, no strings attached. You have me, God. Do what You will with me. I’m Yours."
For reflection and prayer
Do I really rely on God's love?
