Why does God lay such heavy emphasis on LOVE in this first letter of John the apostle? Yesterday, we saw that the word ‘love, loved or loves’ occurs 26 times in the last 15 verses of 1Jn 4.
The people of John’s time were idol worshippers, with the exception of the Jews, God’s own chosen people(WE ARE CHOSEN in this day, NEVER FORGET, YOU ARE CHOSEN BY GOD!). Gods like Baal, Molech, Ashtoreth were worshipped out of fear and to appease their anger. That’s why John says, ‘perfect love drives out fear’, God doesn’t want to be worshipped from fear like the false gods. God had revealed His Love nature by sending His Son Jesus to die for men, totally different to the ‘demands for worship’ by demon gods.
The Book of 1John begins by describing this message as the ‘Word of Life’.
That which was from the beginning, which we have heard…seen with our eyes…and our hands have touched — this we proclaim concerning the Word of Life. The life appeared; we have seen it and testified to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us. We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. 1Jn 1:1-3
The Book ends with the words; ‘Dear children(still addresses the people in love), keep yourselves from idols(something we’re told to do)’!
When Moses was a long time up the mountain, the people told Aaron, Moses own brother, to make them a golden calf to worship. Exodus 32 If we fail to worship Yahweh we will worship something else, for example Mammon/money and that idol will not be loving and kind to us. The same with spirits of religion, they want to steal our freedom in the Lord and draw us back into performance oriented religious works.
It’s not about false religion, it’s about relationship with our loving Heavenly Father. Seek first the Kingdom… and all these things will be given unto you.
God bless and keep you this day.