💜 Love at the Center: Understanding 1 John 4:7–10

“Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love. By this the love of God was manifested in us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world so 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.” — 1 John 4:7–10

1. The Command: Love One Another

John begins with a tender word—Beloved—before calling us to love one another. This is more than a suggestion; it’s the defining trait of Christian life. Love here isn’t reduced to warm feelings or fleeting affection—it’s active, deliberate, and self-giving. It’s the choice to seek another’s good even when it costs us something.

2. The Source: Love Comes from God

John doesn’t say love merely reflects God; he says love is from God. This means:

• God is the origin of love. We can’t manufacture it on our own.
• Genuine love is evidence of spiritual birth and a true relationship with God.
• Where love is absent, intimacy with God is also absent.

When we love, we are participating in the very nature of God.

3. The Definition: God Is Love

“God is love” is one of the shortest yet deepest theological statements in Scripture. It doesn’t mean God is only love—He is also holy, just, and wise—but love is at the core of His being. Everything He does is an expression of love, even His discipline and correction.

4. The Proof: Love Manifested in Jesus

John points to the ultimate demonstration: God sent His only Son into the world so that we could live. This is not love in theory; it’s love in flesh and blood, in nail-pierced hands and a crown of thorns. Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection are God’s visible “I love you” to humanity.

5. The Priority: God Loved First

Love didn’t begin with us reaching toward God. It began with God reaching toward us. Before we could ever desire Him, He already desired us. Before we could ever respond in faith, He had already given the greatest gift—His Son—as the atoning sacrifice for our sins.

6. The Challenge for Us Today

In a world quick to divide, label, and dismiss, 1 John 4:7–10 calls us to live differently. To forgive even when wronged. To show kindness when ignored. To act with generosity when it’s inconvenient. This kind of love doesn’t come naturally—it flows from time spent with God, being transformed by His Spirit.

🕊 Closing Thought:
When we love as God loves, we are not just obeying a command—we are revealing God’s heart to the world. Our love becomes the evidence of His presence in us. The question for each of us is: If love is the proof, can others see God in me?

Galatians 3:28 reads:

“There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” (ESV)

Paul’s point here is not that social, cultural, or biological distinctions vanish when someone becomes a Christian — rather, it’s that those distinctions no longer determine a person’s value, access to God, or membership in God’s family.

Here’s the meaning broken down:

1. Context in Galatians
   • Paul is arguing against the idea that Gentile believers must follow the Jewish law (especially circumcision) to be fully accepted by God.
   • He emphasizes that faith in Christ — not ethnicity, status, or gender — is what makes someone a full heir of God’s promises.
2. “Neither Jew nor Greek”
   • Ethnic or cultural background does not give one person a higher spiritual standing than another.
   • In Christ, both Jews and Gentiles are equally part of God’s covenant family.
3. “Neither slave nor free”
   • Social class, economic position, or legal status does not affect one’s standing before God.
   • In the Christian community, a slave could stand side-by-side with a free person as a brother or sister in Christ.
4. “No male and female”
   • Gender does not determine spiritual worth or access to salvation.
   • Men and women are equally called, equally gifted, and equally heirs in Christ.
   • Paul isn’t denying that men and women exist, but he is removing hierarchy in spiritual worth.
5. “For you are all one in Christ Jesus”
   • The ground at the foot of the cross is level.
   • Unity in Christ transcends the old divisions that society used to enforce.

In essence, Galatians 3:28 is about radical equality in the Gospel: nothing about your ethnicity, social standing, or gender can make God love you more or less, nor can it qualify or disqualify you from His promises.

How does this apply to LGBT?

If we take Galatians 3:28 seriously in its spirit, then its principle speaks powerfully to the question of LGBT inclusion in the Christian community.

Paul’s statement is a sweeping declaration that in Christ, no human category—ethnic, social, or gender-related—can be used as a barrier to belonging. While he didn’t directly mention sexual orientation or gender identity (terms not part of his cultural vocabulary), the underlying theological principle can still apply.

Here’s how:

1. Radical Equality in Christ

• In Paul’s day, the biggest divisions in the church were ethnic (Jew/Greek), social (slave/free), and gender (male/female).
• Today, one of the most divisive questions in the church revolves around sexuality and gender identity.
• By analogy, Paul’s argument means: If you are in Christ, these categories do not determine whether you are fully accepted as part of God’s people.

2. Identity in Christ is Primary

• Paul’s focus is not on erasing differences but on removing them as status markers in the kingdom of God.
• For an LGBT person, this means their value, worth, and spiritual calling are not diminished by their orientation or identity—those are not barriers to being “one in Christ.”

3. A Model for Inclusion

• The early church had to make a radical cultural leap to welcome Gentiles without demanding they first become Jews.
• Many affirming theologians argue that this sets a precedent: the church should not require LGBT people to erase or deny core aspects of themselves in order to be welcomed into full fellowship.

4. The Unity Paul Envisions

• This unity doesn’t mean uniformity. It means the church is called to live in a community where diversity—whether in ethnicity, gender, or sexuality—is embraced without hierarchy.
• Under this lens, LGBT Christians are not “second-class” believers; they are equally heirs of the promises.

💡 In short:
If Galatians 3:28 were written today in the same spirit, Paul might have said:

“There is neither gay nor straight, neither transgender nor cisgender, neither queer nor hetero, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”

That doesn’t mean all churches accept this application—but it is a faithful extension of Paul’s principle if we read it through the lens of grace, equality, and the tearing down of dividing walls.

This morning, during my quiet prayer time, I came across a hymn that spoke directly to a deep place in my soul. “Day by Day” by Karoline Sandell-Berg is more than just a beautiful piece of music—it is a profound reminder of how God’s love sustains us, even when life feels confusing, lonely, or uncertain.

In a moment of reflection, as I pondered the questions I often carry—Why am I alone? Why don’t I have a partner or husband? Where do I fit in this wide world?—this hymn gently answered.

A Hymn Born from Grief

Karoline Sandell-Berg, a Swedish hymnwriter, experienced great sorrow early in life. At just 26 years old, she watched her beloved father drown during a boat trip. Out of this tragedy came one of the most tender hymns ever written—a song of trust, surrender, and quiet faith.

“Day by day and with each passing moment,
Strength I find to meet my trials here…”

These opening lines are not poetic escape—they are a declaration of faith. Not in our own strength, but in the strength God gives each day—just enough for what we need.

The Answer Hidden in the Words

As I sat with the hymn, I heard a truth that I needed:
God does not promise all the answers at once. He promises His presence day by day. When I long for love, companionship, or a clearer sense of purpose, I am reminded that what God gives is not random. It is what Karoline calls:

“The Father’s wise bestowment.”

I may not understand why I walk this journey alone, but I am not unloved. I am not unseen. What I experience is not absence—it is invitation. An invitation to discover that even in solitude, I am never without God.

Loneliness, Held in Love

“He whose heart is kind beyond all measure
Gives unto each day what He deems best…”

There are days when the loneliness is heavy. Days when silence echoes too loudly. But this hymn does not deny that weight—it holds it tenderly. And then it offers hope.

This hope is not that things will suddenly change, but that each day will come with enough grace to carry us through. That the God whose heart is kind beyond all measure will not fail to provide what is needed—whether comfort, strength, or the faith to keep walking.

A Refrain for the Soul

“Day by Day” reminds me that I am not forgotten. Even without a partner, I belong—to God, to the body of Christ, and to myself. My story is not on hold. It is unfolding under the care of a loving God.

“Help me then in every tribulation
So to trust Thy promises, O Lord,
That I lose not faith’s sweet consolation
Offered me within Thy holy Word.”

These words have become my prayer.

Final Thoughts

This hymn is a spiritual roadmap for those of us traveling unfamiliar roads. It reminds us to trust in divine timing, to rest in the daily provision of God, and to believe that love is always present—even if it does not arrive in the ways we imagined.

So today, I choose to live day by day.
I choose to trust.
I choose to believe that I am held.
And for today, that is enough.

The News reports are depressing. The pictures of children starving in Gaza are inhumane. The destruction of property and the killing of innocent people in Ukraine and Gaza due to war are inexcusable. The establishment of a whites-only community in Missouri is disgusting. The flood deaths in Texas are beyond belief. The number of senior adults in America living in poverty….we could go on.

Paul writes in Ephesians 6 “This is no weekend war that we’ll walk away from and forget about in a couple of hours. This is for keeps, a life-or-death fight to the finish…” (The Message)

We are in the same place that those before us faced. We are dealing with powers that control us: political, economic, and religious. They determine what is legal and illegal. They determine what we will pay for things that meet our needs, and they seek to tell us what GOD wants. They can be forces of good or forces that destroy, abuse, misuse, and kill.

Paul writes in Ephesians 6 (The Message) , “^13-18 Be prepared. You’re up against far more than you can handle on your own. Take all the help you can get, every weapon God has issued, so that when it’s all over but the shouting you’ll still be on your feet.”

The news makes us feel so helpless, but Paul reminds us to use every weapon that God has issued. Paul lists the following weapons:

1. Truth, righteousness, peace, faith, and salvation are more than words. Learn how to apply them. You’ll need them throughout your life.
2. God’s Word is an indispensable weapon.
3. In the same way, prayer is essential in this ongoing warfare. Pray hard and long. Pray for your brothers and sisters.
4. Keep your eyes open.
5. Keep each other’s spirits up so that no one falls behind or drops out.

What great advice!!! Hang in there!!!

¹⁸ But God shows his anger from heaven against all sinful, wicked people who suppress the truth by their wickedness.^{[i] 19} They know the truth about God because he has made it obvious to them. ²⁰ For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God.” Romans 1:18-20

What a crazy time to live in the United States of America! I thought I had seen it all as a child growing up in Mississippi with churches burned, lynchings, and segregation. 60 years later, I see something worse. I see what Paul writes about in Romans 1.

The Gospel or the good news of the New Testament that Jesus practiced is summed up in Ephesians 2, which tells us our relationship with God comes from God’s grace, not from obedience to the law. How can you claim to be a Christian (claim to be a follower of Jesus) and not understand Matthew 25, which tells us how we will be judged?

Paul writes in Galatians 5:1 “So Christ has truly set us free. Now make sure that you stay free, and don’t get tied up again in slavery to the law.” Christ sets us free from the demands of the law so we can learn how to love God and love our neighbor as ourselves. Jesus defined our neighbor in the parable of the Good Samaritan. The Good Samaritan was considered unclean or a migrant, an illegal immigrant under the law, but he helped a Jew who would have been declared unclean by the law for touching an unclean person.

Jesus condemned the religious leaders of his day, “Blind guides! You strain your water so you won’t accidentally swallow a gnat, but you swallow a camel!” (Matthew 23:24). We are so worried about illegal immigrants that we deny assistance to those who have medical needs, are hungry, and homeless. No doubt there is waste in government. It begins at the top with our current leadership, who make laws that benefit themselves and their views rather than what is best for all the people.

My prayer is for all of us who have chosen to follow this path. May God open our eyes to see the error or our way for allowing this to continue. We need Grace, not law. We need mercy not punishment. May God have mercy on us and all those who have already suffering from this path of destruction.

Christians call the Spiritual being God. Muslims refer to their Spiritual being as Allah. Christianity and Islam are the two largest religions in the world. Religious people are spiritual because they take their religion seriously but not all spiritual people are religious. Spiritual people who are not religious do not need a church building or a mosque to connect to God or Allah.

Spiritual people who are not religious do not need a set of beliefs or faith to be spiritual. Spiritual people who are not religious are inquisitive, not judgmental, and practice equality and mutuality. One of the biggest differences between religious and spiritual people centers around what is considered true. For Christians, the source of truth is the Bible. For Muslims, the source of truth is the Quran. Christians believe God reveals God in the words of the Bible. Some Christians believe God stopped revealing God when the Bible was completed.

A nonreligious Spiritual person may encounter God, Allah, or the Great Spirit in a movie, a song, a book, or a walk in the woods. Movies connect me to the invisible, intangible world known as the Spiritual world.

In my seminary ethics class, I was assigned a project entitled, Should the church ordain Gays and Lesbians as pastors and elders.  The professor suggested I should watch a 1994 movie called Priest.  Priest is about a homosexual priest who is in the closet.  A student reveals in the confessional that her father forces her to have sex with him.  The movie is about the struggle the priest has with his own secret and the secret of the incest victim.  The end of the movie is a communion service where two priests are offering communion to the church. All of the church members go to the straight priest.  The only person who gets in line to receive the communion from the gay priest is the incest victim.  I entered the spiritual realm at that moment.  I was forever changed.  My journey took a turn.  Since then, I have found connection to the Spiritual world in music, in art, in others, and yes, in movies.