Re: How do we love God ?

The bible is misunderstood by interpreting one verse at a time instead of keeping the verses in context. The first three verses 1 John chapter 5 are talking about loving the CHILDREN of God. It says that IF you REALLY do love God, then you will also love the child (if a person TRULY loves God, they also have love in their heart for their fellow human being, it says "child of God", but we are to show no partiality).

Verse 2 says that "By [doing] THIS" (obeying His commandments), "we love the CHILDREN of God...". Verse 3 says that if we keep His commandments (His commandments are summed in LOVE), we will show EACH OTHER (the children, fellow human beings) the same love that comes from God.

Many Christians like to egotistically think that fellow only believers should be treated with the love of God,...THAT IS WRONG, we are ALL (believer or not) His offspring (children) and we should not discriminate against unbelievers in any way. We are taught that it is okay to think of ourselves as an elite and we learn to feel justified and perfectly comfortable in begrudging our fellow human being our grace. This is not true love. A person cannot truly love God if that person does not ALSO love (human rights respect) their fellow human being, so by following the command-ments that require us to treat our fellow human being properly, we are demonstrating that our love for the creator is genuine.


Verse 3 must be put in the context of verse 1 in order to properly understand the meaning, but, consistent with human nature, we like to INTERPRET (not simply "UNDERSTAND") verses to have a meaning that doesn't conflict with our "CONVENIENCE".

What is considered "moral" in in New York City will not necessarily be considered moral by the Aborigines in Australia. Morals are a man-made code (procedures for being "proper"). Morals and love are not the same, God is love, God is not "morals".

God is NOT "my way or the highway" (only if we have a rebellious attitude and resent His ways and discipline will we think this way, Isaiah 30:1 "Woe to the rebellious CHILDREN"), "God is LOVE". IF I do wrong, I await His correction so that I learn to do "right" (because I love His ways).

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