Love: A Command to Live, Not Just to Say 

“Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love” (1 John 4:7-8 ESV).

Many admonish us to “love.” Social media memes and posts amplify the need for love—often sharing quotes and hashtags like #LoveWins or #SpreadKindness. 

While these messages are inspiring, they sometimes oversimplify the effort required to “truly” love others. We certainly could benefit from more love than hate in a hate-filled world.

The message to love one another isn’t new. We’ve heard it before. We can all join the chorus singing, “What the world needs now is love, sweet love.” Singing or talking about our need for love can be an easy way to acknowledge the idea without addressing how our behavior often fails to reflect it.  

However, loving others isn’t as simplistic as it sounds in a society filled with disputes, disagreements, contentions, and controversies.

My parents told me the story of my older sister (who, at the time, was young). She was arguing with one of her friends. My father said: “We’re required to love our enemies.” With her hands on her hips, she replied: “I’d much rather hit her than love her!”

Hopefully, we have learned how to avoid employing physical violence to resolve differences in intense disagreements with others. But I suspect many of us can resonate with the feelings behind my sister’s reply! 

John’s letter reminds us to “love one another.” His audience lived in a contentious environment filled with dissents, divisions, and never-ending disputes. And like today, hate appeared more popular than love. The challenge of this ancient command remains because love demands patience, humility, and selflessness—qualities that often run counter to our natural inclinations and societal pressures. But even John acknowledges this command isn’t new—it’s as old as time.

“Beloved, I am writing you no new commandment but an old commandment that you had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word that you have heard .” – 1 John 2:7.

We’re familiar with this injunction. The problem is that we too often neglect it. Although we should love, we frequently fail to love as we ought.  

We don’t need a new commandment. We need to obey the decree already given—by showing patience when we’re wronged, offering kindness without expecting anything in return, and choosing forgiveness over bitterness.

Much of John’s letter is a warning, and parts of it are rebukes. When we caution or reprimand others, the challenge for any of us is to avoid becoming coldly critical. Without an intentional desire to understand, we can quickly allow our words to scold, demean, and demoralize others. 

In a hate-filled world, we all could benefit by embracing the tone of love demonstrated through John’s warning and rebuke. The accent of John’s voice is love—a lesson every leader, parent, teacher, mentor, and friend must replicate if we are to obey the command to love one another.

Reflect 

• In what ways do you see the idea of “love” oversimplified in society today?
• How can you deepen your understanding of what true love requires?
• How can we practice patience, humility, and selflessness in daily interactions with others, especially during conflicts or disagreements?
• What does it mean to love others with “a tone of” compassion and understanding, especially when offering correction or rebuke? 
• How can we ensure our words reflect love even in challenging situations?