Verses to review today: 1 John 3:1-4:15
New Verse: 1 John 4:16

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So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. (ESV)

And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him. (KJV)

Greek: καὶ ἡμεῖς ἐγνώκαμεν καὶ πεπιστεύκαμεν τὴν ἀγάπην ἣν ἔχει ὁ θεὸς ἐν ἡμῖν. Ὁ θεὸς ἀγάπη ἐστίν, καὶ ὁ μένων ἐν τῇ ἀγάπῃ ἐν τῷ θεῷ μένει καὶ ὁ θεὸς ἐν αὐτῷ μένει.

Transliterated Greek: kai hēmeis egnōkamen kai pepisteukamen tēn agapēn hēn echei ho theos en hēmin. HO theos agapē estin, kai ho menōn en tē agapē en tō theō menei kai ho theos en autō menei.

Literal Word for Word Translation: and we have come to know and have believed the love that God has in us. God is love, and the one who resides in love resides in God and God resides in him.

Vocab: ἐγνώκαμεν, egnōkamen, we have come to know; πεπιστεύκαμεν, pepisteukamen, we have believed.

Commentary: This the second verse that states, “God is love.” Clearly, knowing God is all about knowing true love. No one can know God and not abide in love. The first characteristics of the fruit of the Spirit in Gal 5:22-23, is love. All of the other characteristics of the Spirit: joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control, are all related to love. Self-control might seem to not quite be the same, but love drives our obedience and thus drives our self-control.