The Gospel Project® for Adults

POINT 1 THE NATURE OF LOVE (1 JOHN 4:7-10)

7 Dear friends, let us love one another,
because love is from God,
and everyone who loves has been born of God
and knows God.
8 The one who does not love does not know God,
because God is love.
9 God’s love was revealed among us
in this way: God sent his one and only Son
into the world so that we might live through him.
10 Love consists in this:
not that we loved God,
but that he loved us and sent his Son
to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins.

Explain:

Verses 7-8 highlight the key doctrine

Key Doctrine #13:

God Is Love:

To say that God is love
is to say that God is the essence of love,
or that perfect love both resides and resonates within God Himself—
one God in three Persons.
The imperfect love that human beings share between one another
is a dim reflection,
a sign that points to the perfect love
that resides within God.
The greatest act of love by God toward humans
isn’t the giving of earthly goods
but the giving of Himself in Christ
so that we might become reconciled to Him.

Discuss:

• Call attention to the Bible passage on Pack Item 11:
• God Is Love; then ask:
• How does the Bible’s description of love contrast with the world’s view of love?
• (in the Bible, love is from God;
• in the world, love is from you and your heart;
• in the Bible, God is love;
• in the world, anything can be love;
• in the Bible, if you don’t love, you don’t know God;
• in the world, if you don’t love, you just need to talk it out;
• in the Bible, love means sacrificing and putting others above yourself;
• in the world, love sometimes can be self-serving)

Explain:

Verses 9-10 (the bold words fill in blanks

Love is best exemplified by God’s sending His Son
as a sacrifice for us
that we may know God’s love and learn to love others sacrificially.

Discuss:

• What are some ways people can misunderstand God’s love?
• (using God’s love as a license to sin;
• thinking they must earn God’s love;
• thinking God could never love them;
• thinking they could lose God’s love)

Transition:

The nature of God’s love calls us to love one another.
Because God gave of Himself in sending the Son,
Jesus Christ, into the world so that we might have life,
we must love one another in a way
that reflects this greatest gift of God.

PROPITIATION

The act of averting or appeasing God’s wrath,
specifically through Christ’s death on the cross.
Because God is holy, sin must be dealt with.
Because God is loving, He Himself provided an atoning sacrifice
in His Son, Jesus, to cover sin
and turn away His anger. 1