The Test of Love - Part 1

Today's exposition of 1 John 2:7-8 begins to take us deep into the heart of what it means to truly love as believers. We discover that love isn't just a feeling or a nice sentiment—it's the very blueprint of God's design for all creation. The message reveals how this command to love is both ancient and revolutionary: ancient because it flows from God's eternal character and was woven into the fabric of the Old Testament law, yet new because Christ demonstrated it in technicolor through His life, death, and resurrection. We're challenged to examine whether our lives bear the marks of genuine divine love—a love characterized by humility, selfless sacrifice, and an unlimited reach that extends even to those who oppose us. The most encouraging truth is that this isn't something we manufacture on our own; God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, actively transforming us from the inside out. The darkness of our world is actually fading as Christ's light shines brighter through each saved soul and every maturing believer. This isn't about perfection but direction—are we moving incrementally away from self-centeredness and toward God and others? The local church becomes the divine testing ground where our love is refined, especially when we're called to love difficult people. This message strips away our comfortable illusions about love and confronts us with the costly, beautiful reality of what it means to walk as Christ walked.