18 There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. 19 We love because he first loved us. 20 If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. 21 And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother.
1 John4:18-21
Imitation is a word sometimes used negatively, but it is an important process in learning. Many of the things we learned are through imitation. When you were young you imitate adults. When you become older you learn from your role models.
After we believed in God, there is a very important role model for us to learn from, God Himself. That is why knowing God is important, if you do not know Him, how can you imitate Him.
Throughout his epistle, John has shown us Who God is like. Among His attributes, the most important one is love. His love is a personal but also a general one. He loves me but He also loves the world. As His children, we imitate our Father. We love other people, especially those who are fellow believers. It may not be easy to love others, but like the Father Who has gone through many troubles and sacrifices to love us, so should we.
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