Why do we love?

1 John 4:7-21
7 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9 In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. 10 In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 12 No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us.
13 By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. 14 And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. 15 Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. 16 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. 17 By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because as he is so also are we in this world. 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.

This is a powerful passage of Scripture that speaks to the essence of Christian love. In these verses, John teaches that love is the defining characteristic of true Christianity and that God is the source and essence of this love.
The passage begins with John urging his readers to love one another, for love comes from God. John asserts that everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God, while those who do not love do not know God, for God is love. This is a bold claim, but one that is foundational to Christian belief. Love is not just a nice sentiment or a feeling, but rather the very nature of God Himself.
John goes on to describe the ultimate demonstration of God's love - sending His only Son into the world to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins. This act of love is the ultimate proof of God's love for us, and the reason we can love one another.
John then makes an important point about fear. He writes, "There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love." Fear and love are incompatible. When we live in fear, we are not experiencing the fullness of God's love. It is only when we trust in God's love that we can be free from fear.
The passage concludes with a powerful exhortation to love one another. John writes, "And he has given us this command: Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister." Love is not just a suggestion or a preference, but a commandment from God Himself. As followers of Jesus, we are called to love one another, not just in word, but in deed and truth.
In summary, 1 John 4:7-21 is a powerful reminder of the centrality of love in the Christian faith. Love is not just an emotion, but the very nature of God Himself. When we love one another, we are demonstrating our knowledge of and connection to God. We are also fulfilling the commandment that God has given us. As we seek to live lives of love, may we be continually reminded of God's great love for us and the ultimate sacrifice that He made for us on the cross.