I John 4:12 “No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us. 13 Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit.”
To “love one another”; is to have evidence that “God dwelleth in us”. It is evident to us personally when we feel its glorious presence within us. But, that “love” reaches its pinnacle point (“perfected” or fullest) when we show this God-given “love” to “one another”. Paul, in part, describes the practical application of this blessed “love” this way: “Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: 32 And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.” (Ephesians 4:31-32) and “Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering; 13 Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye. 14 And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness. 15 And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful.” (Colossians 3:12-15). John illustrates this “love” with this question, “But whoso hath this world’s good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?” (I John 3:17). The point is, the outward evidence that we have God’s “love” within us is that we express our “love” to “one another” by speaking of our “love” for “one another”, by encouraging “one another”, by helping “one another”, by sharing with “one another”, by rejoicing with “one another”, by uplifting “one another”, by overlooking the incidental failings in “one another”, by standing along “one another” in times of trouble and sickness, and by worshiping with “one another”. To have the “love” of God within us, is to want to and strive with all diligence, to show our love to “one another”. Furthermore, this blessed “love” in action is what positively identifies us as Children of God; as our Lord tells us, “By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.” (John 13:35).