Graham says 1 John 4:7-19 presents an authentic description of love.
Verses 7-8 show us the source of true love. It comes from God and Him alone. Therefore, love is something we cannot experience apart from God.
In verses 9-11 we find God demonstrating true love in that He gave us His only Son.
Verse 10 states it very clear: “In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.”
Verses 12-13 show that true love indwells the believer in the form of the Holy Spirit. If you want to experience what true love is all about, you must have the Holy Spirit dwelling within you.
Similarly, verses 14-16 make it clear that real love demands a response. John encourages us to respond to God’s love by believing in and confessing Him as Lord. When we do that, God Himself will abide in us so that we can experience true love.
And unlike the world’s definition of love, which leaves us searching and wanting, verses 17-18 say, “Love has been perfected among us in this …”. Because of God’s true love for us, we don’t have to fear His judgment, or—for that matter—other people, losing a loved one, or losing a job. Fear is driven away as our eyes are fixed on the One who gave His life for us.