Love for All Sentient Beings — A Reflection on 1 John 4:7. Dr Chapman Chen

“Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.” (1 John 4:7)

This verse presents love not as a feeling but as evidence of spiritual rebirth. To “know God” is not defined by correct doctrine, ritual observance, or religious identity, but by the active expression of love that reflects God’s own nature. Since the epistle goes on to say that “God is love” (4:8), love is not merely something God does — it is what God is. Those born of God, therefore, are called to embody a love shaped by His character.

The question that follows is: how wide is this love meant to reach?

1. Divine Love is Non-Selective

John’s logic is theological, not tribal. Love originates in God and flows through those who share His life. Scripture consistently portrays God as Creator and sustainer of all living beings, whose “tender mercies are over all His works” (Psalm 145:9). If divine love is the source and model of our love, then it cannot be narrow, selective, or based purely on human convenience. It must, in some measure, resemble the Creator’s compassionate regard for all that He has made.

2. Love as Compassion in Daily Choices

To be “born of God” implies a transformation of nature. A person no longer lives primarily by appetite, habit, or cultural custom, but by self-giving love revealed in Christ. That love is protective rather than exploitative, life-honouring rather than life-taking. It seeks the good of the vulnerable and refuses to benefit from suffering that can be avoided. In this light, love becomes not only interpersonal kindness but a way of living that seeks to reduce harm and embody compassion in daily choices.

3. Divine Love Covers Animals

This invites believers to reflect on how their patterns of consumption and lifestyle affect the defenceless — including the non-human creatures who share in God’s creation and are capable of suffering. Choosing ways of living that avoid unnecessary harm and exploitation can be understood as one practical expression of being “born of God”: a consistent outworking of love that mirrors the gentleness and care of the Creator.

4. John’s Test

John’s test is simple but searching: those who truly know God will love in a way that reflects God’s character. Where compassion widens, where mercy becomes more consistent, the family resemblance to the God of love grows clearer. Thus, 1 John 4:7 calls believers to a love that is not abstract, not selective, not confined to words, and not reserved just for kinsfolk or fellow humans, but expressed through compassionate living — for the measure of our love reveals the depth of our knowledge of God.  #VeganChrist #VeganGod  #VeganTheology #VeganChurch

Full Text: https://www.vegantheology.net/post/love-for-all-sentient-beings-a-reflection-on-1-john-4-7-dr-chapman-chen