Neville Goddard on 1 John 4:8 - Mystical Bible Interpretation

Read 1 John 4 in context

Scripture Focus

8He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.

1 John 4:8

Biblical Context

The verse says that to know God is to live in love. God is defined as love itself.

Neville's Inner Vision

God is the living I AM within you, and this verse whispers that love is the very nature of that God. When you withhold love from another, you deny the I AM you claim to know; you mistake God for a distance, external power. God is not afar; God is awareness here and now, and that awareness expresses as love in every moment. If you would know God, cultivate the state of love in your own being. Your inner posture of kindness, mercy, and forgiving understanding becomes the ceremony by which the world is transfigured. The world does not summon God; you awaken to God by awakening to love within. The 'not loving' condition is a misrecognition of your I AM. When you assume love is your natural state, you prove your oneness with God. Practically, revise all thoughts that separate, and replace them with loving intent; let imagination be the instrument by which you rehearse that truth. Remember: God is the constant, unchanging love behind every moment, and you are that love made visible.

Practice This Now

Close your eyes and affirm, 'I AM love in action now.' Then imagine yourself meeting someone with patient, compassionate energy until that feeling becomes real in you.