Too many people today and, really, too many Christians don’t truly understand what it means to love; too many of us don’t truly understand God’s love for us nor how to love as we are called to love in Scripture.  That’s why John spends so much time addressing the issue of love here: he has stated that love is the hallmark of the life of the true believer, so he wants to make sure that his readers know what love truly is.  So, let’s turn our attention to the passage and what John is teaching us there about true, Godly love.