Read the text.

1
1 John 47-21 Beloved, let us love one another,
because love is from God everyone who loves is
born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love
does not know God, for God is love. Gods love
was revealed among us in this way God sent his
only Son into the world so that we might live
through him. In this is love, not that we loved
God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be
the atoning sacrifice for our sins. Beloved,
since God loved us so much, we also ought to love
one another. No one has ever seen God if we love
one another, God lives in us, and his love is
perfected in us. By this we know that we abide in
him and he in us, because he has given us of his
Spirit. And we have seen and do testify that the
Father has sent his Son as the Savior of the
world. God abides in those who confess that Jesus
is the Son of God, and they abide in God. So we
have known and believe the love that God has for
us. God is love, and those who abide in love
abide in God, and God abides in them. Love has
been perfected among us in this that we may have
boldness on the day of judgment, because as he
is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in
love, but perfect love casts out fear for fear
has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has
not reached perfection in love. We love because
he first loved us. Those who say, I love God,
and hate their brothers or sisters, are liars
for those who do not love a brother or sister
whom they have seen, cannot love God whom they
have not seen. The commandment we have from him
is this those who love God must love their
brothers and sisters also.

• Read the text.
• Reflect (prayerfully or otherwise) on what youve
  read for a while.
• Pay attention to whatever comes to mind from your
  reading and reflection.
• Pay attention to any prior expectations you may
  have about the meaning of this text, and open
  them to whatever the text seems to say this time.

2
1 John 47-21 Beloved, let us love one another,
because love is from God everyone who loves is
born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love
does not know God, for God is love. Gods love
was revealed among us in this way God sent his
only Son into the world so that we might live
through him. In this is love, not that we loved
God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be
the atoning sacrifice for our sins. Beloved,
since God loved us so much, we also ought to love
one another. No one has ever seen God if we love
one another, God lives in us, and his love is
perfected in us. By this we know that we abide in
him and he in us, because he has given us of his
Spirit. And we have seen and do testify that the
Father has sent his Son as the Savior of the
world. God abides in those who confess that Jesus
is the Son of God, and they abide in God. So we
have known and believe the love that God has for
us. God is love, and those who abide in love
abide in God, and God abides in them. Love has
been perfected among us in this that we may have
boldness on the day of judgment, because as he
is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in
love, but perfect love casts out fear for fear
has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has
not reached perfection in love. We love because
he first loved us. Those who say, I love God,
and hate their brothers or sisters, are liars
for those who do not love a brother or sister
whom they have seen, cannot love God whom they
have not seen. The commandment we have from him
is this those who love God must love their
brothers and sisters also.

• Now read the text again.
• Pay attention to what might have appealed to you.
• Pay attention to what might have surprised,
  puzzled or bothered you.
• Be honest about what you find, even if you dont
  know how to put it all together.
• Discuss what youre beginning to see with others,
  and listen to what they are beginning to see.

3
1 John 47-21 Beloved, let us love one another,
because love is from God everyone who loves is
born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love
does not know God, for God is love. Gods love
was revealed among us in this way God sent his
only Son into the world so that we might live
through him. In this is love, not that we loved
God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be
the atoning sacrifice for our sins. Beloved,
since God loved us so much, we also ought to love
one another. No one has ever seen God if we love
one another, God lives in us, and his love is
perfected in us. By this we know that we abide in
him and he in us, because he has given us of his
Spirit. And we have seen and do testify that the
Father has sent his Son as the Savior of the
world. God abides in those who confess that Jesus
is the Son of God, and they abide in God. So we
have known and believe the love that God has for
us. God is love, and those who abide in love
abide in God, and God abides in them. Love has
been perfected among us in this that we may have
boldness on the day of judgment, because as he
is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in
love, but perfect love casts out fear for fear
has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has
not reached perfection in love. We love because
he first loved us. Those who say, I love God,
and hate their brothers or sisters, are liars
for those who do not love a brother or sister
whom they have seen, cannot love God whom they
have not seen. The commandment we have from him
is this those who love God must love their
brothers and sisters also.

• Now read the text again.
• Pay attention to its setting as part of a larger
  text or collection of texts.
• Imagine what the original setting for this text
  might have been.
• Imagine how it might have been received by
  different people at different times.
• Explore how different settings might affect how
  you read this text.
• Discuss what youre beginning to see with others,
  and listen to what they are beginning to see.

4
Exodus 346-7 The Lord passed before him, and
proclaimed, The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful
and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in
steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping
steadfast love for the thousandth generation,
forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, yet
by no means clearing the guilty, but visiting the
iniquity of the parents upon the children and the
childrens children, to the third and the fourth
generation. 1 Thessalonians 49b You yourselves
have been taught by God to love one
another. Romans 138-10 Owe no one anything,
except to love one another for the one who loves
another has fulfilled the law. The commandments,
You shall not commit adultery You shall not
murder You shall not steal You shall not
covet and any other commandment, are summed up
in this word, Love your neighbor as yourself.
Love does no wrong to a neighbor therefore, love
is the fulfilling of the law. Mark 1228-31 One
of the scribes came near and heard them disputing
with one another, and seeing that he answered
them well, he asked him, Which commandment is
the first of all? Jesus answered, The first is,
Hear, O Israel the Lord our God, the Lord is
one you shall love the Lord your God with all
your heart, and with all your soul, and with all
your mind, and with all your strength. The
second is this, You shall love your neighbor as
yourself. There is no other commandment greater
than these. John 1334-35 I give you a new
commandment, that you love one another. Just as I
have loved you, you also should love one another.
By this everyone will know that you are my
disciples, if you have love for one another.
5
God is love. Why should we go running round the
heights of the heavens and the depths of the
earth looking for him who is with us if only we
should wish to be with him? Let no one say I
dont know what to love. Let them love their
brothers and sisters, and love that love
Embrace love which is God, and embrace God with
love And if you are full of love, what are you
full of but God? You see the trinity if you see
love Love means someone loving and something
loved with love. There you are with three, the
lover, what is being loved, and love. And what
is love but a kind of life coupling or trying to
couple together two things, namely lover and what
is being loved? This is true even in the most
fleshly kinds of love So here again there are
three, lover and what is being loved, and love.
Augustine, On the Trinity, 8.5.11-14
6
1 John 47-21 Beloved, let us love one another,
because love is from God everyone who loves is
born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love
does not know God, for God is love. Gods love
was revealed among us in this way God sent his
only Son into the world so that we might live
through him. In this is love, not that we loved
God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be
the atoning sacrifice for our sins. Beloved,
since God loved us so much, we also ought to love
one another. No one has ever seen God if we love
one another, God lives in us, and his love is
perfected in us. By this we know that we abide in
him and he in us, because he has given us of his
Spirit. And we have seen and do testify that the
Father has sent his Son as the Savior of the
world. God abides in those who confess that Jesus
is the Son of God, and they abide in God. So we
have known and believe the love that God has for
us. God is love, and those who abide in love
abide in God, and God abides in them. Love has
been perfected among us in this that we may have
boldness on the day of judgment, because as he
is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in
love, but perfect love casts out fear for fear
has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has
not reached perfection in love. We love because
he first loved us. Those who say, I love God,
and hate their brothers or sisters, are liars
for those who do not love a brother or sister
whom they have seen, cannot love God whom they
have not seen. The commandment we have from him
is this those who love God must love their
brothers and sisters also.

• Now read the text again.
• Pay attention to any new insights (sometimes they
  are old insights renewed).
• Start consulting what other reputed experts have
  said about this text, its original and later
  settings, etc. www.therevdrcharleswallen.com/0828
  05srm.doc
• (Its OK if you already knew a bit about this
  beforehand, but dont focus on any of this before
  youve gotten to this stage.)
• How does this affect your reading?
• Discuss what youre beginning to see with others,
  and listen to what they are beginning to see.

7
Reading a Text for Insight Final Reminders

• Personal At every stage, keep asking yourself
  how the world of the text intersects with your
  world
• What assumptions about reality do you bring to
  your reading?
• Are there other viable (to you) assumptions that
  would make a difference?
• How, if at all, does reading this text affect how
  you might live, and how you might view your life
  and the lives of others?
• Does it challenge your assumptions about reality,
  or does it confirm them?
• With Others When differences arise, see if they
  can be reconciled if not, try these options
• Maybe the meaning of the text is too engaging for
  just one approach.
• Maybe some people are just honestly mistaken
  (could I be one of them?).
• Maybe some people are not fully honest (could I
  be one of them?).
• Repeat these stages as often as seems helpful.