4:7 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. John continues with the revelation and centrality of love as the single most defining aspect of knowing God and being born of God. God's love is declared to be the central essence of His being (v. 7). The justice, holiness, eternal existence and all other things God is declared to be in scripture is seen in their rightful glory because it has been infused with His love. It is His love that becomes the defining force for those who are His spiritual offspring. It is this love that should infuse our relationships with other believers and our world. Without a tangible expression of God's love lived out through us, our entire Christian life is brought into question (v. 8). John reminds us here of what God's love means so that we who believe have a basis for judging the reality of our own personal faith. We are told God's love is that which had extended itself to us before we had yet extended our hearts toward Him. While we were in fact His enemies, without any personal recognized need for His salvation, He became the propitiation (accepted payment) for our sins (v. 9-10, Rom. 3:25). He took all judgment due our sin and experienced the dark agony of judgment and complete alienation from His Father upon the cross for us. In His cry, "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?" He experienced the eternal agony of a lost soul (Matt. 27:46), the agony that awaits all of those who reject their need for a just forgiveness in Christ. Once we put faith in Christ, God's love is also manifested within us by the resulting freedom from fear of His rejection and judgment. It gives us a bold expectation of love from God that is ever before us, around us, and within us (v. 16-18). This love is so transforming that it naturally turns our hearts to God in love. It is this type of love that John says we should expect from ourselves when he writes, "Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another" (4:11). Let love, therefore, be our first pursuit. Love God, love people unselfishly, and all other spiritual victories are sure to follow. | |||
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1 John 4:1-21  1 Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world. 2 By this you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, 3 and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard was coming, and is now already in the world.4 You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. 5 They are of the world. Therefore they speak as of the world, and the world hears them. 6 We are of God. He who knows God hears us; he who is not of God does not hear us. By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error. Knowing God Through Love 7 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. 8 He who does not love does not know God, for God is love. 9 In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. 10 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. 11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. Seeing God Through Love 12 No one has seen God at any time. If we love one another, God abides in us, and His love has been perfected in us. 13 By this we know that we abide in Him, and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit. 14 And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son as Savior of the world. 15 Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. 16 And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him. The Consummation of Love 17 Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world. 18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love. 19 We love Him because He first loved us. Obedience by Faith 20 If someone says, "I love God," and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen? 21 And this commandment we have from Him: that he who loves God must love his brother also. | |||
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| 1 John 4:1-21 v. 1 Beloved – Of all the Greek words for the various types of love, this is the highest and noblest form of love. The Apostle addresses his readers in a way that truly represents Christ's attitude toward them (1 John 4:19). Do Not Believe Every Spirit – John is indicating here that not every spiritual experience should be embraced as a message from God. There are many lying spirits (John 8:44; Acts 5:3; 2 Thess. 2:9, 10; 1 Tim. 4:1). Many false religions began when a man heard from a false spirit and believed its message. Mohammed heard from a spirit. Joseph Smith also heard from a spirit. Today's text indicates that a false or lying spirit can even speak to and deceive Christians. Believe – pisteuo (Gk.) to think to be true, to be persuaded of, to credit, place confidence in Test The Spirits, Whether They Are Of God – We are charged here with the responsibility to put every spirit to the test. The word spirit here has a wide variety of applications and meanings. It can mean anything from God's Holy Spirit, to the spirit of man, to a demonic spirit. Therefore, we can take this word in context to mean a spiritual influence or message of any kind. As John will point out, the scriptures never point to these kinds of feelings or experiences as authoritative tests for truth. Many False Prophets Have Gone Out – When Lucifer and his angels rebelled against God's authority they were cast out of heaven and became evil spirits (Is. 14:12). Since the fall of Satan and his demons, evil spirits have covered the earth with deceptive experiences and lies to draw men away from the truth. Because of this we have many false prophets in the world. A false prophet is one who claims to bring God's message of truth but is actually telling lies. A false prophet can either be knowingly and purposefully deceiving others, or may actually be deceived himself. v. 2 Jesus Christ Has Come In The Flesh – Here, John corrects a common false doctrine of his day. There was a heresy called Gnosticism at this time. The Gnostics believed that all matter is evil and only that which is spirit is good. Because of this belief they rejected the fact that Jesus came in an actual body of real flesh. They taught that Jesus was a mere phantom or divine Spirit. This erroneous thinking led to many departures from Biblical truth (2 John 1:7). It is essential that we understand the true nature of Jesus Christ. He was 100% man (1 Tim. 2:5). But He was also 100% God (Col. 2:9). Jesus was God incarnate (or God in the flesh) (John 1:1-14). Jesus Christ has indeed come in the flesh. For a deeper study on this topic, see Matthew 1:23; John 1:1, 14:9; Philippians 2:6-8; Colossians 1:19, 2:3, 9; Hebrews 1:3. v. 3 Spirit That Does Not Confess…Not of God – Here John directly attacks the Gnostic teaching that Jesus did not have a body of flesh. This teaching is set in deceptively spiritual language, but is not of God. There are some today who still hold to Gnostic teachings. Jesus was not just a spiritual concept or an intangible spirit. He was and is a real person (Is. 45:23, Rom. 14:11, Phil. 2:10). Spirit Of The Antichrist – An antichrist is one who opposes or seeks to replace Christ in any way. One of the deceitful tactics of an antichrist spirit would be to distort the true character and nature of Jesus Christ. The spirit of antichrist in the world is continually working to distort the facts concerning the real Christ. There will also be the final Antichrist who comes in the last day. But there are already many lying spirits and antichrists today as well. v. 4 You…Have Overcome Them – True children of God are not to fear the antichrist or the spirit of the antichrist. We have been given authority in Christ (Luke 10:17-19). We have victory over the antichrist spirit and have overcome the lies of antichrist by truth of the Word of God and the blood of Jesus Christ (Rev. 12:11). He Who Is In You Is Greater Than He Who Is In The World – The Holy Spirit is He who is in those who have received Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. The Holy Spirit is not an it (John 14:17-23, 1 John 4:13). Our confidence and strength is in the fact that the person of God's Holy Spirit resides and abides in us to lead, guide and protect us from the evil one. And He is greater than any spiritual or earthly enemy. v. 5 They Are Of The World – John is speaking of false prophets led by the spirits of the antichrist. They are a part of the fallen world system John has already written about in 1 John 2:15-17. of The World – kosmos (Gk.) Referring to the ungodly multitude; the whole mass of men alienated from God, and therefore hostile to the cause of Christ. They are of The World…The World Hears Them – Each people group listens to the ones who they identify with and belong to. People listen to those who speak their language. God's people listen to God. Satan's people listen to Satan (John 10:25-30). v. 6 We are of God – Here John is referring to himself and the rest of the Apostles who taught the way of God in truth. He makes this statement in contrast to the false prophets who malign the truth and are of the world and not of God. He Who Knows God Hears Us; He Who Is Not Of God Does Not Hear Us – There have been many religious organizations and cults that have quoted this statement and arrogantly and presumptuously sought to apply it to themselves. But John is making exclusive reference to himself and the original Apostles of Jesus Christ. Because the apostles have written down for us the original doctrines of the Gospel, we can say in truth, Those who listen to and embrace the words of the New Testament are of God. Those who reject the teachings of the New Testament are not of God. By This We Know – John is in effect giving us a formula to test and know truth. He is saying, We can know, and this is how… The Spirit Of Truth And The Spirit Of Error – John has been warning us of the false spirit of the antichrist. In contrast to the spirit of the antichrist is the spirit of truth (John 14:17, 15:26, 16:13; 1 John 4:6) or the Spirit of Christ (Rom. 8:9; 1 Peter 1:11). Those who trust in the teachings of Jesus and the writings of the apostles found in the New Testament are of the spirit of truth. Those who reject or distort the writings of the New Testament are of the spirit of error. One of the signs of a cult is that they claim that you cannot trust the teachings of the Bible without their special interpretations or insights. They will claim that the Bible has been mistranslated and that only they can tell you the original meaning. Or they will tell you that the Bible doesn't really mean what it appears to be saying. They will try to convince you that they are the only ones who can properly interpret the scriptures for you. Beware of such groups. We have been given the scriptures. And we can trust them completely to lead us to truth. v. 7 Beloved – Five times in this short letter the apostle John calls his readers beloved (1 John 3:2, 21; 4:1, 7, 11). If anyone knows what love is and how to love it is certainly this author. Keep in mind that as John expresses his love for us he is accurately representing God's heart toward us. Let Us Love One Another – The original Greek text for this sentence is quite revealing: agapetoi agapomen; those who are loved, let us love. In other words, since we are beloved of God, let us love each other with that same love that we are receiving from God (Luke 7:47). Love – agape (Gk.) brotherly love, affection, good will, charity, benevolence Love is of God – A few of the modern versions translate this phrase love comes from God. This helps us to understand a clearer meaning of this group of words. If love comes FROM God, and love is OF God, then without God you can have no real love. Everyone Who Loves is Born of God And Knows God – John continues his reasoning. Because without God you cannot love, then love is the evidence that one has come into true relationship with God and is born of God (John 3:3-16; 1 John 3:9; 4:7; 5:1, 4, 18) and knows God (John 17:3; 2 Cor. 4:6; Gal. 4:9). v. 8 He Who Does Not Love Does Not Know God – Love is the determining factor of a person's relationship with God. A person who truly loves truly knows God. A person who is filled with hate obviously does not know God because God is love. God is Love – God has many glorious attributes that work together with His love. When we say God is love, we are not saying everything about God. But love is the fundamental feature of His character, and colors every aspect of His nature. Everything God does, in one way or another, expresses love. v. 9 The Love Of God Was Manifested – The greatest and most obvious manifestation and revelation of God's love toward us was in His sending Jesus to die for our sins (John 15:13, Rom. 5:8). His Only Begotten Son – Jesus is the only one who came from and is of the same nature as God. Begotten implies one who is born from the same gene pool of another. Humans give birth to humans. Divine God gives birth to divine God. This word begotten emphasizes that Jesus is of the same nature and substance as God the Father. Thus, the greatest manifestation of God's love for us is in the fact that God Himself came (in the flesh) in the person of Jesus Christ to save us and bring us to Himself. This can ONLY be said of Jesus Christ. That We Might Live Through Him – The purpose for God sending His only begotten Son into the world was that we might live. But that life is only through Jesus (John 10:10). The life John is describing here is not a mere temporary existence but a life eternal in the presence of God (John 17:3, 1 John 5:11-13). v. 10 This Is Love…That He Loved Us And Sent His Son – The origin of love is not found in our love toward God, but in His love toward us. God is the originator and initiator of love and we are the responders (4:19). Propitiation – hilasmos (Gk.) appeasing atonement or satisfactory payment. The idea of propitiation is the idea of a payment or sacrifice that appeases and satisfies the wrath of God. Jesus paid for our sins through His sacrificial death on the cross. His death was the satisfactory payment for our sins. Because God has accepted Christ's sacrifice as a satisfactory payment for sins, we can be forgiven and are now in right standing with God. Our right standing with God is based upon what Christ did for us and not what we can do for God. Sins – According to scripture, the penalty of sin is death (Rom. 6:23) and must be atoned for by blood (Heb. 9:22). v. 11 If God So Loved Us, We Also Ought To Love One Another – Again we see the principle of God being the originator and initiator of love, and we ourselves being responders to His love. God loves us. We respond in loving God back. And we also respond by loving those whom God loves. v. 12 No One Has Seen God At Any Time – It is not possible for sinful man to look upon the totality of Holy God and live (Ex. 33:20, John 1:18, 1 Tim. 6:16). Any allusion to seeing God's face in the Old Testament is a figure of speech or a reference to seeing the afterglow or back of God (Ex. 33:21-23). But some day we will see God face to face when we are transformed into the image of Christ and receive our glorified bodies (1 Cor. 13:12, 1 John 3:2). If We Love One Another, God Abides In Us – Love is the greatest evidence of the abiding presence of God in our lives. Where God is present and working, there will be love for others. His Love Has Been Perfected In Us – When God's love is perfected in us, then we too will love others with His love. The NLT paraphrases this, His love has been brought to full expression through us. v. 13 By This We Know – The evidence of God's presence is the presence of love and as the later part of this verse indicates, the presence of God's Holy Spirit. We Abide In Him, And He In Us – The relationship pictured here is a mutual abiding, Jesus in us and we in Him. To abide means to dwell and remain. John is describing here those whose dwelling place is in the Lord Himself (John 15:4, 7). He Has Given Us Of His Spirit – There is a spiritual connection through the working of the Holy Spirit of God in the life of a Christian (John 7:38, 39). The presence of His Spirit in our lives makes clear and distinct changes evidenced by love and the fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22-26). v. 14 We Have Seen And Testify – John writes as one giving personal eyewitness testimony of Jesus Christ along with the rest of the original eyewitnesses (the apostles). Compare this statement with John's opening lines of this letter in 1 John 1:1-3. The Father Has Sent the Son – This verse reveals a Father-Son relationship of love working together in unity with one mind and one purpose, offering salvation to the world (John 10:30). Savior – soter (Gk.) deliverer, preserver. The title was given by the ancients to deities, especially to guardian or protector deities and to princes and kings (as flattery to their high position) Notice here that the Son is not a savior or Savior of the Jews, but Savior of the world. v. 15 Whoever –This condition is open to everyone. Confesses – homologeo (Gk.) to say the same thing as another, i.e. to agree with, to concede. To confess here means to agree with God and acknowledge something to be true. The Son of God – Jesus is the only one of His kind (John 1:14, 18; 3:16, 18). He is not merely a son of God John 1:12; Rom. 8:14, 19; Phil. 2:15; 1John 3:1, 2), but He is the Son of God. This is an essential doctrine of Christianity (John 20:31; Acts 8:37, 9:20; Rom. 1:4). God Abides In Him, And He In God – Now after clarifying the deity of Jesus Christ (v. 9-10, 15), John reveals the connection between confessing the God nature of Jesus and abiding in God. Our confessions of faith bring us to salvation. And our confessions of faith reveal that we are saved. v. 16 God Is Love, And He Who Abides In Love Abides In God, And God In Him – A condensed summary of verses 8 through 13. v. 17 Love has been Perfected Among Us in This – The word used for love here is the Greek word agape. Agape is a spiritual love rather than a fleshy lust. It is God's kind of love – the kind of love that gives freely and unselfishly for the benefit of the one being loved without demanding anything in return. That's why this word is often translated charity in the KJV (1 Cor. 13:1-4, 8, 13; 14:1; 16:14; Col. 3:14; 1 Tim. 1:5; 2 Tim. 3:10; 1 Peter 4:8; 2 Peter 1:7; 3 John 6). John goes on in this letter to reveal to us how we can tell when God's agape love is perfected or fulfilled in us. Boldness in the Day of Judgment – One of the evidences of God's perfect love being made complete in us is boldness in the face of judgment. When we know God's love for us and are walking in God's love we can have great confidence before God. Verse 18 gives more insight to this. Day of Judgment – A future day when God will judge all mankind according to their deeds (Rom. 14:10; 2 Cor. 5:10; 2 Peter 3:5-7, 10-14). as He is, so are We in this World – The reason we have confidence and even boldness as we look to the Day of Judgment is because we have been identified with Christ in His death and resurrection. This means that our sins have already been judged and we have already been justified. And we have been made righteous with the righteousness of God because of our trust in Christ (2 Cor. 5:21). v. 18 No Fear in Love – This most certainly is referring to the Christian's attitude toward facing God in judgment. Because of His love we have, no fear. Perfect Love Casts Out Fear, Because Fear Involves Torment – John is putting this already stated truth in another way. Because fear of the judgment day would be fear of being tormented, and because we know that by God's love toward us we have been forgiven of our sins and given the very righteousness of God in Christ, we will not fear God's judgment. God's perfect love has cast out our fear of torment. He Who Fears Has Not Been Made Perfect in Love – To be made perfect in love here refers to being made complete in love. This is the condition in which God's love has worked its way into your life and fulfilled its purpose. There are Christians who live in fear of God's judgment. But these are unaware or immature Christians who have not yet been made perfect in love. v. 19 We Love Him Because He First Loved Us – This is a response of love to love. Any good thing we are or do is a reaction to what God is and has first done for us (1 John 4:10). Many people imagine that God loves them because of some good thing they have done for Him. But the fact is, God loved us when we were His unlovable enemies (Rom. 5:10, Col. 5:21). v. 20 If Someone Says, I Love God, and Hates His Brother, He is a Liar – This is an undeniable fact. This statement is not up for debate. You cannot hate your brother and love your God at the same time. How Can He Love God Whom He Has Not Seen? – John reasons further with his readers. It is so much easier to love someone you can see than to love someone you have never seen. So if we can love an invisible God who we have never seen, certainly we should be able to love our brother in Christ. v. 21 This Commandment We Have From Him – Love is not a suggestion. Love is a command from God. This also means that love is not an out of control feeling. Love is something you can choose to do or refuse to do. Love involves not just the heart, but also the will. | |||
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Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. –1 John 4:7 We see the pattern laid out for us in Your Word today. We are to love, not for what we get in return, but because You created love and You call us to love one another. | |||
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