Knowing God the Father is invisible should make us more humble in our relationship with Him. (1 John 4:5-6) The contrast between those in the world and those who are of God. Poetical Books We should consider what would it take to make us stop believing God loves us. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love. John knew that we would never find in ourselves the faithfulness God requires. Some think they will go there and judge God (When I see God, theres a few questions I have for Him!), but that is nonsense. Phil curiously picks it up and carries it with him to his house. (1 John 4:1) The fact of false prophets and the need to test the spirits. JOHN 4:1-3 1 Therefore, when the Lord knew that the Pharisees had heard that Jesus was making and baptizing more disciples than John 2 (though Jesus Himself was not baptizing, but His disciples), 3 He left Judea and departed again for Galilee. We watched it. We abide in Him, and He in us: Our abiding in Jesus is not a one-sided affair, with us struggling to abide in Him, and Jesus trying to escape us. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift. Our love for God is always in response to His love for us; He initiates, and we respond. The Old Testament theophanies, including the apparently contradictory statement in Exodus 24:10, did not involve the full revelation of God as He is in Himself but only a suggestion of what He is in form that a human being could understand. (Boice). And we know that His love has been perfected in us if we love one another. 4. Note that blocking some types of cookies may impact your experience on our websites and the services we are able to offer. Historical Books i. Some respond with a sense of self-superiority (Im so great, even God loves me!). But how can I love a God who is invisible? God would say to us, Learn to love Me, Whom you cannot see, by loving My children, whom you can see.. In the day of judgment: This is when the completeness of loves work in us will be demonstrated. The Christian must know and believe the love God has for us. 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? By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another (John 13:35). His love for us initiates our relationship of love with Him, our love only responds to His love for us. Some of us, for whatever reason, have come to think of God the Father as aloof and mean, perhaps the so-called angry God of the Old Testament. ii. Because these cookies are strictly necessary to deliver the website, refusing them will have impact how our site functions. Oh, but the party is so unworthy. So are you; but God loved you and sent his Son. Go write according to that copy. (Spurgeon). ii. I pray that I may decrease and that You may increase in every area of my life, until I become a transparent conduit through whom Your divine love flows to others, to Your praise and glory. Has anybody offended you? Once any academic throws out the historical evidence of the New Testament and other reliable ancient writings, they can only base their understanding of Jesus on their own personal opinion. Can you say, I love Jesus? The way to be saved for man, woman, or child is to trust Jesus for the pardon of sin, and then, trusting Jesus, love comes as a fruit. We never have to draw God to us; instead, He draws us to Himself. Gospel: John 1:14-16 The Word became flesh. That God has sent His only begotten Son into the world: John is careful to call Jesus the only begotten Son. When {1} therefore the Lord knew how the Pharisees had heard that Jesus made and baptized more disciples than John, (1) This balance is to be kept in doing our duty, that neither by fear are we terrified from going forward, and neither by rashness procure or bring dangers upon ourselves. Click to enable/disable _gid - Google Analytics Cookie. Thank you for registering. It is only the common sense response to knowing and receiving the love of God. But John rightly insists that our claim of loving God is false if we do not also love our brother, and that this love must be seen. What about the many passages of Scripture, Old and New Testament (such as Ecclesiastes 12:13 and 1 Peter 2:17), which tell us we should fear God? GenesisExodusLeviticusNumbersDeuteronomyJoshuaJudgesRuth1 Samuel2 Samuel1 Kings2 Kings1 Chronicles2 ChroniclesEzraNehemiahEstherJobPsalmsProverbsEcclesiastesSong of SongsIsaiahJeremiahLamentationsEzekielDanielHoseaJoelAmosObadiahJonahMicahNahumHabakkukZephaniahHaggaiZechariahMalachiMatthewMarkLukeJohnActsRomans1 Corinthians2 CorinthiansGalatiansEphesiansPhilippiansColossians1 Thessalonians2 Thessalonians1 Timothy2 TimothyTitusPhilemonHebrewsJames1 Peter2 Peter1 John2 John3 JohnJudeRevelation, Use semicolons to separate groups: 'Gen;Jdg;Psa-Mal' or 'Rom 3-12;Mat 1:15;Mat 5:12-22', There are options set in 'Advanced Options', The Whole Bible And we have known and believed the love God has for us: This is the Christians proper response to who God is, and how He loves us. It might have shown enough love that the Father sent the Son, and not some lower-grade angel; but He sent the Son, not on a fact-finding mission or merely a mission of compassion He sent the Son to die for our sins. Everything God does, in one way or another, expresses His love. And the world hears them: Those who are of the world are also evident because the world hears them. i. Yet in it all, that one may be like Cain, offering to God the fruit of his hands and not the fruit of the Spirit. Pauline Epistles I cannot imagine a true man saying, I love Christ, but I do not want others to know that I love him, lest they should laugh at me. That is a reason to be laughed at, or rather, to be wept over. God is love, and because we are made in God's image, we are to love God and love our brothers and sisters. ii. He causes the sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends his rain on the just and the unjust. a. Show me a fire without heat, then show me regeneration that does not produce love to God. (Spurgeon). Yet, he preached five remarkable sermons on these eight words alone.The following comments draw much from Spurgeon's work on this single verse. To believe in Christ and to love the brethren are not conditions by which we may dwell in God but rather are evidences of the fact that God has already taken possession of our lives to make this possible. (Boice). Since no one has seen God at any time, this provides evidence for the presence of God. To feel Gods love is very precious, but to believe it when you do not feel it, is the noblest. (Spurgeon). He loved some of you when you were in the dancing saloon, when you were in the playhouse, ay, even when you were in the brothel. It is passion expressed in action. This language of fellowship transcends language, culture, class, race, or any other barrier. Luke-Acts Love believed is the mother of love returned. (Spurgeon), ii. ii. We are of God. Today, some groups deny that Jesus is really God (such as the Jehovahs Witnesses, Mormons, and Muslims). The Bible says that one day, all of humanity will gather before Gods Great White Throne and face judgment. i. Blue Letter Bible is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. 1 John 4:18 "There is no fear in love. The reason for discernment: Discernment is essential because Satan and his forces are at work in the world (4:1). That we might live through Him: The greatness of Gods love is shown not only in saving us from the judgment we deserved, but also in wanting us to live through Him. But Jesus is the only begotten Son, meaning His Sonship is different than ours; He was and is of the same essential nature and being as God the Father. This is about the Word of life. If we are born of Him and are abiding in Him then the resources for love are there. As Paul describes it in 2 Corinthians 9:15, Jesus was the Fathers indescribable gift. Note: MLA no longer requires the URL as part of their citation standard. First of all, by asking for water, he engages in a conversation based on the context and circumstances of the moment. Prophets We have seen it with our eyes. Verse 1 John 4:2. We use cookies to let us know when you visit our websites, how you interact with us, to enrich your user experience, and to customize your relationship with our website. Verse 1 Verse 2 Verse 3 Verse 4 Verse 5 Verse 6 Verse 7 Verse 8 Verse 9 Verse 10 Verse 11 Verse 12 Verse 13 Verse 14 Verse 15 Verse 16 Verse 17 Verse 18 Verse 19 Verse 20 Verse 21. i. Yet, if we abide in Him, and He in us (1 John 4:13), then our identity is bound up in Jesus: as He is, so are we in the world. i. In this wrong thinking, many imagine they prefer the nice and loving Jesus instead. 1. Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary CHAPTER 4 1Jo 4:1-21. ii. Please be aware that this might heavily reduce the functionality and appearance of our site. It is found everywhere a false Jesus is promoted in place of the true Jesus of the Bible. The meaning is, that many had gone out into the world pretending to be true teachers of religion, but who inculcated most dangerous doctrines; and it was their duty to be on their guard against them, for they had the very spirit of antichrist, 1 John 4:3. One may be a spiritual dwarf because one lacks love. Christians are not just forgiven they are born anew by Gods Spirit. Never let it be thought that any sinner is beyond the reach of divine mercy so long as he is in the land of the living. i. General Epistles v. The Bible also tells us that God is spirit (John 4:24), God is light (1 John 1:5), and that God is a consuming fire (Hebrews 12:29). 1 John 1:1-4 - That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touchedthis we proclaim concerning the Word of life. Now, just forget your own love to him, and think of his great love to you; and then, immediately, your love will come to something more like that which you would desire it to be. (Spurgeon), iii. The following cookies are also needed - You can choose if you want to allow them: You can read about our cookies and privacy settings in detail on our Privacy Policy Page. d. Is now already in the world: Though it will have its ultimate consummation in an end-times political and economic ruler, the essence of this antichrist spirit is present with us today. The Spirit of God is the Spirit of love. many false prophets have gone out into the world, Test the spirits, whether they are of God, Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh, You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world, He who knows God hears us; he who is not of God does not hear us, Let us love one another, for love is of God, Everyone who loves is born of God He who does not love does not know God, In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God sent His only begotten Son, That God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins, the Father sent the Son as Savior of the world, Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God, And we have known and believed the love God has for us, He who abides in love abides in God, and God in him, That we may have boldness in the day of judgment, But he who fears has not been made perfect in love, If someone says, I love God, and hates his brother, he is a liar, He who loves God must love his brother also, David Guzik :: Hechos 2 El Espritu Santo Es Derramado Sobre la Iglesia, Four Views on the Millennium - Study Resources, Matthew Henry :: Commentary on Lamentations 4, Harmony of the Gospels - Study Resources - Study Resources, David Guzik :: Gnesis 2 La CreacinTerminada; Adn en el Jardn del Edn, Jonathan Edwards :: Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God, David Guzik :: Apocalipsis 20 Satans, el Pecado y la Muerte son Finalmente Eliminados, Jehovah's Witnesses, Jesus and the Holy Trinity (Walter Martin), 1 Samuel 17-25 (1979-82 Audio) (Chuck Smith), Lamentations 1-5 (1979-82 Audio) (Chuck Smith), Knowing and understanding Jesus is the foundation for abiding in Him (. Love is the proof we are taught to look for. Error: Passwords should have at least 6 characters, Error: Usernames should only contain letters, numbers, dots, dashes, or underscores. You cant truly grow in your experience of God without also growing love for one another. 2. (1 John 4:4) The protection of the child of God. It is something that every Christian should be unafraid to proclaim: I love Him; I love Jesus. Can you say that? God is fundamentally and essentially LOVE: not merely is loving, for then John's argument would not stand; for the conclusion from the premises then would be this, This man is not loving: God is loving; therefore he knoweth not God IN SO FAR AS GOD IS LOVING; still he might know Him in His other attributes. c. This is the spirit of the Antichrist: To deny the true Jesus is the basis of the spirit of the Antichrist, which John has already mentioned in 1 John 2:18-23. As Jesus said, out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks (Matthew 12:34). Wisdom Literature i. Some respond with wickedness (God loves me, so I can do what I want). f. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love: If our relationship with God is marked by this tormenting fear, it shows that we have not been made perfect that is, complete, and mature in His love. The Holy Spirit gives us this assurance. At the end of "Rabbit Hole" Episode 5, Ben explains to John that he kept the facts hidden from him because John did not trust him. For it is God's nature to be kind, and to give happiness. By this we know that we abide in Him, and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit. ( John 4:1-4) Jesus travels from Judea to Galilee, passing though Samaria. GenesisExodusLeviticusNumbersDeuteronomyJoshuaJudgesRuth1 Samuel2 Samuel1 Kings2 Kings1 Chronicles2 ChroniclesEzraNehemiahEstherJobPsalmsProverbsEcclesiastesSong of SongsIsaiahJeremiahLamentationsEzekielDanielHoseaJoelAmosObadiahJonahMicahNahumHabakkukZephaniahHaggaiZechariahMalachiMatthewMarkLukeJohnActsRomans1 Corinthians2 CorinthiansGalatiansEphesiansPhilippiansColossians1 Thessalonians2 Thessalonians1 Timothy2 TimothyTitusPhilemonHebrewsJames1 Peter2 Peter1 John2 John3 JohnJudeRevelation. Due to security reasons we are not able to show or modify cookies from other domains. 4 Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. e. Everyone who loves is born of God He who does not love does not know God: This does not mean that every display of love in the world can only come from a Christian. 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. He loved you when you could not have been worse or further from him than you were. We can receive the healing power in our Fathers love. We fully respect if you want to refuse cookies but to avoid asking you again and again kindly allow us to store a cookie for that. d. He who is not of God does not hear us: Understanding just who hears what God has taught us through the apostles, as recorded in the New Testament, helps us to know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error. John 3:23b & 26 ). . This special term means Jesus has a Sonship that is unique (only) and begotten indicates that Jesus and the Father are of the same substance, the same essential Being. The gospel recognized that both Jesus' followers and his foes agreed that he was human, but not everyone could see God's work being revealed . God gave His Son to die, and to die for sinners. These are those that acknowledge Jesus Christ's real incarnation. 3. A number of scholars think of this as a sermon in written form. And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. And this commandment we have from Him: that he who loves God must love his brother also. a. i. Johannine Writings Commentary on 1 John 4:7-13. 'Rabbit Hole' Episode 5 Ending Explained: What Happened To John's Team? Verse- by-Verse Bible Commentary1 John 4. Again, the true measure of maturity is not the image of power, or popularity, or passionate feelings but the abiding presence of Gods love in our lives, given out to others. Instead it is the community of sinful humanity that is united in rebellion against God. b. One of the ways Jesus abides in us lives in us is through His word. The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us. Instead, they are thinking of a squishy, namby-pamby, have-a-nice-day kind of love that values being nice more than wanting what is really best for the other person. God rightly regarded us, apart from Him, as worthy targets of His judgment. range of evangelical traditions, all of the ideas and principles conveyed Other tests already stressed in this first paragraph of the chapter were: (1) the test of confessing that Jesus was the Christ who came in the flesh; (2) the test of whether or not they were indwelt by the Father ( 1 John 4:4 ); and (3) the test of their life-style. Yet in it all, that one may be like Cain, offering to God the fruit of his hands and not the fruit of the Spirit. By proceeding, you consent to our cookie usage. In the Beginning Was the Word (John 1:1-18) I Have Called You Friends (John 1:35-51, John 15:15) Water Into Wine at the Wedding at Cana (John 2:1-11) Jesus Teaches Nicodemus (John 3:1-21) Jesus and the Samaritan Woman at the Well (John 4) Jesus Heals on the Sabbath (John 5) Jesus the Bread of Life (John 6) Jesus Heals a Man Born Blind (John 9) General Epistles We come to love those better whom we love by knowing them better If you want to love Christ more, think more of him, think more of what you have received from him. (Spurgeon), e. He first loved us: This means that it is true that He loves us now. The day of judgment is as fixed in Gods eternal timetable as any other day in world history. (Boice). Earlier in the letter, John brought up the idea of the world and its threat to the Christian life (1 John 2:15-17). "The world" refers to godless humanity. This leads to easy deception. i. They are of the world. It is up to us to respond to His command with our will and whole being. We love him from the influence of his own love; from his love shed abroad in our hearts our love to him proceeds. c. And this commandment we have from Him: We have a commandment to love. He has given the fullest proof of his love to the whole human race by the incarnation of his Son, who tasted death for every man. The thrust of these verses is not so much her conversion but that Jesus is Messiah (verse 26). One might say, I want to love God more; I want to grow in my love for Him. And we learn that Jesus' closest disciples are baptising the new followers. Today a person might confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh yet deny that He is God as the Bible teaches He is God. 80.) b. Note the striking inversion of the clauses: He that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, God whom he hath not seen cannot love. John Chapter 4. ii. (1 John 4:13-15) Assurance of the work of the Triune God in us. He is glorified, justified, forever righteous and bold, sitting at the right hand of God the Father. Brother, do the same. Verse-. Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. The mature Christian will be marked by love. If we love one another, God abides in us: This is the greatest evidence of Gods presence and work among us love. We love him from a sense of obligation and gratitude. We trust in the principle that God will never contradict Himself, and we know what He has already said in His Word. This false teaching said Jesus was truly God (which is correct), but really a make-believe man. (1 John 4:16) The Christians response to God and His love. Do you believe it? Earlier, when she had gone to visit her friend at the beginning of "Doctor Cha" Episode 1, Mi-Hee had mentioned that Jeong-Suk looked sick and tired. Though love springs forth from our abiding relationship with God and comes from our being born of Him, there is also an essential aspect of our will involved. Oh, but I have been insulted. Just so: so was God: all the wrong was towards him, yet he sent. The two people in the relationship are at the base of the triangle, and God is at the top. c. That we may have boldness in the day of judgment: This shows the greatness of Gods work in us. Being born of God and abiding with Him give us the ability to love; but it is a choice of our will to draw upon that resource and give it out to others. (1) The fact of false prophets and the need to test the spirits. There is a difference between the love of man, and divine love. (1 John 4:12) Seeing God through the evidence of love. He who does not love does not know God, for God is love. 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. i. Plainly, Christians can say, We know. We dont have to merely hope we are saved, and hope we will make it to heaven, thus having no assurance of salvation before we pass from this world to the next. In speaking of God the Father, Paul wrote in 1 Timothy 1:17: Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible. i. Jesus said in John 15:4, Abide in Me, and I in you. Instead, we know the holiness of God is loving, and the righteousness of God is loving, and the justice of God is loving. Just so, God puts His love into our lives that it might flow out. If someone says, I love God, and hates his brother, he is a liar: By this crucial measure, Jesus said the world could measure our status as disciples by the measure of our love for one another. It transforms our life to know the love of God in this way. Tests of False Prophets. Not only is this position ignorant (ignoring the confirmed historical validity of the New Testament) it is also arrogant. ii. i. But He needed to go through Samaria. It would have been far more than we deserved. He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world: The believer has a resource for victory, the vital presence of the indwelling Jesus, which makes victory always possible if we will rely on He who is in you instead of relying on ourselves. He who knows God hears us; he who is not of God does not hear us. GenesisExodusLeviticusNumbersDeuteronomyJoshuaJudgesRuth1 Samuel2 Samuel1 Kings2 Kings1 Chronicles2 ChroniclesEzraNehemiahEstherJobPsalmsProverbsEcclesiastesSong of SongsIsaiahJeremiahLamentationsEzekielDanielHoseaJoelAmosObadiahJonahMicahNahumHabakkukZephaniahHaggaiZechariahMalachiMatthewMarkLukeJohnActsRomans1 Corinthians2 CorinthiansGalatiansEphesiansPhilippiansColossians1 Thessalonians2 Thessalonians1 Timothy2 TimothyTitusPhilemonHebrewsJames1 Peter2 Peter1 John2 John3 JohnJudeRevelation, (Hebrew/Greek Search by English Definition), * 'Number Delimiters' only apply to 'Paragraph Order', Search verses, phrases, and topics (e.g. 1 John 4. This land in our Saviour's time was divided into three parts: Judea in the south, Galilee in the north, and Samaria lying between them. Oh, but I am the offended party. So was God, and he went straight away and sought reconciliation. But He loved us before that, and even before the worlds were created, when our only existence was in the mind and heart of God, Jesus loved us. We love Him: In this great statement, John begins by declaring the heart of every true follower of Jesus Christ. To acknowledge that Jesus is the Son of God is not simply to make a statement about his metaphysical status but to express obedient trust in the One who possesses such a status. (Marshall), iii. The only way to have boldness in the day of judgment is to receive, and walk in, the transforming love of God today. Love is an essential aspect of His character, and colors every aspect of His nature. When we say God is love, we are not saying everything about God. We keep in the spirit of truth by clinging to Jesus, the One who said I am the truth (John 14:6). How is Jesus now? 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. 1. i. He hates nothing he has made. For those walking in this truth, victory is assured they have overcome them. You are free to opt out any time or opt in for other cookies to get a better experience. b. Love is not only defined by the sacrifice of Jesus (as stated in 1 John 3:16); it is also defined by the giving of the Father. Johannine Writings John 3:16, Jesus faith love), The Whole Bible The proper way to love God in response to His love for us is to go out and love one another. 1. Love describes the character and heart of God. v2 The person who gives life came. ii. This pattern of receiving from God, then giving to others was familiar to John (John 13:14). By this you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And faith is the key to being an overcomer, for it is by faith that we are saved. 1. And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son as Savior of the world. They also are giving false doctrine because they are not presenting a true Jesus. Oh sir, this is indeed a cowardly fear! (Spurgeon), iv. i. 1. GenesisExodusLeviticusNumbersDeuteronomyJoshuaJudgesRuth1 Samuel2 Samuel1 Kings2 Kings1 Chronicles2 ChroniclesEzraNehemiahEstherJobPsalmsProverbsEcclesiastesSong of SongsIsaiahJeremiahLamentationsEzekielDanielHoseaJoelAmosObadiahJonahMicahNahumHabakkukZephaniahHaggaiZechariahMalachiMatthewMarkLukeJohnActsRomans1 Corinthians2 CorinthiansGalatiansEphesiansPhilippiansColossians1 Thessalonians2 Thessalonians1 Timothy2 TimothyTitusPhilemonHebrewsJames1 Peter2 Peter1 John2 John3 JohnJudeRevelation, Select a Beginning Point They had a hard time believing that he was a real man. Look through all the pages of history, and put to the noblest men and women, who seem to still live, this question, Who loves Christ? and, at once, up from dark dungeons and cruel racks there rises the confessors cry, We love him; and from the fiery stake, where they clapped their hands as they were being burned to death, the same answer comes, We love him. If you could walk through the miles of catacombs at Rome, and if the holy dead, whose dust lies there, could suddenly wake up, they would all shout, We love him. The best and the bravest of men, the noblest and purest of women, have all been in this glorious company; so, surely, you are not ashamed to come forward and say, Put my name down among them. (Spurgeon), v. Be out-and-out for him; unfurl your colours, never hide them, but nail them to the mast, and say to all who ridicule the saints, If you have any ill words for the followers of Christ, pour them out upon me but know this ye shall hear it whether you like it or not, I love Christ. (Spurgeon). John 4 - Vision for Harvest A. Sometimes Jesus seemed weak and lacking in power, but He was always full of love. i. b. So Rev. Some very educated, very smart people can still be influenced mightily by the spirit of error. Weak relationships are made strong when both people draw close to the Lord! Click on the different category headings to find out more. Major Prophets You are of God, little children, and have overcome them: The child of God need not fear the spirit of Antichrist, even though they should be warned of it, because they have the indwelling Spirit of God (1 John 3:24). Three words. Oh, if you do really believe that he has loved you so, sit down, and turn the subject over in your mind, and say to yourself, Jesus loves me; Jesus chose me; Jesus redeemed me; Jesus called me; Jesus has pardoned me; Jesus has taken me into union with himself. (Spurgeon). Here again, we find the call to love one another, woven together with that love's foundation in God's prior action for us in the Son. Marvellous, O Christ, is thy strange love! (Spurgeon). 1 John 4:4 ESV Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.