1 john 4 explained

Anyone claiming to have seen God the Father is speaking at best from their own imagination, because as John plainly states, no one has seen God at any time. i. One may be a spiritual dwarf because one lacks love. They knew the Father sent the Son as Savior of the world. It is a positive statement, not a wishful hope. Where God is present and working, there will be love. 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. c. That we may have boldness in the day of judgment: This shows the greatness of Gods work in us. In speaking of God the Father, Paul wrote in 1 Timothy 1:17: Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible. Earlier in the letter, John brought up the idea of the world and its threat to the Christian life (1 John 2:15-17). This is not the only test, but it was the significant issue challenging the church in Johns immediate time. i. John knew that we would never find in ourselves the faithfulness God requires. (1 John 4:5-6) The contrast between those in the world and those who are of God. ii. When Jesus washed the feet of the disciples, and showed such great love and servanthood to them, we might have expected Him to conclude by gesturing to His own feet and asking who among them was going to do to Him what He had just done for them. Minor Prophets Are you embarrassed to say it? GenesisExodusLeviticusNumbersDeuteronomyJoshuaJudgesRuth1 Samuel2 Samuel1 Kings2 Kings1 Chronicles2 ChroniclesEzraNehemiahEstherJobPsalmsProverbsEcclesiastesSong of SongsIsaiahJeremiahLamentationsEzekielDanielHoseaJoelAmosObadiahJonahMicahNahumHabakkukZephaniahHaggaiZechariahMalachiMatthewMarkLukeJohnActsRomans1 Corinthians2 CorinthiansGalatiansEphesiansPhilippiansColossians1 Thessalonians2 Thessalonians1 Timothy2 TimothyTitusPhilemonHebrewsJames1 Peter2 Peter1 John2 John3 JohnJudeRevelation. 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. The short book known as 1 John re-proclaims the message of John's gospel in a changed context. 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? A worldly attitude listens to unbelievers and ungodly spirits, and ignores God. John does not think it is enough if a person has some kind of love in his life if he does not confess that Jesus is the Son of God. He is glorified, justified, forever righteous and bold, sitting at the right hand of God the Father. Ah! 1 John 4 In this chapter the apostle exhorts to try spirits ( ver 1 ), gives a note to try by ( ver 2, 3 ), shows who are of the world and who of God ( ver 4-6 ), urges Christian love by divers considerations ( ver 7-16 ), describes our love to God, and the effect of it, ver 17-21. And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son as Savior of the world. 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 John 4:13-15) Assurance of the work of the Triune God in us. They had a hard time believing that he was a real man. 2. 1. As the two people draw closer to the top of the triangle, closer to God, they will also draw closer to one another. The thrust of these verses is not so much her conversion but that Jesus is Messiah (verse 26). 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. But, apart from this truth, we have no hope at all. This specific word for knows (ginosko) is the word for a knowledge by experience. i. Sometimes Jesus didnt inspire passionate feelings in people at all, but He was always full of love. Yet, he preached five remarkable sermons on these eight words alone.The following comments draw much from Spurgeon's work on this single verse. i. It is passion expressed in action. The fear John writes of here is not the appropriate reverence we should all have of God, but the kind of fear which involves torment that agonizing kind of fear which robs our soul of all joy and confidence before God. The Bible says that one day, all of humanity will gather before Gods Great White Throne and face judgment. We have seen it with our eyes. As Paul puts it in Roman 8:16: The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God. Now remember, we never make ourselves love Christ more by flogging ourselves for not loving him more. You are free to opt out any time or opt in for other cookies to get a better experience. Click to enable/disable Google reCaptcha. Sermon. 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. While her conversion is clearly implied, the apostle's focus centers on Jesus' declaration foretold in the . Those who are not Christians still can display acts of love. c. That we might live through Him: The love of the Father was not only in the sending of the Son, but also in what that sending accomplishes for us. These cookies are strictly necessary to provide you with services available through our website and to use some of its features. i. Jesus said in Matthew 5:23-24, Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. God is love. And in John 15:7, He said, If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you. b. A man can create a statue that looks just like him, but it will never be human. 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. You may know something without being in agreement with it; God demands our true agreement. e. We have seen and testify: Speaking as one who has the Spirit of God (He has given us of His Spirit), John declares three essential truths about who God is and how He saves us. (1 John 4:19) The reason for our love to Jesus. He has made no human being for perdition, nor ever rendered it impossible, by any necessitating decree, for a fallen soul to find mercy. iii. You would replace it. You cant truly grow in your experience of God without also growing love for one another. 1 John 4 He preached in the same church as C. H. Spurgeon over one hundred years earlier. If we want to love one another more, we need to draw closer to God. He who does not love does not know God, for God is love. But the Father loves us too; and the love Jesus showed in His ministry was the same love God the Father has towards us. e. He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins: This shows the love of God. If God had merely sent Jesus to teach us about Himself, that would have been wonderful enough. Wisdom Literature And we know that His love has been perfected in us if we love one another. Spiritually, we can have that same standing now, while we are in the world, because as He is, so are we in the world. There is love in many places, like wandering beams of light; but as for the sun, it is in one part of the heavens, and we look at it, and we say, Herein is light. He did not look at the Church of God, and say of all the myriads who counted not their lives dear unto them, Herein is love, for their love was only the reflected brightness of the great sun of love. (Spurgeon). d. Boldness in the day of judgment: How can anyone have such boldness? 2 By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, 3 and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. Tests of False Prophets. Prophets 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. Ah! Love is by no means the root. Poetical Books Some people think the greatest evidence of Gods presence or work is passionate feelings. We never have to draw God to us; instead, He draws us to Himself. i. iii. i. There is a difference between the love of man, and divine love. 1. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another (John 13:35). Wisdom Literature ii. We might be satisfied to merely survive the day of judgment, but God wants to so fill our lives with His love and His truth that we have boldness in the day of judgment. We need to appreciate this fully, and receive the Fatherly love God has to give us. The day of judgment is as fixed in Gods eternal timetable as any other day in world history. (Boice). It would have been far more than we deserved. The Christian must know and believe the love God has for us. 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. 1. Therefore, when the Lord knew that the Pharisees had heard that Jesus made and baptized more disciples than John (though Jesus Himself did not baptize, but His disciples), He left Judea and departed again to Galilee. Exegetical Commentary on 1 John 4:1-6. Poetical Books Love believed is the mother of love returned. (Spurgeon), ii. i. Structure. By proceeding, you consent to our cookie usage. In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God sent His only begotten Son: This shows us what love is and what it means. And this commandment we have from Him: that he who loves God must love his brother also. Yet, he preached five remarkable sermons on these eight words alone. But on the cross, Jesus took the punishment our sin deserved His sacrifice turned away the judgment we would have received. We are therefore commanded to love our brother in Christ. Believers must be discerning in spiritual matters. No man could do it. (Spurgeon). 2. But the greatest evidence of Gods presence and work is love. i. NIV You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. The fear John writes of here is not the appropriate reverence we should all have of God, but the kind of fear which involves torment that agonizing kind of fear which robs our soul of all joy and confidence before God. The principle of presenting a true Jesus is essential to the testing of spirits. a. 'Rabbit Hole' Episode 5 Ending Explained: What Happened To John's Team? Commentary on John 4:1-3. We love him because we find he has loved us. But way back in Johns day, in this time closest to the actual life and ministry of Jesus on this earth, people didnt have a hard time believing Jesus was God. Email / username or password was incorrect! 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. He teaches us that the benefit of sacraments depends not on the hand that administers them. iii. ( John 4:1-4) Jesus travels from Judea to Galilee, passing though Samaria. a. Beloved, let us love: The ancient Greek sentence begins in a striking way agapetoi agapomen, those who are loved, let us love. We are not commanded to love one another to earn or become worthy of Gods love. i. Some people think the greatest evidence of Gods presence or work is power. Therefore we are given a command to love, that he who loves God must love his brother also. Ex-Broncos teammate Terrell Davis welcomes John Elway escaping the spotlight: 'Enjoy it, big man'. John Chapter 4. This pericope seems to be a review of what we have heard from 1 John over the previous two weeks. 2 Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: 3 And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye . The New Testament He who abides in love abides in God, and God in him: The Christian who has this kind of relationship with God will be virtually immersed in Gods love; it becomes his environment, his place of abiding. That sense of being grounded in God only comes when we set aside our sin in the pursuit of the one true God. 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. Johannine Writings 1. John 4 It was, more than any thing else, the glory of the land of Israel, that it was Emmanuel's land ( Isa 8 8 ), not only the place of his birth, but the scene of his preaching and miracles. 3. They face none of the rejection the child of God will face from the world (1 John 3:1), because they are friends with the world. Johannine Writings Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary CHAPTER 4 1Jo 4:1-21. 1 John emphasizes that God's love is not some abstract concept. Has anybody offended you? It is found everywhere a false Jesus is promoted in place of the true Jesus of the Bible. b. It is something that every Christian should be unafraid to proclaim: I love Him; I love Jesus. Can you say that? b. g. God is love: There are few people who really know and really believe that God is love. 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? I stand here to preach illimitable love, unbounded grace, to the vilest of the vile, to those who have nothing in them that can deserve consideration from God, men who ought to be swept into the bottomless pit at once if justice meted out to them their deserts. (Spurgeon). In my text he explains and enlarges that statement. Commentary on 1 John 4:7-13. We touched it with our hands. But it does not eliminate His holiness, His righteousness, or His perfect justice. Some people think the greatest evidence of Gods presence or work is popularity. Brother, do the same. No one has seen God at any time: John relates a basic principle about God the Father that no one, no one, has seen God at any time. One may be a spiritual dwarf because one lacks love. (1 John 4:2-3) How to know when a false prophet speaks. If anyone is afraid of judgment they only need to ask themselves if they love God . d. We love Him because He first loved us: This verse tells us why we love Jesus, and how we can love Him more. 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. We may request cookies to be set on your device. Confession of faith and love for one's brothers and sisters Continue reading "Commentary on 1 John 4:7-21" 5. 1 John 4. a. If you do not want that we track your visit to our site you can disable tracking in your browser here: We also use different external services like Google Webfonts, Google Maps, and external Video providers. People respond to the love of God differently. 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. Weir is still on his phone, dialing the numbers, while Ben and Hailey are with Homm, tending to his wound. a. 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? Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. The devil doesnt care at all if you know Jesus or love Jesus or pray to Jesus as long as it is a false Jesus, a make-believe Jesus, a Jesus who is not there, and who therefore cannot save. As much as we can know the completeness of Gods love now, we will know it all the more in the day of judgment. 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? But he who fears has not been made perfect in love. John seems to be speaking of a certain fear of judgment. b. Wisdom Literature ii. a. Weak relationships are made strong when both people draw close to the Lord! For whatever reason, they wont receive His love and let it transform their lives. a. We trust in the principle that God will never contradict Himself, and we know what He has already said in His Word. Do not believe every spirit: John warned against believing every spirit; that is, we are never to assume every spiritual experience or every demonstration of spiritual power is from God. c. And this commandment we have from Him: We have a commandment to love. To feel Gods love is very precious, but to believe it when you do not feel it, is the noblest. (Spurgeon). I know that some of you are greatly distressed because you cannot love Christ as much as you would like to do, and you keep on fretting because it is so. That indwelling Spirit is greater than he who is in the world Satan and all of his allies. The Word existed before the world began. We love him because we find he has loved us. ii. c. We love Him because He first loved us: This verse tells us where our love for Jesus comes from. Today, some groups deny that Jesus is really God (such as the Jehovahs Witnesses, Mormons, and Muslims). We can imagine Jesus being bold before the throne of God, but us? This day is coming! But it is no less important to say, Jesus is a man, because both the deity and humanity of Jesus are essential to our salvation. There was nothing better God the Father could give to lost humanity than the gift of the Son of God Himself. . You may know you are a sinner now; you will really, You may know now you are not a better person than those who are going to hell; you will really, You may know the reality of hell now; you will really, You may know the greatness of Jesus salvation now; you will really, Boice, James Montgomery "The Epistles of John: An Expositional Commentary" (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan, 1979), Clarke, Adam "Clarke's Commentary: The Holy Bible Containing the Old and New Testaments with a Commentary and Critical Notes" Volume 6 (Romans-Revelation) (New York: Eaton and Mains, 1832), Marshall, I. Howard "The Epistles of John" (The New International Commentary on the New Testament) (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Eerdmans, 1978), Poole, Matthew "A Commentary on the Holy Bible" Volume 3 (Matthew-Revelation) (London: Banner of Truth Trust, 1969), Spurgeon, Charles Haddon "The New Park Street Pulpit" Volumes 1-6 and "The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit" Volumes 7-63 (Pasadena, Texas: Pilgrim Publications, 1990). 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). h. If God so loved us: Having received this love from God, we are directed to love one another. GenesisExodusLeviticusNumbersDeuteronomyJoshuaJudgesRuth1 Samuel2 Samuel1 Kings2 Kings1 Chronicles2 ChroniclesEzraNehemiahEstherJobPsalmsProverbsEcclesiastesSong of SongsIsaiahJeremiahLamentationsEzekielDanielHoseaJoelAmosObadiahJonahMicahNahumHabakkukZephaniahHaggaiZechariahMalachiMatthewMarkLukeJohnActsRomans1 Corinthians2 CorinthiansGalatiansEphesiansPhilippiansColossians1 Thessalonians2 Thessalonians1 Timothy2 TimothyTitusPhilemonHebrewsJames1 Peter2 Peter1 John2 John3 JohnJudeRevelation, Select an Ending Point Believed is the noblest Select an Ending another to earn or become worthy of Gods or... Our Spirit that we may have boldness in the day of judgment they only need to draw God to ;. As c. H. Spurgeon over one hundred years earlier humanity will gather before Gods Great Throne! Some people think the greatest evidence of Gods presence or work is power have from... Love from God, but to believe it when you do not feel it, is the of... 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