1 João 4

John MacArthur · Citado em PreceptAustin

1 João 4:2

MacArthur - John accentuates the crucial importance of sound doctrine expressed in God's Word as the only absolute and trustworthy standard (cf. Isa 8:20). (Borrow MacArthur Study Bible) David

1 João 4:2

MacArthur illustrates the danger of drifting from the solid foundation of the truth about Jesus Christ - ''There once was an old church in England. A sign on the front of the building read ''We preach Christ crucified.'' After a time, ivy grew up and obscured the last word… ''We preach Christ.'' The ivy grew some more, and motto read, ''We preach.'' Finally, ivy covered the entire sign, and the church died. Such is the fate of any church that fails to carry out its mission in the world.'' (See 1 & 2 Timothy Commentary) William Barclay gives us an interesting historical context for John's warning about the spirit of the world - Behind this warning is a situation of which we in the modern church know little or nothing. In the early church there was a surging life of the Spirit which brought its own perils. There were so many and such diverse spiritual manifestations that some kind of test was necessary. Let us try to think ourselves back into that electric atmosphere. (i) Even in Old Testament times men realized the perils of false prophets who were men of spiritual power. Deuteronomy 13:1-5 demands that the false prophet who sought to lure men away from the true God should be put to death; but it frankly and freely admits that he may promise signs and wonders and perform them. The spiritual power is there, but it is evil and misdirected. (ii) In the early church the spiritual world was very near. All the world believed in a universe thronged with demons and spirits. Every rock and tree and river and grove and lake and mountain had its spiritual power; and these spiritual powers were always seeking entry into men's bodies and minds. In the time of the early church all men lived in a haunted world and men were never so conscious of being surrounded by spiritual powers. (iii) That ancient world was very conscious of a personal power of evil. It did not speculate about its source, but it was sure that it was there and that it was seeking for men who might be its instruments. It follows that not only the universe but also the minds of men provided the battleground on which the power of the light and the power of the dark fought out the issue. (iv) In the early church the coming of the Spirit was a much more visible phenomenon than is common nowadays. It was usually connected with baptism; and when the Spirit came things happened that anyone could see. The man who received the Spirit was visibly affected. When the apostles came down to Samaria, after the preaching of Philip, and conferred the gift of the Spirit on the new converts, the effects were so startling that the local magician, Simon Magus, wished to buy the power to produce them (Acts 8:17-18). The coming of the Spirit on Cornelius and his people was something which anyone could see (Acts 10:44-45). In the early church there was an ecstatic element in the coming of the Spirit whose effects were violent and obvious. (v) This had its effect in the congregational life of the early church. The best commentary on this passage of John is, in fact, Corinthians 14:1-40 . Because of the power of the Spirit men spoke with tongues. That is to say, they poured out a flood of Spirit-given sounds in no known language, which no one could understand unless there was someone present who had the Spirit-given power to interpret. So extraordinary was this phenomenon that Paul does not hesitate to say that, if a stranger came into a congregation in which it was in action, he would think that he had arrived in an assembly of madmen (1Corinthians 14:2; 1Corinthians 14:23; 1Corinthians 14:27). Even the prophets, who delivered their message in plain language, were a problem. They were so moved by the Spirit that they could not wait for each other to finish and each would leap to his feet determined to shout out his Spirit-given message (1Corinthians 14:26-27; 1Corinthians 14:33). A service of worship in an early Christian congregation was very different from the placidity of most modern church services. So diverse were the manifestations of the Spirit that Paul numbers the discerning of spirits among the spiritual gifts which a Christian might possess (1Corinthians 12:10). We can see what might happen in such a case when Paul speaks of the possibility of a man saying in a spirit that Christ is accursed (1Corinthians 12:3). When we come further down in Christian history we find the problem still more acute. The Didache, The Teaching of the Twelve Apostles, is the first service order book and is to be dated not long after A.D. 100. It has regulations on how to deal with the wandering apostles and prophets who came and went amongst the Christian congregations. "Not every one who speaks in a spirit is a prophet; he is only a prophet if he walks in the ways of the Lord" (Didache 11 and 12). The matter reached its peak and ne plus ultra when, in the third century, Montanus burst upon the Church with the claim that he was nothing less than the promised Paraclete and that he proposed to tell the Church the things which Christ had said his apostles could not at the moment bear. The early church was full of this surging life of the Spirit. The exuberance of life had not been organized out of the Church. It was a great age; but its very exuberance had its dangers. If there was a personal power of evil, men could be used by him. If there were evil spirits as well as the Holy Spirit, men could be occupied by them. Men could delude themselves into a quite subjective experience in which they thought--quite honestly--that they had a message from the Spirit. All this is in John's mind; and it is in face of that surging atmosphere of pulsating spiritual life that he sets out his criteria to judge between the true and the false. We, for our part, may well feel that with all its perils, the exuberant vitality of the early church was a far better thing than the apathetic placidity of so much of the life of the modern church. It was surely better that men should expect the Spirit everywhere than that they should expect him nowhere. (Daily Study Bible) A man is not saved by assenting to a church creed. He is saved by trusting Jesus Christ and bearing witness to his faith Warren

1 João 4:2

MacArthur - DISCERNMENT BETWEEN TRUTH AND ERROR 1 JOHN 4:1–3 God’s children are able to discern false doctrine. A sure mark of every false religious system is doctrinal error, particularly about the Person and work of Jesus Christ. Those systems deny that He is Savior and Lord, God in human flesh, the only way to the Father (John 14:6) because salvation comes only through Him (Acts 4:12). A sure mark, then, of all true children of God is that they believe the truth about Jesus Christ and do not deviate into doctrinal error. Although they may be temporarily duped by false teaching, they will not be permanently deceived by it. The apostle John wrote, “[False teachers] are from the world; therefore they speak as from the world, and the world listens to them. We are from God; he who knows God listens to us; he who is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error” (1 John 4:5–6). When you were saved, you were clear about who Christ was. “Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ,” writes John, “is born of God” (1 John 5:1). Had you not passed that doctrinal test, you wouldn’t have been saved. God’s children distinguish spiritual truth from doctrinal error because the Spirit of truth (John 14:16) indwells them. “O Timothy,” Paul exhorted his beloved son in the faith, “guard what has been entrusted to you, avoiding worldly and empty chatter and the opposing arguments of what is falsely called ‘knowledge’ ” (1 Tim. 6:20). I pray that you will guard the precious treasure of truth entrusted to you in the Scriptures and so assure your heart that you belong to the God of truth. Suggestions for Prayer: Thank God for revealing His truth to us in the Bible. For Further Study: Read John 1:1; Philippians 2:5–11; Colossians 2:9. What do they teach about the Person of Christ? (See Strength for Today: Daily Readings for a Deeper Faith - Page 19) Danny Akin - Recently, Christian rapper and friend Shai Linne stirred quite a controversy with his song “Fal$e Teacher$.” It is a critique of “the prosperity gospel,” and in it he does the unacceptable in our hyper-tolerant/non-critical day: he names names. In the song Shai particularly calls on Christians outside of America not to be deceived by these “wolves in sheep’s clothing,” the words of Jesus (Matthew 7:15), who export their heresies around the world. To be specific, he says, Don't be deceived by this funny biz, if you come to Jesus for money, then he's not your God, money is! Jesus is not a means to an end, the Gospel is. He came to redeem us from sin, and that is the message forever I yell! If you're living your best life now you're heading for hell! Turn off TBN that channel is overrated. The pastors speak bogus statements, financially motivated. It's kind of like a pyramid scheme. Visualize heretics Christianizing the American dream. It's foul and deceitful, they're lying to people, teaching that camels squeeze through the eye of a needle! John Piper via twitter said of the song, “My my, Shai, this is good.” Calling out and identifying false teachers is neither fun nor popular. It is, however, both biblical and necessary. They are often more dangerous and more plentiful than many Christians realize. Walter Kaiser - Who Are the Heretics? - Hard Sayings page 700 We live in an age in which all sorts of people call themselves Christian, even if their continuity with historic Christianity is tenuous at best. This is not a new problem. All three of the Johannine letters deal with problems with schismatic groups, and in 1 and 2 John one of the characteristics of these groups is that they are heretical. But what are we to make of the heresy described in 2 John 7? In what way might a group call itself Christian and still “not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh”? Even the vast majority of our semi-Christian heresies acknowledge Jesus. What does it mean to “come in the flesh” anyway? As I have noted, the Johannine community was struggling with heretical teaching. In 1 John 4:1 we read that “many” false prophets have left the church community for the world. In 2 John 4 we read that “some” of the Christians are walking in the truth, while in 2 John 7 we learn that there are “many deceivers.” The impression is that the majority of the church is defecting and going “out into the world,” probably to form their own groups based on their own doctrines. The root of the heresy in both 1 John 4:2–3 and 2 John 7 is the denial of “Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh.” There is a grammatical difference between the two passages that may indicate a shift in emphasis, but the root concept is the same in both. In Johannine terminology to confess something is not simply to agree that it is correct, but to acknowledge one’s allegiance to it. So to confess Jesus Christ would be to state that one is committed to him as Lord. But why does John use the double title “Jesus Christ” and “in the flesh”? This phrase in 2 John is designed to rule out christological heresy. Two types of heresy appeared in the second century, arising out of roots already apparent in the Johannine writings in the first century. The docetic heresy, on the one hand, argued that Jesus was not a real human being (not truly “in the flesh”), but only appeared to be human. He was truly Christ; the Christ was a spirit that appeared to materialize. Being a spirit, of course, he did not die on the cross, but in one way or another only appeared to suffer and die. (The term docetic comes from the Greek word meaning “to seem or appear.”) The Cerinthian heresy, on the other hand, argued that Jesus was really a human being, but that at his baptism the Christ spirit came upon him, forsaking him at the crucifixion. Therefore the Christ did not die, although Jesus did. Although we do not know exactly what the heretics John is fighting believed (and some of them may have believed an early form of both of these heresies), the phrase in 2 John guards against both of them. According to John, a true Christian pledges allegiance to Jesus Christ, not just the Christ. And the believer acknowledges that this whole entity, “Jesus Christ,” has come from God and is really human. The form of the phraseology in 1 John 4:2–3 stresses Jesus’ having come from God and becoming truly incarnate. The form here in 2 John 7 stresses that Jesus remains incarnate and did not in some way “split apart” at death or the ascension. In John’s view, an incarnate, truly human, truly divine Jesus Christ presently exists. In 1 John 4 the heretics claim to be inspired by the Holy Spirit when they teach what they do about Jesus. This does not mean that they were under direct Spirit-control at the time of their speaking, but that they were claiming that this was what the Spirit had taught them. John says that one can tell the true Spirit of God by the doctrine he teaches. The true Spirit has the right doctrine; the spirit that does not lead people to pledge their allegiance to the orthodox Christ is in fact not the Holy Spirit, but the spirit of antichrist. This statement is not grounds for calling up spirits and trying to get them to speak through people and making them affirm or deny that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh, but it is grounds for examining the doctrine of the person who claims prophetic inspiration and seeing if it corresponds with the orthodox confession. In 2 John we do not hear of the spirit-inspiration of the heretics, but they are themselves called deceivers and antichrist. It appears that they were trying to infiltrate the orthodox house churches and were actively recruiting people to their way of thinking. That is why they are deceivers and why the people need to “watch out” that they do not lose what they have in Christ (2 Jn 8). The Christian church finds its unity not around this or that doctrine, but around Jesus Christ. To reject the real Jesus, either by denying his true humanity (being “in the flesh”) or by denying his divinity (by denying that Jesus was really the Christ), is to break with the faith and to split from the church community. It is not that doctrine is the key issue, but that it expresses the distinguishing characteristics of the person to whom one is committed. The one not committed to the real Jesus Christ does not know either the Father or the Son, according to John. Unfortunately the church often has not kept this fact central. On the one hand, it has been willing to accept some who do deny its Lord, and, on the other hand, it has been willing to split over doctrinal differences that do not call into question real commitment to the true Jesus Christ. This letter reminds us of what is really central. It is Christ who unifies his church. Without him we have no unity. With him we have a unity that no human being dare try to destroy Norman Geisler - 1 JOHN 4:2–3—Does this refer to Jesus being in the flesh before or after His resurrection? - When Critics Ask page 456 PROBLEM: John declares that those who deny “Jesus Christ has come in the flesh” are of Antichrist. While all orthodox Christians take this to mean Jesus was fully human, including having a physical body of flesh before His resurrection, some contend that Jesus was not raised from the dead in the same body of flesh and bones in which He died, but in a body that was not essentially material. What does this verse mean? SOLUTION: John uses the perfect tense here in Greek, meaning past action with continuing results in the present. Thus, he affirms that Jesus came in the flesh in the past and continues in the flesh in the present (i.e., when he is writing, which was after the Resurrection). This is further clarified by John’s use of the same phrase, only in the present tense. He declared that many deceivers do not “confess Jesus Christ as coming [present tense] in the flesh” (2 John 7). From this it is clear that, even after the Resurrection when John wrote, he insisted that Jesus was still continuing in the flesh. Finally, in addition to these two passages in John’s epistles, there are two other NT texts which explicitly declare Christ’s resurrection body to be one of flesh. Referring to the resurrection of Christ, Peter declared that “nor did His flesh see corruption” (Acts 2:30–31). Jesus Himself said to His disciples in one of His post-resurrection appearances, “Handle Me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see I have” (Luke 24:39). Henry

1 João 4:4

MacArthur - True believers have nothing to fear, for even Satan’s hosts with their perversions can’t take them out of the Lord’s hand. Here, as in 2:18–27, protection against error or victory over it are guaranteed by sound doctrine and the indwelling Holy Spirit who illumines the mind. (See MacArthur Study Bible - Page 1941) A true believer is saved, safe and secure by God’s Spirit. We are as safe as God is strong! --Danny Akin Danny Akin - There is what we could call “a divine irony” for those who believe in and follow after Jesus. The opposition of Satan, the world system that daily assaults us, false teachers that seek to seduce us, faulty worldviews that attempt to confuse us, and our own sinfulness that yearns to enslave us; they are all divinely ordained to fail. Why? Because of the glorious truth of verse 4, “He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.” We have a Champion, a Victor, a source of Power that all of these enemies of hell combined are no match for. Westcott - The ground and the assurance of the victory of Christians lie in the Power by which they are inspired (c. 1Jn 3:24). The strength of men (the indwelling Spirit) is proportional to the vital force of which they are the organs. Unless the Spirit of wisdom is present, there is little or no profit in having God’s Word in our hands. -- John Calvin Ray Stedman on why they overcame - not because they had a superior intelligence. You'll notice that it says nothing about them being smarter than the teachers. Nor was it because they had been subjected to intense training in the cults. There is no word about that either. Nor is it that they had been supported and bulwarked by clever arguments with which they were able to answer the errors of the teachers. Nor was it their broad theological knowledge. There is none of this. John says, "you overcame them because greater is he that is in you than he who is in the world." In other words, it was not anything these Christians had that delivered them, it was the One who dwelt within them. It was the greatness of God that kept them straight. It was the fact that God was greater than the spirit that was at work behind the teachers of error. This is what will keep us straight today. (God is Greater - 1 John 4:4-6) THOUGHT - Recall that Jesus gave us His example to follow (1Pe 2:21, 1Jn 2:6) of how we practically are to overcome the spirit of the antichrist. Specifically Jesus overcame the temptations of the Devil in Mt 4:1-11 (Lk 4:1-13) because He was full of the Holy Spirit (Lk 4:1, cp Lk 4:14, Acts 10:37-38) and filled with the Word of God (Mt 4:4, 7, 10) which is the sword of the Spirit. (Eph 6:17). We are to do likewise - be continually filled with the Spirit and the Word! See Filled with the Spirit and the Word Kistemaker on He Who is in you - There are two forces that oppose one another: the Holy Spirit opposes the spirit of the antichrist. Through his Spirit, God lives with his children and is greater than the evil one. He keeps them in the truth of his Word and strengthens them to overcome temptations (compare 1Jn 3:9). (New Testament Commentary - James, Epistles of John, Peter, and Jude) David

1 João 4:6

MacArthur - In contrast to the demonic purveyors of falsehood (Acts 13:10; Gal. 1:7; cf. John 8:44), teachers who are from God proclaim His revealed Word as the source of truth (cf. 2 Cor. 6:7; 1 Tim. 2:7; Titus 1:3). The pronoun we primarily refers to John and the other writers of Scripture. Like them, all true teachers accurately proclaim the Word of God, and the person who knows God listens to them (cf. John 8:47; 10:4–5, 16, 26–27; 14:26; 18:37). By contrast, anyone who is not from God does not listen to their teachings. The completed, written revelation of the Old and New Testaments is therefore the sole authority by which Christians must test all spiritual ideologies. (See 1-3 John - Volume 5 - Page 159) Jon Courson - Inspired by the Spirit, John declares those who truly know God know the Word. Those who don’t know God don’t listen to the Word. (See Jon Courson's Application Commentary) Steven

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MacArthur writes that "agapē (love) is the love of self-sacrificing service (Phil. 2:2–5; Col. 3:12–14; cf. Rom. 14:19; 1 Cor. 10:23–24; 13:4–7), the love granted to someone who needs to be loved (Heb. 6:10; 1 Peter 2:17; cf. Rom. 12:15), not necessarily to someone who is attractive or lovable." Agape love does not depend on the world’s criteria for love, such as attractiveness, emotions, or sentimentality. Believers can easily fall into the trap of blindly following the world’s demand that a lover feel positive toward the beloved. This is not agape love, but is a love based on impulse. Impulsive love characterizes the spouse who announces to the other spouse that they are planning to divorce their mate. Why? They reason “I can’t help it. I fell in love with another person!” Christians must understand that this type of impulsive love is completely contrary to God’s decisive love, which is decisive because He is in control and has a purpose in mind. There are many reasons a proper understanding of the truth of God's word (and of the world's lie) is critical and one of the foremost is Jesus' declaration that "By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love (agape) for one another." (John 13:35). Agape in 1 John - 1 John 2:5, 15; 3:1, 16-17; 1Jn 4:7-10, 12, 16 (3x), 1Jn 4:17, 1Jn 4:18 (3x) 1Jn 5:3 (Also in 2John 1:3, 6; 3John 1:6) Faith only - I just take in (belief), I don’t give out (love; beauty/fragrance) (i.e. Dead Sea) No love, no fragrance or beauty. Love only - “I just give out (love), I don’t take in(faith/belief; reading/study/the word)”. No faith, no dew or sunshine. Flowers don’t grow in caves. So, faith & love must go together! From (1537) (ek) a primary preposition denoting origin (the point whence action or motion proceeds), from, out (of place, time, or cause, literal or figurative. Out of, from, by," suggesting "the source from which something is done," is sometimes rendered "by means of," e.g., Luke 16:9, RV, "by means of (the mammon of unrighteousness);" AV, "of;" 2 Cor. 1:11, "by (the) means of (many)." 1 John 4 has 8 phrases that begin with "from" (ek) - 1 John 4:1, 1 John 4:2, 1 John 4:3, 1 John 4:4, 1 John 4:5, 1 John 4:6 GINGRICH Shorter Lexicon of the Greek New Testament - EK before vowels ex prep. with genitive (possessive) = from, out of, away from— 1. to denote separation Mt 2:15; 26:27; Mk 16:3; Jn 12:27; 17:15 ; Ac 17:33; Gal 3:13; Rev 14:13; from among Lk 20:35; Acts 3:23. 2. to denote the direction from which something comes from, out from Mt 17:9; Mk 11:20; Lk 5:3; in answer to the question where? at, on Mt 20:21, 23; Ac 2:25, 34. 3. to denote origin, cause, motive reason from, of, by Mt 1:3, 5, 18; Jn 1:13, 46; 1 Cor 7:7; 2 Cor 5:1; Gal 2:15; 4:4; Phil 3:5. Because of, by Mk 7:11; 2 Cor 2:2; Rev 8:11. By reason of, as a result of, because of Lk 12:15; Ac 19:25; Ro 4:2; with Lk 16:9. Of, from of source or material Mt 12:34; J 19:2; 1 Cor 9:13; Rv 18:12. According to, in accordance with Mt 12:37; 2 Cor 8:11, 13. ek toutou for this reason, therefore Jn 6:66. oi` ek nomou partisans of the law Ro 4:14. 4. in periphrasis for the partitive gen. Mt 10:29; 25:2; Lk 11:15, which may even function as subject of a sentence ek t matheton some of the disciples Jn 16:17; used with einai = belong to someone or something Mt 26:73; Ac 21:8; 1 Cor 12:15f. After verbs of filling with Lk 15:16; J n12:3; Rev 8:5. For the gen. of price or value for Mt 20:2; 27:7; Ac 1:18. 5. of time from, from this or that time on Mt 19:12; Mk 10:20; J 9:1, 32; for Lk 23:8; after 2 Pt 2:8. Born (begotten) (1080)(gennao from genos = offspring, in turn from ginomai = to become) means to beget, to bring forth, to give birth, to procreate a descendant, to produce offspring, to generate. To beget Is spoken of men (Mt 1:2-16), whereas to bear is spoken of women. The passive voice means to be begotten or to be born. See comments on Born Again in John 3 Knows (1097)(ginosko) refers to knowledge gained by experience, a knowing intimately and not just intellectually. For example, John uses ginosko to describe those who refused to believe in Jesus writing "He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him." (Jn 1:10+, see context Jn 1:11-13+) After most of the followers departed from Jesus in Jn 6:66+, Jesus confronted the twelve disciples asking "You do not want to go away also, do you?" (Jn 6:67+) to which Peter replied "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have words of eternal life. And we have believed and have come to know (ginosko) that You are the Holy One of God." (Jn 6:68-69+) Notice that here John links believing in Jesus with knowing Him. And the greatest use of ginosko in the Bible (IMO) is John 17:3+ “This is eternal life, that they may know (ginosko) You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ Whom You have sent." To know God and Jesus Christ is salvation, eternal life. On the other hand if Jesus does not know you, that means you are dead in your trespasses and sins (Eph 2:1-3+) and will spend eternity away from His glorious present (2Th 1:9+). Jesus was crystal clear when He declared "I never (never ever - oudepote) knew (ginosko) you; DEPART (present imperative) FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS." (Mt 7:23+) Dear reader, I pray for your soul, that you never hear these words, thinking that you have made a profession of Jesus, but never truly experienced possession of Jesus. In His Name. Amen. GINOSKO IN JOHN'S WRITINGS - Jn. 1:10 ; Jn. 1:48; Jn. 2:24; Jn. 2:25; Jn. 3:10; Jn. 4:1; Jn. 4:53; Jn. 5:6; Jn. 5:42; Jn. 6:15; Jn. 6:69; Jn. 7:17; Jn. 7:26; Jn. 7:27; Jn. 7:49; Jn. 7:51; Jn. 8:27; Jn. 8:28; Jn. 8:32; Jn. 8:43; Jn. 8:52; Jn. 8:55; Jn. 10:6; Jn. 10:14; Jn. 10:15; Jn. 10:27; Jn. 10:38; Jn. 11:57; Jn. 12:9; Jn. 12:16; Jn. 13:7; Jn. 13:12; Jn. 13:28; Jn. 13:35; Jn. 14:7; Jn. 14:9; Jn. 14:17; Jn. 14:20; Jn. 14:31; Jn. 15:18; Jn. 16:3; Jn. 16:19; Jn. 17:3; Jn. 17:7; Jn. 17:8; Jn. 17:23; Jn. 17:25; Jn. 19:4; Jn. 21:17; 1 Jn. 2:3; 1 Jn. 2:4; 1 Jn. 2:5; 1 Jn. 2:13; 1 Jn. 2:14; 1 Jn. 2:18; 1 Jn. 2:29; 1 Jn. 3:1; 1 Jn. 3:6; 1 Jn. 3:16; 1 Jn. 3:19; 1 Jn. 3:20; 1 Jn. 3:24; 1 Jn. 4:2; 1 Jn. 4:6; 1 Jn. 4:7; 1 Jn. 4:8; 1 Jn. 4:13; 1 Jn. 4:16; 1 Jn. 5:2; 1 Jn. 5:20; 2 Jn. 1:1; Rev. 2:23; Rev. 2:24; Rev. 3:3; Rev. 3:9 QUESTION - What does it mean to love one another? | GotQuestions.org ANSWER - In John 13:34 Jesus taught, “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.” Then He added, “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another” (verse 35). How do we do this? What does it mean to love one another? The “one another” in these verses is a reference to fellow believers. A distinguishing mark of being a follower of Christ is a deep, sincere love for brothers and sisters in Christ. The apostle John reminds us of this fact elsewhere: “He has given us this command: Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister” (1 John 4:21). In giving this command, Jesus did something the world had never seen before—He created a group identified by one thing: love. There are many groups in the world, and they identify themselves in any number of ways: by skin color, by uniform, by shared interest, by alma mater, etc. One group has tattoos and piercings; another group abstains from meat; yet another group wears fezzes—the ways people categorize themselves are endless. But the church is unique. For the first and only time in history, Jesus created a group whose identifying factor is love. Skin color doesn’t matter. Native language doesn’t matter. There are no rules about diet or uniforms or wearing funny hats. Followers of Christ are identified by their love for each other. The early church demonstrated the type of love Jesus was talking about. There were people in Jerusalem from all over the known world (Acts 2:9–11). Those who were saved got together and immediately began meeting each other’s needs: “All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need” (Acts 2:44–45). This was love in action, and you can be sure it made an impression on the people of that city. Jesus’ statements in John 13:34–35 raise a couple of other questions that may be good to answer. First, how does Jesus love? He loves unconditionally (Romans 5:8), sacrificially (2 Corinthians 5:21), with forgiveness (Ephesians 4:32), and eternally (Romans 8:38–39). At the same time, Jesus’ love is holy—characterized by transcendent moral purity—because He is holy (Hebrews 7:26). The culmination of Christ’s amazing love for us is His death on the cross, burial, and bodily resurrection (1 John 4:9–10). Believers are to love each other like that. Second, how then can the believer in Christ love as Christ loved? The believer in Christ has the Holy Spirit living within him (1 Corinthians 6:19–20). By obeying the Spirit, through the Word of God, the believer can love like Christ does. He shows that unconditional, sacrificial, forgiving love to fellow believers, but it doesn’t stop there. He also shows the love of Christ to friends, to family members, to coworkers, etc. (Ephesians 5:18–6:4; Galatians 5:16, 22–23). Even enemies are the recipients of Christ’s love (see Matthew 5:43–48). Christ’s love displayed through the believer is unlike the “love” generated by the flesh, which can be selfish, egotistical, unforgiving, and insincere. 1 Corinthians 13:4–8 gives a wonderful description of what Christ’s love will be like in and through the believer who walks in the Spirit. People don’t naturally love with a 1 Corinthians 13-type love. To love like that, there must be a change of heart. A person must realize that he is a sinner before God and understand that Christ died on the cross and rose again to provide him forgiveness; then he must make the decision to accept Christ as his personal Savior. At that point he is forgiven by Christ and receives God’s gift of eternal life—in fact, he becomes a participant in the divine nature (2 Peter 1:4). In Christ he knows that he is genuinely loved by God. The new life the believer receives includes a new capacity to love like Christ loves, for the believer now has living within him the unconditional, sacrificial, forgiving, eternal, and holy love of God (Romans 5:5). To love one another is to love fellow believers as Christ loves us. Those who love like Christ in the Holy Spirit’s power will give evidence that they are disciples, or learners, of Jesus Christ. QUESTION - What can we learn from 1 John 4:7, “Beloved, let us love one another"? ANSWER - In 1 John 4:7–8, the apostle John instructs believers, “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God, for God is love” (NKJV). God is love (1 John 4:8), and those who have been forgiven and saved by Him reflect His love. Believers will impact the world by showing others God’s love, and this must begin with the beloved heeding the instruction to love one another. John addresses believers as the “beloved.” Calling believers “beloved” brings to mind God’s sacrificial love (John 3:16). A believer acknowledges he is a sinner, realizes that Jesus took the penalty for his sins on the cross and then rose again, and puts his trust in Jesus alone for salvation (Acts 4:12). He knows he is genuinely loved by God, and his life is transformed (2 Corinthians 5:17). A believer receives the Holy Spirit at the moment of salvation along with a new capacity to love like Christ loves (Romans 5:5). Jesus taught His disciples, “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.” Then He added, “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another” (John 13:34–35). People don’t naturally love with a godly, 1 Corinthians 13-type of love. To love like that, there must be a change of heart. A distinguishing mark of a follower of Christ is a deep, sincere love for brothers and sisters in Christ. True believers love not only “with words or speech but with actions and in truth” (1 John 3:18). There are several “one another” commands in Scripture revealing what it looks like to love one another. Believers are called to be at peace with one another (Mark 9:50), be of the same mind as one another (Romans 12:6; 15:5), have patience with one another and forgive one another (Ephesians 4:32), bear one another’s burdens (Galatians 6:2), speak the truth to one another (Ephesians 4:25), pray for one another (James 5:16), and exhibit other qualities of the Spirit. Indeed, believers are called to love one another several times (John 13:34; 15:12, 17; Romans 13:8; 1 Thessalonians 3:12; 4:9; 1 Peter 1:22; 1 John 3:11; 4:7, 11; 2 John 5) and are practically instructed on what that love looks like. It is this kind of sacrificial love that shows the world who God is in hopes that others will repent and experience God’s love and forgiveness. Believers can obey God’s Word and love one another by the power of the Holy Spirit. A believer shows Christ’s unconditional, sacrificial, and forgiving love to fellow believers, but he does not stop there. He also shows the love of Christ to friends, family members, co-workers, and even enemies (Leviticus 19:18; Matthew 5:43–48; Romans 13:10). God’s love compels believers to love one another. Related Resources: What does it mean to have love for one another (John 13:35)? Why is loving others often so difficult? | GotQuestions.org Why should we owe no man anything except to love one another? (Ro 13:8) What does it mean to bear with one another (Colossians 3:13)? What does it mean to be kind to one another (Ephesians 4:32)? What does it mean to submit to one another (Ephesians 5:21)? How are we to exhort one another daily (Hebrews 3:13)? How can we encourage one another to love and good works? (Heb 10:24) What does it mean that we should be bearing with one another (Eph 4:2)? ATTRIBUTES OF GOD: HE IS LOVE Love is not a definition of God—God is infinitely more—but God is the definition of love. Without Him, love does not exist (John 3:16; 1 John 4:8–10). Biblical love (Gk. agapē) is active, yet selfless. Though most graphically and fully illustrated in God’s love for us, agap love is also God’s pattern for our love for Him (1 John 4:19) and for our love for one another (Eph. 5:25; 1 Pet. 1:22). Its basis is God’s deliberate, active, sacrificial giving of His Son for our redemption. To be loved by God means that He has set His sights on us and is actively wooing us toward Himself at all times. God’s love is self-starting (1 John 4:10), indestructible (Rom. 8:38, 39), undeserved (Rom. 3:23), compassionate (Is. 49:15), constant (Jer. 31:3), immeasurable (Eph. 3:18, 19), voluntary (Rom. 5:8), and a gift (John 3:16). He did not begin loving at the Cross, nor will He love us more tomorrow than He does today. There is nothing we can do, think, or say that will change His love because there are no surprises for God—He knows us totally and loves us anyway (Ps. 139:1–5). The goal of God’s love is to have us with Him throughout eternity (1 John 4:16). He presented and made possible the accomplishment of this goal through Jesus and His sacrifice on the Cross (John 1:14–18). See also Lam. 3:22, note; Eph. 2:4; notes on Attributes of God (Ex. 33; Deut. 4; 32; 2 Chr. 19; Job 23; 42; Ps. 25; 90; 102; 119; Is. 6; 65; Jer. 23; Rom. 2; Eph. 1); Forgiveness (Ps. 51; Luke 17); Fruit of the Spirit (1 Cor. 13); Promises of God (2 Pet. 1); Salvation (Eph. 2) (BORROW The woman's study Bible) THE NEW BIRTH: ITS EVIDENCES AND RESULTS 1 JOHN The Apostle John does not point out in this Epistle how regeneration can take place, because that he had already done in his Gospel, particularly John 1:12, 13+, and the whole of chapter 3. Here in his Epistle he points out the proofs whereby we may know we are born from above. I. Faith is both the condition and the proof of regeneration. “Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God” (1 John 5:1+). II. Love. “Every one that loveth is born of God” (1 John 4:7+). III. Life. “Whosoever is born of God doth not commit (margin, “practice”) sin; or as W., “No one who is a child of God is habitually guilty of sin” (1 John 3:9+). This is to say, one of the clearest proofs of the new birth is to be found in the fact that a new life is begun. Not a life of sin as before, but a life of victory—there may be, there usually is, especially in the early days, lapses into sin, but not a life of sin. By and by we learn the secret of full victory. IV. Overcomes. “For whosoever is born of God overcometh the world” (1 John 5:4+). V. Kept. “We know that whosoever is born of God sinneth not, but He that was begotten of God (i.e., the Lord Jesus) keepeth him” (1 John 5:18+, R.V.). The begotten one is kept by the only Begotten of the Father. And the result? VI. Holiness. Personal holiness. “Every one that doeth righteousness is born of Him” (1 John 2:29+). (James Smith - Handfuls on Purpose) Chris Benfield - Someone has asked “What is love” and then gave the following answer: It is silence—when your words would hurt. It is patience—when your neighbor’s curt. It is deafness—when a scandal flows. It is thoughtfulness—for other’s woes. It is promptness—when stern duty calls. It is courage—when misfortune falls.i Alan Carr - 1 John 4:7–11 THIS LOVE IS DESCRIBED IN THE CONTEXT A. It Is Unspeakable—I can=t understand it, or why, but I know I have experienced it and I can never be separated from it—Rom. 8:38–39 B. It Is Unending—Jer. 31:3. There is a difference between infatuation and love! God’s love is eternal! C. It Is Unselfish—Ill. It asks for nothing in return! However, it leads man to repent and turn to God in love—Rom. 2:4; 1 John 4:19. C. It Is Unmerited—Cannot be earned or deserved! God loved us because He desired a people to love. (Ill. His love is based in His grace!) (Ill. Jesus and Jerusalem—Matt. 23:37.) E. It Is Unconditional—It is not based on what we can or cannot produce, it is a product of the heart of God. Man can never reach a place when he will not be loved by God! God loved us first, He loved us anyway and He loves us eternally! F. His love is Supernatural, it is Sacrificing, it is Satisfying! It’s All About The Love Read: 1 John 4:7-19 We have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love. —1 John 4:16 I saw a sign in front of a church that seems to me to be a great motto for relationships: Receive love. Give love. Repeat. The greatest love that we receive is the love of God. He loved us so much that He gave His Son Jesus to live, die, and rise again to redeem us (1 John 4:9). We receive His love when we receive Jesus as our Savior and Lord. “As many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name” (John 1:12). After we’ve experienced God’s love, we then can learn to give love. “Let us love one another, for love is of God” (1 John 4:7). God’s love enables us to love our brothers and sisters in Christ. We teach, encourage, and rebuke. We weep and rejoice. The love we give is tender and tough and supportive. We are taught by Jesus even to love our enemies: “Do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you” (Matt. 5:44). Giving love to others can be challenging in some situations, but it’s possible because of the love God has first given to us. For Further Study How do we experience the love of Christ? (John 15:10). What is the evidence of God’s love in our lives? (1 John 4:16-21). How can we show God’s love today? Receive love. Give love. Repeat. ILLUSTRATION OF NOT LOVING ONE ANOTHER AND THE FRUIT THEREOF - I heard a story on time about a church in Kansas. It seems that in this church the piano was situated on the eastern side of the sanctuary. For some unknown reason, a group of church members were convinced that the piano would be more strategically placed if it were on the western side of the sanctuary. After several months of debate within the church, the western party decided to take matters into it’s own hands. So late one Saturday night, several of them entered the church and moved the piano. The next morning those who wanted the piano on the eastern side were understandably upset, but could not do anything without making a scene. The next week several members showed up early Saturday evening to move the piano back to the east. Each week after that the piano was moved several times on Saturday and early Sunday morning. Eventually, the stress of wondering who was going to move it and when became too great and the church split. Still to this day, it is told, the members of the east and west sides refuse to even speak to each other. --- A church in the southern United States no longer exists, due in part to an incident that took place in the church kitchen one Sunday afternoon. A new family had arrived to take part in their first pot-luck luncheon. The aroma of tuna casseroles, baked beans, and Tater-Tot dishes wafted through the building. The unsuspecting wife cheerfully brought her red gelatin salad to the kitchen, then headed back to the fellowship hall to join her family. The moment the pastor said “Amen,” hungry parishioners politely charged for the serving line. There were dozens of dishes to sample. “Where’s our salad?” The woman’s husband asked innocently. “There must be some mistake,” She said. “I’ll find out what happened.” She reached the kitchen door in time to witness the queen of the kitchen ladling the last of her salad into the disposal. “What are you doing?” The newcomer shrieked. “That’s my salad!” Without batting an eye, the woman looked up and said, “You’re new to this church. You’ll soon learn we use only real whipped cream around here, not Cool Whip.” She hit the switch. The garbage disposal rumbled and gurgled and sucked the salad down the drain. That one incident started a significant church battle that escalated into all-out war. LEARNING TO LOVE BY THEODORE EPP In Strength for the Journey Ephesians 5: 1-5 Does the standard of God's love seem too high to attain? Having received Jesus Christ as Saviour, we have been born of the Holy Spirit and have become members of God's family. We have become partakers in, or sharers of, the divine nature (2 Pet. 1:4), and the essence of the divine nature is love. It is the kind of love that loves even when there is no response, always seeking the highest good for the other person. That God loved us when there was no response is evident from Romans 5:8: "But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." But it can be said that because of our having received Jesus Christ as Saviour, "the love of God is [now] shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us" (v. 5). Since it is His love that is in our hearts, we are able to attain God's standard of love by letting Christ live His life in us as He desires. The expression of this love in us is one of the strongest proofs that we really are the children of God (1 John 4:7-16). When Paul urged believers to "walk in love" (Eph. 5:2), he was emphasizing that our life is lived one step at a time. As we rely on the Lord for the step we are now taking, we need not worry about the steps that are ahead. Of course, Paul was referring to a person's way of life. First John 3:18 says, "My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth." It is easy to talk, but it is costly to walk. "A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another" (John 13:34). Learning to Love - Love does more than make “the world go round,” as an old song says. It also makes us immensely vulnerable. From time to time, we may say to ourselves: “Why love when others do not show appreciation?” or “Why love and open myself up to hurt?” But the apostle Paul gives a clear and simple reason to pursue love: “These three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love. Follow the way of love” (1 Cor. 13:13–14:1). “Love is an activity, the essential activity of God himself,” writes Bible commentator C. K. Barrett, “and when men love either Him or their fellow-men, they are doing (however imperfectly) what God does.” And God is pleased when we act like Him. To begin following the way of love, think about how you might live out the characteristics listed in 1 Corinthians 13:4–7. For example, how can I show my child the same patience God shows me? How can I show kindness and respect for my parents? What does it mean to look out for the interests of others when I am at work? When something good happens to my friend, do I rejoice with her or am I envious? As we “follow the way of love,” we’ll find ourselves often turning to God, the source of love, and to Jesus, the greatest example of love. Only then will we gain a deeper knowledge of what true love is and find the strength to love others like God loves us. God, thank You that You are love and that You love me so much. Help me to love others the way Jesus showed us so that the whole world will know I am Your child. Love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. 1 John 4:7 J. C. Philpot. Daily Words for Zion's Wayfarers. Love is of God. 1 John 4:7 Love is a gift which the risen Mediator has received that he may freely communicate it out of his fullness to his people. And we must be brought to feel that it is a gift. Could we produce or keep it alive in our own hearts, we would burn incense to our own skill or our own care. Some perhaps will scarcely believe that a child of God can feel enmity against Christ; but his carnal mind is unmitigated enmity against him. And oh, what a cutting feeling it is for a follower of the Lamb to have a principle in him which hates Christ; hates, bitterly hates his Person, hates his holiness and purity; which could join in the cry, "Crucify him, crucify him," and push and strike him with the Roman soldiers and the Jewish rabble. Unless painful experience convinced us that there was such a dreadful principle within, we could not believe that there was this devilish enmity in our heart against him whom our souls desire to love and adore. But what know we about love, if we have not all this enmity, carnality, and coldness to try it? When we have been exercised with all these wretched feelings, and the Lord begins to drop into our hearts a little mercy and grace, and to draw forth our affections unto him, we then begin to feel what a sweet thing love is. Love is the sweetest balm man can taste in this life. It is so naturally. There is a sweetness in love. When we love our wives, our children, our friends, there is a sweetness and tenderness in the very feeling, that is--as moralists say of virtue--its own reward. Coldness, dislike, envy, prejudice, jealousy, suspicion, peevishness, quarreling--these sparks of hell burn and torture every spot on which they fall. And so, if ever there is a hell in a man's bosom, it is when full of hatred against God and his people. But if ever we feel a foretaste of heaven, it is when the Lord kindles some meltings of love, some drawings of affection toward Jesus and to those who are his. Then enmity and prejudice flee away; and we feel as if we could take all the people of God into our bosom, and say, "Your people shall be my people, and your God my God." - J. C. Philpot. Daily Words for Zion's Wayfarers. Matthew

1 João 4:8

MacArthur says "Those whose lives are not characterized by love for others are not Christians, no matter what they claim. The Jewish religionists (scribes, Pharisees, and other leaders) of Jesus’ day, as well as the false teachers in the church of John’s day, knew a lot about God, but they did not really know Him (cf. 1Ti 6:20; 2Ti 3:7+). The absence of God’s love in their lives revealed their unregenerate condition as conclusively as did their aberrant theology." (See The MacArthur Commentary)(Bolding Added) Love for fellow Christians provides proof of spiritual birth and relationship with God. -- Bruce Barton Warren

1 João 4:8

MacArthur - GOD’S UNFAILING LOVE “The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love.” 1 JOHN 4:8 (See Strength for Today: Daily Readings for a Deeper Faith - Page 17) God’s love is unconditional and righteous. We hear a lot today about love from books, magazines, TV, and movies. If you didn’t know any better, you’d think that our society is the most loving on earth. Much of the “love,” though, is nothing more than lust masquerading as love, or selfishness disguised as kindness. But today’s verse tells us that “God is love”; the character of God defines love. To clear up any confusion about love, we need only to look at who God is. And then, of course, we need to seek to love others as God loves us. First, God’s love is unconditional and unrequited. “God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom. 5:8). God loved us when we were sinners, when we had no righteousness and we didn’t—and couldn’t—love Him back. God doesn’t love us because we deserve it or because we love Him, but because it’s His nature to love. God’s love doesn’t mean He winks at sin, though. Just as earthly fathers discipline sinning children, “those whom the Lord loves He disciplines, and He scourges every son whom He receives” (Heb. 12:6). True love doesn’t indulge unrighteousness, it confronts it. This kind of tough love isn’t always fun, but it’s for the best: “All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness” (v. 11). We’ll study God’s love more in the next lesson, but now it’s only natural to examine how we ourselves are doing in demonstrating love. Is our love unconditional, or do we withhold love from those who hurt us? Do we love only those who love us back? Jesus says, “If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them” (Luke 6:32). Loving those who love us is easy. Christ loved those at enmity with Him, and He expects us to love our enemies too. ✧✧✧ Suggestions for Prayer: Thank God for His great love toward us and for its greatest manifestation in the Person of Christ. For Further Study: First John has much to say about God’s love for us and our love for Him and others. Read the entire book, noting each instance of the word love. David Jeremiah - LOVED! 1 JOHN 4:8 God is love. (See Sanctuary: Finding Moments of Refuge in the Presence of God) When Scottish teenager George Matheson learned he was losing his eyesight, he determined to finish his studies at the University of Glasgow as quickly as possible. His blindness overtook him while he pursued graduate studies for Christian ministry, but his family rallied to his side. His sisters even learned Greek and Hebrew to help him in his assignments. The real blow came later, when his fiancée determined she just couldn’t marry a blind man. Breaking the engagement, she returned his ring. George was devastated. Years later when he was a beloved pastor in Scotland, his sister became engaged, and the news opened old wounds in his heart. More mature now, he turned to God and out of the experience wrote a prayer that later became a much-loved hymn. The words say: O love that wilt not let me go, I rest my weary soul in thee; I give thee back the life I owe, That in thing ocean depths its flow May richer, fuller be. (PLAY THIS BEAUTIFUL VOCAL VERSION) Have you been disappointed recently? God’s love will never let you go, and in its continuous, compassionate, costly flow, your life will richer, fuller be. A Gust of Praise Rob

1 João 4:9

MacArthur - Truth for Today: A Daily Touch of God's Grace - Page 21 God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. 1 JOHN 4:9 Many people doubt whether Jesus ever really existed, but many historians have written about the Lord Jesus Christ. Around A.D. 114, the Roman historian, Tacitus, wrote that the founder of the Christian religion, Jesus Christ, was put to death by Pontius Pilate in the reign of the Roman Emperor Tiberius (Annals 15.44). Pliny the Younger wrote a letter to the Emperor Trajan on the subject of Christ and Christians (Letters 10.96-97). In A.D. 90, the Jewish historian Josephus penned a short biographical note on Jesus: “Now there was about this time Jesus, a wise man, if it be lawful to call Him a man, for He was a doer of wonderful works, a teacher of such men as received the truth with pleasure. He drew over to Him both many of the Jews and many of the Gentiles. He was Christ” (Antiquities 18.63). The Talmud refers to Jesus of Nazareth (Sanhedrin 43a, Abodah Zerah 16b–17a). Jesus was a man in history. And His claims were true. Do you still doubt His ability to save you? Billy Graham - God’s Love 1 JOHN 4:9 RSV From Genesis to Revelation, from Earth’s greatest tragedy to Earth’s greatest triumph, the dramatic story of humanity’s lowest depths and God’s highest heights can be couched in twenty-five beautiful words: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). Many people misunderstand God’s attribute of love. “God is love” does not mean that everything is sweet, beautiful, and happy or that God’s love could not possibly allow punishment for sin.God’s holiness demands that all sin be punished, but God’s love provided a plan of redemption and salvation for a lost and sinful world. According to that plan, Jesus Christ came from Heaven to give His life as the final and perfect sacrifice for sin. But we must respond. We must believe. We must commit our lives to Jesus Christ and trust Him as our Savior and Lord. Have you put your faith in Him? If so, everlasting life is yours! (See Hope for the Troubled Heart: Finding God in the Midst of Pain) Daily Light on the Daily Path - Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.—For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God.—Whoever believes in the Son of God has the testimony in himself. In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him.—In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace.—So that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 1 John 4:7; Rom. 5:5; Rom. 8:15–16; 1 John 5:10; 1 John 4:9; Eph. 1:7; Eph. 2:7; 1 John 4:11 Ken Hemphill - (See We Are - Page 42) WE ARE... Known by God 1 Corinthians 8:3 If anyone loves God, he is known by Him. I have a picture in our den that shows President George W. Bush and me standing side by side. It is a treasured possession, but one that can be somewhat misleading. The picture was made several years ago when he was the governor of Texas and we were both attending (along with a horde of other well-wishers) a celebration honoring Dr. W. A. Criswell. Occasionally, guests who see this picture in our home will ask if I know the President. Well, I have met him and I have spoken to him, but I don’t really know him. Even more to the point, I am quite certain that he doesn’t know me. But being known by the President or another celebrity is one thing. Being known by God is quite another. Paul declared that those who love God are “known” by God. Man’s love for God is always to be understood in the light of his love for us. “God’s love was revealed among us in this way: od sent His One and Only Son into the world so that we might live through Him” (1 John 4:9). He proved His love for us “in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us” (Rom. 5:8). Thus it is clear that the person who loves God is one who has responded to God’s love initiative. This is not only a wonderful truth; it is a comforting reality. No matter what you face today, you can be assured he is intimately concerned about the details of your life. His knowledge of you assures you of his care for you. Is there something you are facing that no one else knows about? Do you have private fears and doubts that you have been afraid to share with anyone else? Do you have deep hidden scars that are not visible to those closest to you? They are all known by God. So you can trust him with your inner thoughts and struggles. He loves you so much that he gave his Son to die for you … so that you could be “known by Him.” Charles Stanley - The Unpardonable Sin (See Seeking His Face - Page 20) SCRIPTURE READING: Romans 8:35–39 KEY VERSE: 1 John 4:9 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. Many Christians worry needlessly about committing the unpardonable sin. Therefore, when it comes to this subject, we need to be very sober in our thinking. If you are a Christian and concerned that you have done something to cause God to turn from you, realize there is nothing strong enough to alter God’s love toward you. His love is infinite and does not change like the seasons of time. He has committed Himself to you, and the love He displayed at Calvary is eternal proof of this commitment. The very fact that you are concerned about your relationship with God is evidence that you love Him and need Him. Christ’s reference to the unpardonable sin is given to us to teach us what happens when a person refuses to accept Him as Savior and Lord. Jesus taught the only way a man or a woman experiences eternal salvation is by faith in the One whom God has sent. When a person repeatedly denies Christ as Lord, he spiritually refuses God’s wondrous gift of salvation and yields instead to Satan’s lie. God is patient and long-suffering in His pursuit of mankind. However, He knows when man has said a final no to His love and forgiveness. Take a moment today to renew your commitment to Him. Dear heavenly Father, I renew my commitment to You. I declare my faith in Your Son, Jesus Christ. Take my life and use it for Your glory. Thy love to me, O God, Not mine, O Lord, to Thee, Can rid me of this dark unrest, And set my spirit free. HORATIUS BONAR. The spirit of prayer is a pressing forth of the soul out of this earthly life, it is a stretching with all its desire after the life of God, it is a leaving, as far as it can, all its own spirit, to receive a spirit from above, to be one life, one love, one spirit with Christ in God. For the love which God bears to the soul, His eternal, never-ceasing desire to enter into it, and to dwell in it, stays no longer than till the door of the heart opens for Him. For nothing does, or can keep God out of the soul, or hinder His holy union with it, but the desire of the heart turned from Him. WILLIAM LAW. Holiness is the beauty of the Lord God of hosts. Thou canst not separate the one from the other. To have it, thou must have Him. Nor will it be hard to obtain either, for He longs to enter into thy being. Thy longing is the faint response of thy heart to His call. F.B. MEYER. Billy Graham - Love in Action 1 JOHN 4:9 NIV Love isn’t just a feeling; love must be expressed in action. If it isn’t, we don’t have any reason to believe that love to be genuine, no matter how much that person claims it is. Likewise, God’s love is not just a vague feeling or sentimental emotion hidden in His heart. God’s love is real—and we know it because He demonstrated it to us. He put His love into action! Do you want to know if God loves you? Here is the proof: Jesus Christ left Heaven’s glory and came down to this sin-infested Earth to die for you. Paul put it this way: “Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:7–8 NIV). Have you been tempted to doubt God’s love for you? Don’t doubt it any longer, but look instead at Christ and the cross. There you will see God’s love poured out for you. (See Wisdom for Each Day: 365 Daily Devotions - Page 266) In times of war, many sons have given their lives for what they believe in. We call them heroes. Yeshua, God’s only son, is the greatest hero. He willingly gave his life as a ransom—not just for a country but for the whole world. MAY I LIVE THE HOURS AND MINUTES of this day in such abandon to your faithfulness and love, O God, that everyone around me will be convinced that Jesus is alive. Amen. Warren

1 João 4:9

MacArthur adds that "John always uses (monogenes) of Christ to picture his unique relationship to the Father, His pre-existence, and His distinctness from creation. The term emphasizes the uniqueness of Christ, as the only One of His kind. It was He Whom the Father sent into the world as the greatest Gift ever given (John 17:3; 2Cor. 8:9) so that we might have life eternal (cf. John 3:14–15; 12:24). (See MacArthur Study Bible) H A

1 João 4:9

1 João 4:10

MacArthur - Hebrews 9:5+ translates a form (hilasterion or hilasterios) of this word (hilasmos) as “the mercy seat.” Christ literally became our mercy seat like the one in the Most Holy Place, where the high priest splattered the blood of the sacrifice on the Day of Atonement (Lev. 16:15+). Christ did this when His blood, spilled on behalf of others, satisfied the demands of God’s holy justice and wrath against sin. (See The MacArthur Bible Commentary - Page 1964) James Montgomery

1 João 4:10

1 João 4:11

MacArthur - God’s sending His Son gives Christians not only salvation privilege, but obligation to follow this pattern of sacrificial love. Christian love must be self-sacrificing like God’s love. (See MacArthur Study Bible) Donald Burdick - The fact of God’s matchless love lays upon us a continuing obligation (Greek present tense) to be loving one another. Not only is it true that we have received the nature of God by reason of our new birth and thus we should love, but we have the example of His love teaching us and persuading us to love each other. (Borrow The Epistles of John) David

1 João 4:12

1 João 4:16

1 João 4:17

1 João 4:18

MacArthur points out that "Someone who professes Christ but fears His return evidences that something is seriously amiss, because all true saints love His appearing (2 Tim. 4:8; cf. James 1:12)." (See 1-3 John - Volume 5 - Page 171) Bob

1 João 4:18

1 João 4:19

MacArthur - It was God’s perfect and eternal love that first sovereignly drew believers to Him (1Jn 4:10; John 15:9, 16, 19; Acts 13:48; Rom. 5:8; Eph. 1:4), thus enabling them to reflect His love to others. (See 1-3 John - Volume 5 - Page 171) Without God’s initiative we would have not known genuine love David Smith - The thought is that the amazing love of God in Christ is the inspiration of all the love that stirs in our hearts. It awakens within us an answering love—a grateful love for Him manifesting itself in love for our brethren (cf. 1Jn 4:11+). John Butler - The love which God has for us is the great prompter of love in us. His love for us is the great motivation for love in us. If His love does not inspire, your heart is extremely hard. if you are struggling to love someone, especially someone who has wronged you, meditate on God’s love as it was shown to you at the cross Steven

1 João 4:20

MacArthur - The apostle repeats his warning (cf. 1Jn 2:4, 9; 3:10, 17; 4:8) that anyone who claims to love God but does not love others is a deceiver (See 1-3 John - Volume 5 - Page 171) However loudly we may affirm ourselves to be Christian, our habitual sin, denial of Christ and selfish hatred expose us as the liars we are. -- John Stott Steven