1 João 4

Kenneth Wuest · Citado em PreceptAustin

1 João 4:1

Wuest adds that a teacher "was not to be put to the test for the purpose of condemning him, but with the intent to approve him. The brother was not to be treated as a heretic before he had shown himself to be one." The best way to test any teaching is to drop the perfect plumbline of Scripture! THOUGHT - Believers are to be like the Bereans for as Luke wrote these "were more noble-minded than those (Jews) in Thessalonica, for they received (dechomai = put out the "welcome mat" for) the word with great eagerness, examining (anakrino) the Scriptures daily, [to see] whether these things were so. Many of them therefore believed." (Acts 17:11-12+) The best way to test any teaching is to compare it with Scripture! And do not miss the point that these Bereans did not hesitate to double check the great apostle Paul by "examining (anakrino) the Scriptures daily." What a model for modern Christians to emulate! "True prophecy, and true teaching, will present a true Jesus." -- David Guzik Writing to the saints at Thessalonica Paul gave a general charge to "not despise prophetic utterances (spoken and especially written words of Biblical truth). But examine (dokimazo) everything [carefully;] hold fast to that which is good; abstain from every form of evil." (Note all verbs in red are present imperatives calling for continual action, something only possible by continually relying on the Spirit) (1Th 5:20+, 1Th 5:21-22+) John is explaining to this beloved little children" that there are two spiritual spheres coexisting in the world, one the domain of the Holy Spirit and the other the domain of the evil spirit, Satan, the Devil and they are diametrically opposed to one another, with no possibility of compromise. The former is light, the latter is dark. The former is truth, the latter is error. KINGDOMS IN CONFLICT Because - Whenever you encounter is a term of explanation, pause and ask what is the author explaining? In this case John is explaining why the believers needed to put the spirit (of the teacher) to the test. The key is that there are many false prophets who have gone out from the body. John Stott sums up this verse - “So behind every prophet is a spirit and behind each spirit either God or the devil. Before we can trust any spirits, we must test them. It is their origin that matters.” (Borrow The Letters of John or see The Letters of John - Page 153) Many false prophets (pseudoprophetes) have gone out (exerchomai) into the world (kosmos) - Note there are not just a few but many! The dangerous teaching of these men is already on the scene, exerting a potentially corrupting, destructive impact on the church. Jesus had explicitly foretold the coming of such false prophets (Mt. 7:15+; Mt 24:11, 15+; Mk 13:21–23+) as had Paul (Acts 20:28–30+) and Peter (2Pe 2:1+). It is likely that these false prophets claimed the inspiration of the Spirit for their utterances, but John warns that their prophetic utterances must be carefully weighed and "assayed", especially when they claim their utterances teach a higher “spirituality”! Be wary of "new teachings!" The words of Jehovah through His true prophet Jeremiah are apropos here - LORD, "Stand by the ways and see and ask for the ancient paths, Where the good way is, and walk in it; And you shall find rest for your souls." (Jer 6:16) (But Judah said "We will not walk in it!" WOE!) By false prophets John is referring to the secessionists (those who withdrew from fellowship and communion with the Body of Christ) had described earlier writing "They went out from (exerchomai = same verb as 1Jn 4:1) us, but they were not [really] of us; for if they had been of us, they would have remained with us; but [they went out,] in order that it might be shown that they all are not of us.' (1Jn 2:19+) John use of the perfect tense (in 1Jn 4:1) signifies they went out at a point in time and are still out there seeking to dupe unsuspecting souls with their "spiritual tonic water". The perfect tense also emphasizes that men of this ilk were there to stay. The implication is that they have left the church yet continued to claim that they speak for God. "They are abroad always." (Robertson) And indeed they are present in our day, masquerading as genuine speakers for God (just turn on your television and listen to the prosperity gospel.) John uses this same verb (exerchomai) in 2 John 1:7+ - "For many deceivers have gone out (exerchomai) into the world, those who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh. This is the deceiver and the antichrist." Simon Kistemaker quips these men "have made the world their lecture hall. They desire to gain a hearing from a number of Christians. In his discourse on the end of time, Jesus warns us, "For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and miracles to deceive even the elect—if that were possible" (Mt. 24:24+; also consult Rev. 2:2+)." (New Testament Commentary) Spiritual activity is not necessarily Godly activity. We must be discerning. We must listen and evaluate carefully the message and messenger against the infallible authority of Scripture. -- Danny Akin ESV Study Bible (BORROW) says "False prophets are people who claim to speak for God but are actually speaking by demonic influence (1 John 4:3–4). In today’s age of “tolerance,” discriminating discernment can be viewed as being judgmental (cf. “Judge not,” Matt. 7:1+). Yet Jesus also taught, “Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment” (John 7:24+)." Westcott - The ‘many false prophets’ stand in a relation towards the Spirit like that which the ‘many Antichrists’ occupy towards Christ (1Jn 2:18-note). Through them evil spiritual powers find expression. Spirits therefore must be proved… Such watchful care is required because many false prophets, through whom the false spirits speak, as the Spirit speaks through the true prophets (2Pe 1:21+, 2Pe 2:1+), are gone out into the world. ‘The spirit of antichrist’ inspires them. So ‘false Christs’ and ‘false prophets’ are joined together (Matt. 24:24+). Ray

1 João 4:1

Wuest on spirit - The word as used here refers to “one in whom a spirit is manifest or embodied, hence one actuated by a spirit, whether divine or demonical” (Thayer). Paul finds the source of false doctrine in demons who actuate the false teachers who propound heresy (1Ti 4:1 "doctrines of demons" [daimonion]). Thus these spirits are human beings actuated either by demons. In this case they would be the teachers, pastors, and evangelists who circulated around the local churches. (Eerdmans Publishing - used by permission) Test (1381)(dokimazo from dokimos = tested, proved or approved, tried as metals by fire and thus purified <> dechomai = to accept, receive) means to put to the test for the purpose of approving like coins tested for genuineness as determined by whether it has met the required specifications. This term is a metallurgist term for testing the genuineness of something (i.e. metaphorically someone) by fire. The fire reveals the true metal and burning off (i.e. purifying) of the dross. This physical process became a powerful idiom for God and/or Satan and/or humans testing others. This term is only used in a positive sense of testing with a view towards acceptance. It is used in the NT of testing: oxen - Luke 14:19, ourselves - 1 Cor. 11:28, our faith - James 1:3, even God - Heb. 3:9. Wuest - The word “try” is dokimazō, “to put to the test for the purpose of approving, and finding that the person put to the test meets the specifications laid down, to put one’s approval upon him.” Thus, the teacher, for instance, was not to be put to the test for the purpose of condemning him, but with the intent to approve him. The brother was not to be treated as a heretic before he had shown himself to be one. (Eerdmans Publishing - used by permission) DOKIMAZO - 22/20V - analyze(2), approve(3), approved(1), approves(1), examine(4), examines(1), prove(1), proving(1), see fit(1), test(2), tested(3), try(1), trying to learn(1). Lk. 12:56; Lk. 14:19; Rom. 1:28; Rom. 2:18; Rom. 12:2; Rom. 14:22; 1 Co. 3:13; 1 Co. 11:28; 1 Co. 16:3; 2 Co. 8:8; 2 Co. 8:22; 2 Co. 13:5; Gal. 6:4; Eph. 5:10; Phil. 1:10; 1 Thess. 2:4; 1 Thess. 5:21; 1 Tim. 3:10; 1 Pet. 1:7; 1 Jn. 4:1 False prophets (5578) (pseudoprophetes from pseudes = false, untrue + prophetes = prophet) who teach false doctrines clearly to deceive unwary or unsuspecting saints. These men (1) claim to be prophets from God but in fact are not and (2) they utter falsehoods under the name of divine prophecies. This is the same word John uses to describe the evil false prophet of the end times, the "front man" if you will for the Antichrist (Rev 16:13+; Rev 19:20+. Rev 20:10+). PSEUDOPROPHETES - 11V - Matt. 7:15; Matt. 24:11; Matt. 24:24; Mk. 13:22; Lk. 6:26; Acts 13:6; 2 Pet. 2:1; 1 Jn. 4:1; Rev. 16:13; Rev. 19:20; Rev. 20:10 Gone out (1831) exerchomai from ex = out + erchomai = to come) In early literature exerchomai refers to going out of a place, of words which go out of a man, of sicknesses which leave a man, and of time which passes. It is usually used of living beings. Exerchomai is used most often in narrative accounts to refer to a person going away from some place (Heb 11:8). At times it goes further than just a general coming or going to refer to someone going forth to do a set thing, such as preaching (Mark 6:12; 16:20; Luke 6:12) or to do a job (Matthew 13:3). World (2889)(kosmos) can refer to the physical world or the world of mankind (both with a neutral meaning) or to the spiritual world opposed which is totally opposed and actively antagonistic to God (1Jn 2:15-17+). In the context of 1Jn 4:1 kosmos simply to the planet earth which is inhabited by men. KOSMOS IN JOHN'S EPISTLES - 1 Jn. 2:2; 1 Jn. 2:15; 1 Jn. 2:16; 1 Jn. 2:17; 1 Jn. 3:1; 1 Jn. 3:13; 1 Jn. 3:17; 1 Jn. 4:1; 1 Jn. 4:3; 1 Jn. 4:4; 1 Jn. 4:5; 1 Jn. 4:9; 1 Jn. 4:14; 1 Jn. 4:17; 1 Jn. 5:4; 1 Jn. 5:5; 1 Jn. 5:19; 2 Jn. 1:7 ILLUSTRATION - Warren

1 João 4:2

Wuest adds that "The name “Jesus” is the English form of the Greek Iēsous, and this is the Greek form of the Hebrew name “Jehoshua” which means “Jehovah saves.” “Christ” is from Christos, “the Anointed One.” (Eerdmans Publishing - used by permission) Christ (5547)(Christos from chrio = to rub or anoint, consecrate to an office) means one who has been anointed, symbolizing appointment to a task. The majority of the NT uses refer to Jesus (exceptions = "false Christs" - Mt 24:24, Mk 13:22). 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. Gilbrant - This extremely versatile preposition can be found in almost all of Greek literature. (Ex is used before words starting with vowels.) The discussion below will focus on its function as an independent preposition, though it is a regular component of a compound verb. In its simplest definition it means “from, away from” or “out of.” But under different circumstances the preposition has different shades of meaning. New Testament Usage First, it particularly denotes the point of departure or separation such as “to rise from (ek) the dead” (e.g., John 12:1,9,17; Acts 3:15; 4:10; etc.). “Out of (ek, before a vowel ex) Egypt have I called my son” (Hosea 11:1; Matthew 2:15) should also be understood in this way. Ek also indicates a separation between persons or objects; Jesus prays that His disciples be “(kept) from (ek) the evil one” (John 17:15, RSV). A second basic function of ek is to designate direction: Two possessed by demons came “out of” the tombs (Matthew 8:28). “He came up (anabainō [303]) out of (ek) the water” (Mark 1:10, RSV). Third, ek suggests the source or reason for some event or act, including the “source” of someone. This is evidenced in Nathaniel’s question, “Can there any good thing come out of (ek) Nazareth?” (John 1:46). In this sense ek speaks of something as part of a larger whole such as in the frequent rhetorical question, “Which of you . . . ?” (e.g., Luke 11:5,11; 12:25; 14:28; 15:4; 17:7). Similarly, righteousness comes ek God and is by faith (Philippians 3:9; i.e., God is the source of righteousness). Fourth, ek can imply cause or reason. Paul asked, “Did you receive the Spirit by works (ex ergōn) of the law?” (Galatians 3:2,5, RSV). It may refer to a condition or state of being. Paul admonished Timothy, “The goal of this command is love which comes from (i.e., results from the condition of) a pure heart” (1 Timothy 1:5, NIV). The term may also suggest a basis for some action. “For the tree is known by (ek) his fruit” (Matthew 12:33; cf. verse 37). Fifth, ek marks a point in time. According to Matthew 19:12 some men are eunuchs having been “so born from (ek) their mother’s womb.” The rich ruler explained to Jesus that he had kept the commandments ek neotētos, “from youth.” And Herod had hoped to see Jesus ex ikanōn chronōn, “for a long time.” Sixth, ek expresses means or agency. It may parallel hupo (5097) plus the genitive (after passive verbs or after any voice when accompanying the perfect verb). Some examples are Mark 7:11; 12:30,33 (with active verbs); the James series in 2:18 (active verb) 21,22,24,25; 1 Peter 1:23; Revelation 2:11. A similar pattern can be noted with apo (570) plus the genitive in Luke 7:35; 16:18; James 1:13; 5:4; Jude 23. Dia (1217) plus the genitive exemplifies the same basic idea under yet another imagery. It seems that Hellenistic Greek is simply adding ways of expressing agency through the use of additional prepositions for this purpose, which is in keeping with the growing use of prepositions in places where earlier Greek relied on case alone together with the nature of the circumstance or topic. Also in keeping with the trend toward the proliferation of prepositions in Hellenistic Greek, on occasion ek and apo appear to be little more than pleonastic descriptive genitives roughly equivalent to our usage of “of” to link one noun adjectivally to another. Many other fine distinctions of definition may be drawn (see Bauer), but the basic functions of ek are outlined above. Context in conjunction with grammar always makes the best guide for determining this preposition’s meaning. (Complete Biblical Library) John

1 João 4:2

Wuest adds that has come is "in the perfect tense in the Greek text. From the foregoing it follows that the statement speaks of the God of the Old Testament Who in the Person of His Son became incarnate in human flesh without its sin, died on the Cross to satisfy the just demands of His law which man broke, and raised Himself from the dead in the body in which He died, to become the living Saviour of the sinner who places his faith in Him in view of what He did for him on Calvary’s Cross. The person who teaches that, John says, is actuated by the Holy Spirit. Likewise, the teacher who does not agree to that doctrine is not of God. He is actuated by the spirit of Antichrist who denies and is against all that the Bible teaches regarding the person and work of the Lord Jesus. This is Modernism." (See Discussion of Modernism; since "modernism" was followed by "postmodernism" see What is post-modern Christianity? and What are the dangers of postmodernism?) Vine on in the flesh - As the Gospel states, “the Word became flesh” (Jn 1:14+). Christ “was born of the seed of David according to the flesh” (Ro 1:3+). Cp. Galatians 4:4+. Christ partook of flesh and blood (Heb. 2:14+)… All the Gnostic sects denied this truth. They maintained a distinction between Christ (whom they called an aeon) and the man Jesus. The apostle maintains the truth that Jesus Christ is one inseparable person and that He has become flesh. Compare Colossians 2:9+ - "For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form." (Collected Writings) D Edmond Hiebert observes what a difference on small preposition makes pointing out that "In saying that Jesus Christ came “in flesh” (en sarki), rather than “into flesh” (eis sarka), John repudiates Cerinthian Gnosticism. Cerinthus (c. A.D. 100), a late contemporary of John the Apostle at Ephesus, separated Jesus from Christ. He taught that the “Christ spirit” came upon the man Jesus, the son of Joseph and Mary, at his baptism and empowered his ministry but left him before his crucifixion; it was only the man Jesus who died and rose again. Cerinthus thus rejected the doctrine of the incarnation and consequently obliterated the Christian doctrine of the atonement… (ED: IN OTHER WORDS CERINTHUS TAUGHT Jesus and “the Christ” were two separate beings, one physical and the other spiritual.) This permanent union of the divine and the human in the person of Jesus Christ qualifies Him to be the mediator between God and men (1Ti 2:5+). He is the all-sufficient Saviour. The Apostolic teaching concerning the incarnate Christ “gathers within its total significance the other great doctrinal truths such as the Virgin Birth, the Crucifixion, and the Resurrection. The Incarnation is the essential creed of Christianity; on this doctrine all else which calls itself Christian stands or falls.”" (1 John 4:1-6) Simon Kistemaker - Sixteenth-century German theologian Zacharias Ursinus asked whether these two natures are separated from each other. This is his answer: "Certainly not. For since the divinity is not limited and is present everywhere, it is evident that Christ's divinity is surely beyond the bounds of the humanity he has taken on, but at the same time his divinity is in and remains personally united to his humanity." (New Testament Commentary - James, Epistles of John, Peter, and Jude) Craig Keener - The issue may be the secessionists’ denial that Jesus has come as the Christ (if the opposition is Jewish); more likely it is a Docetic denial that Jesus was actually human and actually died (see introduction), a heresy an eyewitness would be well positioned to refute. It may simply be a relativizing of Jesus’ role to the position of a prophet like John the Baptist, which allows enough compromise to avoid persecution. Whatever the error, the secessionists are claiming the authority of inspiration for it, as do some similar cults today. John does not deny the reality of the inspiration; he merely denies that the spirit working in them is God’s Spirit. (See The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament - Page 713) (Bolding added) John

1 João 4:2

Wuest - In this you know experientially the Spirit of God. Every spirit who agrees that Jesus Christ in the sphere of flesh is come, is of God. John Piper's paraphrase - By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit which sincerely confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh and which has a corresponding disposition of loving reverence and submission to Jesus Christ, is of God. every spirit - 1Jn 5:1 John 16:13-15 1Co 12:3 come - 1Jn 4:3 John 1:14 1Ti 3:16 1 John 4 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries Related Resource: Critiques of Online Resources for First John Related Passages: Matthew 7:21-23+ (A "CONFESSION" THAT DOES NOT COUNT!) “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. 22 “Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ 23 “And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.’ Luke 6:46+ (THIS IS THE MORAL TEST OF GENUINE BELIEF!) “Why do you call Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do (present tense = speaks of direction not perfection) what I say? Acts 19:15+ And the evil spirit answered and said to them, “I recognize Jesus, and I know about Paul, but who are you?” 1 Corinthians 12:3+ Therefore I make known to you that no one speaking by the Spirit of God says, “Jesus is accursed”; and no one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit. 1 John 2:22 Who is the liar but the one who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, the one who denies the Father and the Son. 1 John 2:23 Whoever denies the Son does not have the Father; the one who confesses the Son has the Father also. 1 John 4:15 Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. 1 John 5:1 Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and whoever loves the Father loves the child born of Him. 1 John 5:5 Who is the one who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God? John 16:14 “He (THE SPIRIT OF TRUTH) will glorify Me, for He will take of Mine and will disclose it to you. (NO GLORIFYING JESUS = NO SPIRIT OF GOD PRESENT! THE SPIRIT ALWAYS HONORS THE SON OF GOD!) Matthew 10:32-33+ Therefore everyone who confesses Me before men, I will also confess him before My Father who is in heaven. 33 “But whoever denies Me before men, I will also deny him before My Father who is in heaven. THE DIVINE TEST: CHRISTOLOGICAL CONFESSION Hiebert on 1Jn 4:1-6 - These verses show no close connection with what follows and are best viewed as an elaboration of the reference to “the Spirit which he hath given us” in 3:24. The conflict now presented forms the final aspect of the conflicts that mark the Christian life which John has been depicting since 2:18. He has already dealt with the conflict between truth and falsehood (2:18–28), the conflict between the children of God and the children of the Devil (2:29–3:12), and the conflict between love and hatred (3:13–24). This section points to the supernatural character of this conflict as ultimately involving “the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error.” It sets forth the crucial importance of the proclamation of a sound Christology for assurance and victory in the Christian community. (1 John 4:1-6) Steven

1 João 4:3

Wuest - and every spirit who does not confess this aforementioned Jesus (agree to the above teaching concerning Him), is not of God. And this is the (spirit) of the Antichrist which you have heard that it comes, and now in the world already is. 1Jn 2:18,22 2Th 2:7,8; 2Jn 1:7 1 John 4 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries Related Passages: 1 John 2:18+ Children, it is the last hour; and just as you heard that antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have appeared; from this we know that it is the last hour. 1 John 2:22+ Who is the liar but the one who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, the one who denies the Father and the Son. 1 John 4:6+ We are from God; he who knows God listens to us; he who is not from God does not (ou = absolutely not) listen to us. By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error. 2 Thessalonians 2:7+ (SPIRIT OF ANTICHRIST ALREADY IN THE WORLD) For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only he who now restrains will do so until he is taken out of the way. THE TEST EXPRESSED NEGATIVELY Hiebert on 1Jn 4:1-6 - These verses show no close connection with what follows and are best viewed as an elaboration of the reference to “the Spirit which he hath given us” in 1Jn 3:24. The conflict now presented forms the final aspect of the conflicts that mark the Christian life which John has been depicting since 1Jn 2:18. He has already dealt with the conflict between truth and falsehood (1Jn 2:18–28), the conflict between the children of God and the children of the Devil (1Jn 2:29–3:12), and the conflict between love and hatred (1Jn 3:13–24). This section points to the supernatural character of this conflict as ultimately involving “the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error.” It sets forth the crucial importance of the proclamation of a sound Christology for assurance and victory in the Christian community. (1 John 4:1-6) And (kai) - And directly ties the negative with the preceding positive aspect of the test (1Jn 4:2+) of the origin of a spirit, so it might be better viewed as introducing a contrast. John continues the explanation of how you can know experientially the spirit with which one speaks is not of God. Hiebert adds that the "and (kai) introduces the negative result that may flow from this testing of the spirits. For a complete picture concerning the spirits, this negative aspect is essential. Failure to recognize this negative fact would expose them to serious deception." (1 John 4:1-6) Every spirit (pneuma) that does not confess (homologeo in present tense) Jesus (Iesous) is not (ou = absolutely not) from (ek) God (theos) - Every spirit refers to the men who claimed to speak by the Spirit's inspiration (thus spirit is a metonymy for teacher or false prophet who claims to speak by the Holy Spirit but is being influenced by demons). These men did not confess the incarnate Jesus, the human historical figure in the flesh. A denial of Jesus’ full and true humanity proves that such an individual is not from God, that is, his teaching is not from the Spirit of God, but as John goes on to explain is from the spirit of the antichrist, and which he also calls the spirit of error (1Jn 4:6). It is important to note that both here and in 1Jn 4:6 the Spirit’s role is that of witness to the truth about Jesus Christ. -- Colin Kruse ESV Study Bible (BORROW) on every spirit that does not confess Jesus - That is, whoever refuses to acknowledge that Jesus is God the Son, “who has come in the flesh” (1Jn 4:2). Anyone can talk about Jesus and even believe that he lived on earth, as other religions, cults, and philosophies often affirm. But unless such people affirm both the full deity and the full humanity of Jesus, they are not truly “confessing Jesus,” but, as John states in unequivocal terms, they are under the influence of the spirit of the antichrist. Anyone who separates the human nature from the divine nature of Jesus Christ speaks without God’s authority. Simon Kistemaker - Anyone who separates the human nature from the divine nature of Jesus Christ speaks without God’s authority. And anyone who denies either Jesus’ human nature or divine nature “is not from God.” Moreover, anyone who teaches that when Jesus was baptized God gave him a divine spirit, and that this spirit left Jesus when he died on the cross distorts the gospel. And last, whoever says that after Jesus’ death God appointed him Son of God fails to present the truth of God’s Word. All such teachers do not speak as representatives of Jesus Christ, have not been commissioned by God, and are not the mouthpieces of the Spirit of God in this world. (New Testament Commentary - James, Epistles of John, Peter, and Jude) Hiebert - John’s negative statement “every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus” is broader in scope than the positive “every spirit that denies Jesus” would have been. An open denial of “Jesus,” as just set forth, at once establishes such a spirit as “not of God,” not coming from nor proclaiming God’s truth. But John’s negative statement also includes any spirit that seeks to hide its true identity by endeavoring to avoid any discussion of the decisive issue. John knows that what such a spirit refrains from saying about “Jesus” in speaking of His person was also significant. In this epistle John never speaks about Jesus without adding some term to show that He is more than a mere man. (1 John 4:1-6) THOUGHT - So how should we test all who claim to speak for God today? John is saying we are to ask them what do they they think of Jesus? As Jesus Himself said to the disciples "Who do you say that I am?" I Howard Marshall adds "If a person claims to believe in Jesus, it is proper to ask, “Is your Jesus the real Jesus?”" Simon Kistemaker says that "Without exception, liberal theologians refuse to accept the biblical doctrine that Jesus Christ always has been, is, and will be the Son of God, that he came from heaven to redeem his people, that he took upon himself our humanity yet remained truly divine, that he rose bodily from the dead and ascended in his glorified body to heaven, and that he will return at God's appointed day in the same body in which he ascended." If you compare the teaching of these theologians with God’s Word, you will notice that their opinions are based on human philosophy and not on Scripture. Ask them what they think of the Christ, then go to your Bible and study the teachings of Scripture (Matt. 16:15+). Then there are the members of sects. In pairs they canvass the neighborhood, ring your doorbell, and announce that they are missionaries—even though they do not carry Bibles. When you listen to them, you soon learn that they do not bring the teaching of Christ. The apostle John advises, “If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching [of Christ], do not take him into your house or welcome him” (2 John 10+). What does John mean? He means that you may receive the members of the sect into your home only when you intend to teach them about Jesus Christ. Tell them that you are happy in the Lord, because he is your Savior; and that you are pleased to introduce them to Jesus Christ. Then you will be a missionary for the Lord and you are in control of the situation. But if you do not intend to teach these visitors about the Lord, receive them not into your home! (New Testament Commentary - James, Epistles of John, Peter, and Jude) In his second letter John instructs the believers that "If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching (What teaching? see 2Jn 1:9 = "the teaching of Christ"), do not receive him into [your] house, and do not give him a greeting." (2Jn 1:10+) Kistemaker adds that John is saying to us today that "you may receive the members of the sect into your home only when you intend to teach them about Jesus Christ." William

1 João 4:4

Wuest comments on nikao in the perfect tense writing that this speaks "of a past completed victory, and a present state of being a conqueror. That is, the saints to whom John refers were not taken in by the heresies of the false teachers, and were in a settled state of victory over them. They were confirmed in their attitude against heresy and had their eyes wide open to its source and nature. The reason why they thus gained a complete victory over the false teachers and their heresies is that God the Holy Spirit who indwelt them is greater than that fallen angel Satan who is in the world system of evil." (Eerdmans Publishing - used by permission) Hiebert says "the perfect tense “have overcome,” implies a definite time when they faced these speakers with their alluring message, but, having tested their teaching, they have effectively rejected the messengers with their message, resulting in a state of being victorious over them. Their victory over these agents of Satan is grounded in the victory over the prince of this world which Christ won on Calvary (John 12:31–32; 14:30; 16:11). (1 John 4:1-6)

1 João 4:7

Wuest - Divinely-loved ones, let us be habitually loving one another, because this aforementioned love is out of God as a source; and everyone who is habitually loving, out of God has been born with the present result that he is regenerated and knows God in an experiential way.

1 João 4:7

1 João 4:8

Wuest - The one who is not habitually loving has not come to know God, because God as to His nature is love. Amplified - He who does not love has not become acquainted with God [does not and never did know Him], for God is love. Wiersbe's paraphrase - “The person who does not have this divine kind of love has never entered into a personal, experiential knowledge of God. What he knows is in his head, but it has never gotten into his heart.” Jn 2:4,9 3:6 John 8:54,55 God is: 1Jn 1:5 Ex 34:6-7 Ps 86:5,15 2Co 13:11 Eph 2:4 Heb 12:29 1 John 4 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries Related Passages: 1 John 3:17 - "But whoever has the world’s goods, and beholds his brother in need and closes his heart against him, how does the love of God abide in him?" 1 John 4:6 And we have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us. God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. John 3:36 “He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.” NO LOVE, NO GOD KNOW LOVE, KNOW GOD A stranger to love is a stranger to God -- David Smith Jon Courson writes "As John puts the clutch in and changes gears a bit, he tells us that even though we are to test the spirits, we must not become cynical. Although we are to be able to identify heresy and pseudo-spirituality, we must also be those who love, for God is love." (See Jon Courson's Application Commentary) The one who does not love (agapao present tense = their general direction) does not (ou - absolutely does not) know (ginosko - aorist) God (theos), for (hoti) God (theos) is (present tense) love (agape) - Love (agapao) is in the present tense calling for this to be one's lifestyle (none of us will ever achieve "perfection," but it should be our "general direction!"). Distinguish John's word for love from the love that family members have for one another, for their love is natural, while the love John describes is supernatural and is only possible for one who possesses the Holy Spirit. It follows that supernatural love gives a clear marker by which we can all test our profession of faith in Christ. Children of God should imitate their Father (Eph 5:1-2+). Since God is love, His children, enabled by His Spirit, should seek to continually demonstrate His love. To never demonstrate God's love indicates that one is not a possessor but a pretender., i.e., he professes to know God, but is a liar as proven by his loveless (speaking of supernatural, not natural love) lifestyle. Be aware that there are some commentaries that say exactly the opposite of what John is saying -- they make statements such as "it is possible to be saved and not love." They try to rationalize this dangerous, deceptive interpretation by saying such a person is saved, but they are just not mature. To be sure, as we grow in grace and the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (2Pe 3:18+), we will grow in our ability to manifest His love, but to never manifest His love is a lie from the pit of Hell! Others say the lack of love is because the person does not have intimate fellowship with God, and so they are not "connecting with the nature of God's love." Woe! The very verb know (ginosko) speaks of "intimate fellowship" and directly counters such specious speculation! While a genuine believer may not always manifest divine love to other believers, to never demonstrate such love John says is to demonstrate that one does not know God. And to not know God means one is still dead in their trespasses and sins (Eph 2:1+)! the Apostle John could not have stated this critical truth (warning) any more clearly! The person who is born of God (1Jn 2:29; 3:9; 5:1) is a window through which the love of God shines into the world. -- Simon Kistemaker As John

1 João 4:8

1 João 4:9

Wuest - In this was clearly shown the love of God in our case, because His Son, the only begotten One, God sent off into the world in order that we may live through Him. Smalley - This is how God’s love was revealed among us: God sent his only Son into the world so that through him we could live. (Word Biblical Commentary) Was: 1Jn 3:16 John 3:16 Ro 5:8-10 8:32 God has sent: 1Jn 4:10 Lu 4:18 John 5:23 6:29 8:29,42 only: Ps 2:7 Mk 12:6 John 1:14-18 3:18 Heb 1:5 we: 1Jn 5:11 John 6:51,57 10:10,28-30 11:25,26 14:6 Col 3:3,4 1 John 4 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries Related Passages: 1 John 5:11+ And the witness is this, that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. 1 John 5:12+ He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life." Jn 6:57+ Jesus said " “As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so he who eats Me, he also shall live because of Me. John 17:3+ (LIVE THROUGH HIM) ‘This is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent’ Galatians 2:20+ (LIVE THROUGH HIM) “I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, Who loved me and gave Himself up for me. 2 Corinthians 4:10-11+ (LIVE THROUGH HIM) always carrying about in the body the dying of Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body. For we who live are constantly being delivered over to death for Jesus' sake, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. John 10:10+ (LIVE THROUGH HIM) “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly. MANIFESTATION OF GOD'S LOVE IN THE INCARNATION By this (5x - 1Jn 4:9, 10, 13, 17, 5:2) - By what? In context this seems to most clearly refer to what follows "and is interpreted by the following “that” (hoti) clause." (Hiebert) "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life." (“By this the love of God is revealed in us: that God has sent … ") Because God is love, He must communicate—not only in words but in deeds. True love is never static or inactive. -- Warren Wiersbe The love (agape) of God was manifested (phaneroo - aorist tense - came out into the open, made public) in us - This verse demonstrates that God's love is not an abstract principle or a sentiment. God is love (1Jn 4:8) and so He communicates to sinful men not just in words in the Bible but in deeds. Indeed the greatest expression of His love was the sending of His Son as Paul wrote "But God (present tense - continually) demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." (Ro 5:8+) The love (agape) of God is not our love for Him, but His love for us which was the motive for sending His Son (see anonymous poem below). "It is not our love that is primary, but God’s (1Jn 4:10), free, uncaused and spontaneous, and all our love is but a reflection of his and a response to it." (Stott) In us "does not specify where the love of God is revealed with regard to believers: “in our midst” (i.e., among us) or “within us” (i.e., internally within believers). The latter is probable, because in the context the concept of God’s indwelling of the believer is mentioned in 1Jn 4:12: “God resides (menei) in us." (NET Note) I sought the Lord, and afterward I knew He moved my soul to seek Him, seeking me; It was not that I found, O Savior true, No, I was found, was found of Thee. I find, I walk, I love; but O the whole Of love is but my answer, Lord, to Thee! For thou wert long beforehand with my soul, Always, always Thou lovedst me. Was manifested (phaneroo) in the aorist tense points to a definite historical event which took place at a given time in the past, specifically referring to Christ's incarnation, when the invisible God became visible and God's love became visible in and through Jesus and His words and deeds, especially His loving us enough to die on the Cross in our place (Eph 5:25+). And so the aorist tense in a sense summarizes the entirety of Jesus' first coming, His birth, His ministry years, His death on the Cross and His resurrection from the dead. The implication of the aorist tense is that God's love had never before been displayed in such a personal manner. God is love and He has always loved the world, but the sending of His Son was His "exclamation point!" C H

1 João 4:10

Wuest explains that "He loved is constative aorist, giving a panoramic view of God’s love for the human race. God has always loved sinners. Sent is also aorist, marking the Incarnation as an historic event. God took the initiative in this His great "operation rescue!" "Our act was to sin. God’s was to love and send." (Akin) Not the incarnation but the atonement is the pre-eminent manifestation of love (cf. 1Jn 3:16). -- John Stott D Edmond Hiebert agrees that "The aorist-tense verb loved refers to the historical, redemptive work of Christ, regarded as a distinctive landmark." ( 1 John 4:7-21) The purpose in sending the Son is not the incarnation but the atonement. -- Danny Akin John Stott - The coming of Christ is, therefore, a concrete, historical revelation of God’s love, for love (agapē) is self-sacrifice, the seeking of another’s positive good at one’s own cost, and a greater self-giving than God’s gift of his Son there has never been, nor could be....God loves sinners who are unworthy of his love, and indeed subject to his wrath. He loved us and sent his Son to rescue us, not because we are lovable, but because he is love. So the greatness of his love is seen in the costliness of his self-sacrifice for the wholly undeserving (cf. Ro 5:7–8). A clearer manifestation of God’s love could not be imagined. (Borrow The Letters of John) Amazing love! Charles Wesley was right to ask "Amazing love how can it be that Thou, my God, shouldst die for me?" Dear blood bought, heaven bound brother or sister in Christ, let us sing it out... And can it be that I should gain An int’rest in the Savior’s blood? Died He for me, who caused His pain? For me, who Him to death pursued? Amazing love! how can it be That Thou, my God, shouldst die for me? Amazing love! how can it be That Thou, my God, shouldst die for me? Love is always demonstrated by actions. It is not abstract; it is never complacent or static -- Danny Akin And sent (apostello - aorist tense) His Son to be the propitiation (hilasmos - see notes below - a settling of the sin question) for our sins (hamartia) - The AND links the fact of God's love with act of God's love. Love is a dynamic verb. While we clearly cannot duplicate this act, we can imitate it by giving our best to those who do not deserve it (cf Eph 5:1-2+). Sent in this passage is in the aorist tense which speaks of God's sending as a historical event in the past, but recall that in 1Jn 4:9+ John had used the perfect tense signifying the permanent effect of this historical sending of the Son. The perfect tense shows that sending of the Son has lasting effect! In 1 John 1:7+ we learned that "the blood of Jesus His Son (present tense - keeps on, continually) cleanses us from all sin." Indeed, the results of the Father's sending the Son and His atoning sacrifice will abide and be efficacious throughout eternity for all who have received the Son as their propitiation and Savior. There is no verb "to be" so this literally reads "His Son propitiation." In chapter 2 John said of Jesus "He Himself is the propitiation for our sins." (1Jn 2:2) In other words Jesus was not sent to be just the "propitiator," Who offered the sacrifice as did the OT priests, but that He Himself BE the actual propitiation. In sum, Christ Jesus is both the propitiator and the propitiation for our sin. Propitiation for our sins explains why God sent His Son and this sending was a manifestation of His love. It is fascinating (but not surprising) that hilasterion (same word family as hilasmos - see note) is used in the Septuagint of Ex 25:17+ for the golden lid (mercy seat, place of atonement) of the Ark of the Covenant, clearly foreshadowing Jesus' propitiatory sacrifice on Calvary! Jesus was sent "to satisfy justice, to meet the demands of a broken Law, to pay the full debt, to satisfy the penalty. It all must be met; it cannot be ignored. God's love is also just -- love must be just -- and therefore, the only love that is worth talking about is a love that satisfies (ED: totally, fully placates or appeases) justice." (Stedman) Our (in for our sins) is genitive indicating a personal possessive pronoun, those sins we possessed! Jesus personally died for our personal sins, each and every one we personally committed! That is love "that will not let me go." (Matheson) Ray Stedman on sent His Son... - That is the sign of love. Stamped forever in human history, the greatest sign of love is a bloody cross. If you have ever been to that cross and seen the love of God manifested there, you never can go back to a life of selfish indulgence and quarreling behavior. Three times in this section on love John writes that the Father sent His Son - that we might live through Him (1Jn 4:9), as the propitiation for our sins (1Jn 4:10), and as the Savior of the world (1Jn 4:14). In horse racing a trifecta is when the bettor wins by selecting the first three finishers of the race in the correct order. That Jesus would achieve all three of the goals for which He was sent was never in doubt, as His cry underscored -- "It is finished." (Jn 19:30) (See discussion of Tetelestai - It is Finished! Paid in Full!) Babies are born into the world, but only Jesus was sent into the world! Dwight Pentecost said "The death of Jesus Christ did not change the heart of God, as if One who hated us now loves us, rather it opened the floodgate so that the love of God for sinners could be poured out to them through Jesus Christ." (Quoted by Hiebert)

1 João 4:10

Wuest - In this is the love, not that we have loved God with the present result that we possess love (for Him), but that He Himself loved us, and sent off His Son, a satisfaction concerning our sins. In this: 1Jn 4:8,9 3:1 not: 1Jn 4:19 Deut 7:7,8 John 15:16 Ro 5:8-10 Ro 8:29,30 2Co 5:19-21 Eph 2:4,5 Titus 3:3-5 sent: 1Jn 2:2 Da 9:24 Ro 3:25-26 1Pe 2:24 3:18 1 John 4 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries Related Passages: 1 John 2:2 and He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world. Romans 3:25-26 Whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in His blood through faith. This was to demonstrate His righteousness, because in the forbearance of God He passed over the sins previously committed; 26 for the demonstration, I say, of His righteousness at the present time, so that He would be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. Romans 5:8-10 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him. 10 For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. REDEMPTIVE LOVE: GOD IS THE INITIATOR In this is (present tense) love (agape), not that we loved (agapao) God, but (term of contrast) that He loved (agapao) us and sent (apostello - aorist tense) His Son to be the propitiation (hilasmos ) for our sins (hamartia) - Men are not the initiates of love for God. In this is love ("in this way is seen true love") looks forward in the passage. Literally it reads "in this is the love," the definite article ("the") appears before the word “love,” (in the original Greek text) which defines this as not just any kind of love, but that particular love (agape) that flows from God as the Source. In not that we loved God John uses the negative "ou" signifying that before we were born again, we absolutely did not love God. In fact Ro 5:10+ says "we were (God's) enemies." "The self must look beyond itself in order to access divine love." (Derickson) "All our love is but a reflection of His and a response to it." (Akin) Fallen mankind does not "naturally" love God, contrary to popular opinion! It follows that natural men (those still dead in their trespasses and sins - Eph 2:1+) absolutely cannot express the quality of love (supernatural) about which John writes (See illustrations from Ray Stedman). Initiating love is greater than responding love. -- Grant Osborne John Piper on the phrase not that we loved God - He is emphasizing that the nature and the origin of love does not lie in our response to God. That is not where love starts. That is not mainly what love is. Love is, and love starts with God (ED: ESPECIALLY THAT HE SENT HIS SON). And if anything we feel or do can be called love, it will be because we are connected with God by the new birth. (The New Birth Produces Love) Agape love can be given to God only when it has first been received from God Glenn Barker - For the author, agape love can be given to God only when it has first been received from God. It exists only as response to his initial love for us. Moreover, it is God’s love for us that defines what true love requires, which is the commitment to sacrifice one’s most beloved possession for another’s gain. (Borrow The Expositor's Bible Commentary - Abridged) The superiority of God’s love does not lie merely in the fact of its being Divine. It is first in order of time and therefore necessarily spontaneous” --John Stott - Bob

1 João 4:10

1 João 4:11

Wuest - Divinely-loved ones, since in that manner and to that extent did God love us, also, as for us, we are under moral obligation to be constantly loving one another. (Eerdmans Publishing - used by permission) 1Jn 3:16,17,23 Mt 18:32,33 Lu 10:37 John 13:34 15:12,13 2Co 8:8,9 Eph 4:31,32 5:1,2 Col 3:13 1 John 4 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries OUR MORAL OBLIGATION TO LOVE ONE ANOTHER Beloved (agapetos), if (1st class condition = since) God so (in such a manner - Jn 3:16+) loved (apapao) us, we also ought (opheilo - present tense - habitually) to love (apapao - present tense - habitually, continually) one another (allelon) - This is John's last use of the tender adjective beloved in this epistle (1Jn 2:7; 3:2, 21; 4:1, 7, 11). Also note that this is the last passage directly addressed to his readers until the very last verse of the letter where he calls them little children (1Jn 5:21+). John is addressing believers with a tender word of exhortation calling on us to fulfill our obligation to continually love one another. THOUGHT - It's easy to call someone a tender name, but John clearly practiced what he preached. His life matched his lips. His behavior was in harmony with his words. Could we say the same, beloved? If introduces a first class conditional statement, assumed to be true or to describe a fulfilled condition (God did so love us). One could translate it In view of the fact that or since God so loved us. The word SO draws our attention back to 1Jn 4:10 in which God sending His Son explains how He so loved us. Since He loved us by sacrificially giving His Son, His Best, we who have His nature (His Spirit) are morally obligated to do the same! His great love for us should MOTIVATE a grateful heart in us to dispense His love to others. God’s love is: spontaneous in its source; universal in scope; long-suffering in intensity; self-sacrificing in character, aggressive in action; and constant in duration. -- W Griffith-Thomas Wuest on if God so loved us - It was an act of infinite love and infinite sacrifice, not only on the part of the Son on the Cross, but on the part of the Father who sent the Son, for the heart of the Father was pierced when sin was laid on the Son at the Cross and His holiness demanded that He abandon the Son (Mt 27:46+, Zech. 12:10+). In the same manner, to the same extent, John says that the saints have a moral obligation (opheilo - present tense - habitually) to be constantly loving one another. The infinitive “to love” is present tense in Greek, speaking of continuous action. (Eerdmans Publishing - used by permission) John is insisting that loving God and loving others cannot be divorced, which is exactly what Jesus taught in Matt 22:37–40. -- Danny Akin H A

1 João 4:11

Wuest says agape "speaks of a love which is awakened by a sense of value in an object which causes one to prize it. It springs from an apprehension of the preciousness of an object. It is a love of esteem and approbation. The quality of this love is determined by the character of the one who loves, and that of the object loved." (Eerdmans Publishing - used by permission) AGAPAO USES BY JOHN - Jn. 3:16; Jn. 3:19; Jn. 3:35; Jn. 8:42; Jn. 10:17; Jn. 11:5; Jn. 12:43; Jn. 13:1; Jn. 13:23; Jn. 13:34; Jn. 14:15; Jn. 14:21; Jn. 14:23; Jn. 14:24; Jn. 14:28; Jn. 14:31; Jn. 15:9; Jn. 15:12; Jn. 15:17; Jn. 17:23; Jn. 17:24; Jn. 17:26; Jn. 19:26; Jn. 21:7; Jn. 21:15; Jn. 21:16; Jn. 21:20; 1 Jn. 2:10; 1 Jn. 2:15; 1 Jn. 3:10; 1 Jn. 3:11; 1 Jn. 3:14; 1 Jn. 3:18; 1 Jn. 3:23; 1 Jn. 4:7; 1 Jn. 4:8; 1 Jn. 4:10; 1 Jn. 4:11; 1 Jn. 4:12; 1 Jn. 4:19; 1 Jn. 4:20; 1 Jn. 4:21; 1 Jn. 5:1; 1 Jn. 5:2; 2 Jn. 1:1; 2 Jn. 1:5; 3 Jn. 1:1; Jude 1:1; Rev. 1:5; Rev. 3:9; Rev. 12:11; Rev. 20:9 Agapao is love that is… … empowered by the Holy Spirit in the heart of the surrendered saint (Gal 5:22+, cf Ro 5:5) … commanded of Spirit filled husbands for their wives even as Jesus demonstrated for His bride, the church, giving Himself up for her (Ep 5:25+) … to be given in the same way Spirit filled husbands love their own bodies (Ep 5:28+) … the love with which the Father loved the Son and which may be in believers (Jn 17:26+) … a debt we are to always seek to repay but can never fully discharge (Ro 13:8+) … taught by God (1Th 4:9+) … manifested by specific actions and attitudes (1Cor 13:4, 5, 6, 7, 8+) … shown not just by words but by deeds (1Jn 3:17+, cf such love in action as a manifestation of genuine faith in James 2:15, 16-+) … manifested by keeping God's commandments (Jn 14:15, 21, 23, 24+) … the response Jesus called for one to demonstrate to his or her enemies (Mt 5:44+) … love calls for one to love one's neighbor as one's self (Mt 19:19+) … love that seeks the recipient's highest good, not activated by virtue in the recipient (undeserved) (Jn 3:16+) … love that finds its perfect expression in Jesus Christ and the Cross (Jn 3:16+, cp 1Jn 3:16+) … the love of the overcomers in Revelation who did not love their life even to death (Re 12:10+) … not based on affection, sentiment or emotion but upon a decision of the will … given or offered even if the love is not received or reciprocated … love differs from phileo which is based on affection … love that cannot be manifested by unregenerate individuals in its true Biblical sense of being Spirit enabled. Agapao when used in the context of the unregenerate means generally to have a high esteem for or to take pleasure in something. This type of agapao love is based on one showing a high regard for the object's perceived value or importance The first use of agapao in the LXX corresponds to the first mention of love in the Bible in the context of Abraham's call to sacrifice Isaac… And He said, "Take now your son, your only son, whom you love (LXX = agapao) , Isaac, and go to the land of Moriah; and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I will tell you." (Genesis 22:2+) We… ought (3784) (opheilo from ophéllo = heap up) means we are bound by a moral obligation to love. This verb means to owe something to someone and literally speaks of financial indebtedness = to owe money, be in debt, describing that which is due (Mt 18:28, Lk 7:41, 16:5, 7, Philemon 1:18). The verb opheilo was sometimes used to describe "the debt" itself. Figuratively, opheilo describes a sense of indebtedness to someone for something - while we "owe" God, our loving is never to be viewed as an attempt to "pay Him" back, for just as we could never earn our salvation and with it our ability to love, we can never pay Him back because the cost to Him was of infinite value - His precious Son! The costliness of the Father's love should motivate a Spirit enabled love in us for others! Opheilo was used to describe owing good will (1Co 7:3), love (Ro 13:8+ = we can never love enough and will always "owe" this debt). Opheilo is used 3x in First John, each time identifying our moral obligation to submit to the Spirit for some supernatural endeavor… 1 John 2:6 the one who says he abides in Him ought (present tense continually) himself to walk in the same manner as He walked. 1 John 3:16 We know love by this, that He laid down His life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. OPHEILO - 34V - had(1), have(1), indebted(2), must(1), obligated(3), ought(15), owe(4), owed(4), owes(1), responsible(1), should(2) Matt. 18:28; Matt. 18:30; Matt. 18:34; Matt. 23:16; Matt. 23:18; Lk. 7:41; Lk. 11:4; Lk. 16:5; Lk. 16:7; Lk. 17:10; Jn. 13:14; Jn. 19:7; Acts 17:29; Rom. 13:8; Rom. 15:1; Rom. 15:27; 1 Co. 5:10; 1 Co. 7:36; 1 Co. 9:10; 1 Co. 11:7; 1 Co. 11:10; 2 Co. 12:11; 2 Co. 12:14; Eph. 5:28; 2 Thess. 1:3; 2 Thess. 2:13; Philemon 1:18; Heb. 2:17; Heb. 5:3; Heb. 5:12; 1 Jn. 2:6; 1 Jn. 3:16; 1 Jn. 4:11; 3 Jn. 1:8 The Quality of Love The Source of Love The Effect of Love God personifies love (1Jn 4:8, 16) We reflect God’s love in the world (1Jn 4:7) God loved us (1Jn 4:19) We love God; our fear is gone; we keep His commands (1Jn 4:18, 19; 5:3) God gave His Son for us (1Jn 4:9, 10) We give our substance for others (1Jn 3:17; 4:11) Christ laid down His life for us (1Jn 3:16) We lay down our lives for others (1Jn 3:16) James Smith - 1 John 4:7-9, 11. I. Love's Home. 1. "Love is of God" (4:7). 2. Love is God, or better: "God is Love" (4:8). II. Love's Apprehension. "We have known and believed the love" (4:16). Knowledge following faith. III. Love's Manifestation. The proof of God's love was the sending of His Son (4:9). IV. Love's Overflowing. Leads us to love one another (4:7, 11). Surely 4:7 teaches that there is no Divine love in the heart of any unregenerate person. Divine love is a far higher thing than mere natural affection. Rod Mattoon -If you’re having a hard time forgiving someone, ask the Lord to give you a glimpse of your own sin, a peek at how much He has forgiven you. Allen Ross - The contrast between Cain and Christ can be seen in a number of ways, but one that is fascinating is through the repetition of the image of “blood crying out” as a witness. In Cain’s experience the blood of his brother cried out from the ground (Gen. 4:10). And what did it cry? That a murder had been committed. That Cain and all subsequent mankind was guilty of bloodshed. But in the New Testament the blood of Jesus was shed for us, and it is a witness to the provision of forgiveness (Heb. 9:4). Jesus, like Abel, was killed by people like Cain; but his death was overcome through the resurrection. And the Gospel reminds us that while the blood of our brothers is a witness against us to condemn us for our sins, the blood of Christ brings us forgiveness and cleanses our consciences. Only by receiving Christ and accepting His death for our sins can we hope to silence the cries of guilt that well up inside us as we look at our world and see how predominant the way of Cain has become, and how little we have done to counter it (see 1 John 4:11,12). John Henry Jowett - THE LOVE OF GOD 1 John 4:7-14 LET me more assiduously think of God’s love. Let me sit down to it. In the National Gallery can be seen two sorts of people. There are the mere vagrants, who are always “on the move,” passing from picture to picture, without seeing any. And there are the students, who sit down, and contemplate, and meditate, and appropriate, and saturate. And there are vagrants in respect to the love of the Lord. They have a passing glimpse, but the impression is not vital and vitalizing, and there are the students, who are always gazing, and who are continually crying, “O the depth of the riches of the love of God in Christ!” “His riches are unsearchable!” And God’s love is the creator of my love. “While I muse the fire burns.” I am kindled into the same holy passion. That is to say, contemplation determines character. We acquire the hues of the things to which we cling. To hold fellowship with love is to become loveful and lovely. “We love because He first loved us.” And then, in the third place, it is through my love that I know my Lord. “Everyone that loveth knoweth God.” Love is the lens through which I discern the secret things of God.

1 João 4:12

Wuest - God in His essence no one has ever yet beheld, with the result that no one has the capacity to behold (Him). If we habitually are loving one another, God in us is abiding, and His love has been brought to its fulness in us, and exists in that state of fulness. (Eerdmans Publishing - used by permission) seen: 1Jn 4:20 Ge 32:30 Ex 33:20 Nu 12:8 John 1:18 1Ti 1:17 6:16 Heb 11:27 love one another - 1Jn 4:6 3:24 His love - 1Jn 4:17,18 2:5 1Co 13:13 1 John 4 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries Related Passages - John 1:18+ "No man has seen God at any time; the only begotten God, Who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him." Exodus 33:20-23+ But He said, “You cannot see My face, for no man can see Me and live!” 21 Then the LORD said, “Behold, there is a place by Me, and you shall stand there on the rock; 22 and it will come about, while My glory is passing by, that I will put you in the cleft of the rock and cover you with My hand until I have passed by. 23“Then I will take My hand away and you shall see My back, but My face shall not be seen.” John 5:37+ “And the Father who sent Me, He has testified of Me. You have neither heard His voice at any time nor seen His form. John 6:46+ “Not that anyone has seen the Father, except the One who is from God; He has seen the Father. 1 Timothy 6:16+ Who alone possesses immortality and dwells in unapproachable light, Whom no man has seen or can see. To Him be honor and eternal dominion! Amen. 2 Peter 3:11+ Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what sort of people ought (dei - present tense - habitually) you to be in holy conduct (E.G. LOVING ONE ANOTHER) and godliness, 12 looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be destroyed by burning, and the elements will melt with intense heat! 13 But according to His promise we are looking for new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells. 14 Therefore, beloved, since you look for these things, be diligent (aorist imperative see our need to depend on the Holy Spirit to obey) to be found by Him in peace, spotless (Jas 1:27+) and blameless, 1 John 2:5+ but whoever keeps His word, in him the love of God has truly been perfected (teleioo - perfect tense divine passive) . By this we know that we are in Him: 1 John 4:17+ By this, love is perfected (teleioo - perfect tense divine passive) with us, so that we may have confidence in the day of judgment; because as He is, so also are we in this world. John 17:23+ I in them and You in Me, that they may be perfected (teleioo - perfect tense divine passive) in unity, so that the world may know that You sent Me, and loved them, even as You have loved Me. 1 John 3:17+ But whoever has the world’s goods, and sees his brother in need and closes his heart against him, how does the love of God abide in him? HOW TO SEE THE INVISIBLE GOD: LOVE FOR ONE ANOTHER The life of a Christian who abides in God’s love is a potent witness for God in the world. Men cannot see God, but they can see His love moving us to deeds of helpfulness and kindness. -- Warren Wiersbe No one (oudeis) has seen (theaomai - gazed intently at) God at any time; if (3rd class condition - potential action) we love (agapao - present tense - habitually) one another (allelon), God abides (meno - present tense - continually dwells) in us, and His love is (agape) perfected (teleioo - perfect tense divine passive) in us - Literally it reads "God (first in Gk for emphasis) no one ever yet has seen." No one (oudeis) means absolutely no one has "gazed intently" at God (and lived). Has seen (theaomai) describes to gaze until one grasps the significance of what they are beholding. "God is without the article, indicating that character, essence, or nature is stressed. “Deity in its essence” no one has ever yet seen." (Wuest) John's somewhat abrupt and surprising statement seems to fly in the face of Moses' statement "So Jacob named the place Peniel, for [he said,] “I have seen God face to face, yet my life has been preserved." (Ge 32:30) But on the other hand Moses records "But He (God) said, “You cannot see My face, for no man can see Me and live!” (Ex 33:20+) Is the love of the invisible God visible in your life beloved? Herschel Hobbs summarizes 1Jn 4:12 -This teaches that love fulfils two functions in our lives. First, it is the visible evidence that God dwells in us. The thought is that Christians, by the practice of loving deeds, become the means by which the invisible God is seen. Second, when we practice love, God's love "is perfected in us" (1Jn 4:12b). This means that our love is the ripened fruit of His love. (BORROW The Epistles of John) Jesus as the Word is God, and He has revealed and explained God to humanity. - ESV Study Bible James Montgomery

1 João 4:12

Wuest notes that "The verb is in the perfect tense. The expanded translation reads, “Deity in its essence no one has ever yet beheld, with the present result that no one has the capacity of beholding Him.” (Eerdmans Publishing - used by permission) Westcott comments that "Here the thought is of the continuous beholding that answers to abiding fellowship." Morris on no one has seen God - But "the only begotten Son...hath declared Him" (John 1:18). "He that hath seen me hath seen the Father," Jesus said (Jn 14:9). Jesus Christ is "the image of the invisible God" (Col 1:15). In a lesser way, though quite real, just as we see God in Christ, so men can see God's attribute of love in us if we have allowed the Holy Spirit to bring His fruit (Gal 5:22) to perfection in our lives.

1 João 4:12

1 João 4:13

Wuest - In this we know experientially that in Him we are dwelling and He Himself in us, because He has given us out of His Spirit as a permanent gift. 1Jn 4:15,16 3:24 John 14:20-26 Ro 8:9-17 1Co 2:12 3:16,17 6:19 Ga 5:22-25 Eph 2:20-22 1 John 4 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries Related Passages: Romans 8:16+ The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God, 1 John 2:24+ (RECIPROCAL ABIDING) As for you, let that abide in you which you heard from the beginning. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, you also will abide in the Son and in the Father. 1 John 4:15+ (RECIPROCAL ABIDING) Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. EVIDENCE OF SALVATION In 1 John 4:13-16 we find three evidences of genuine Christianity, three grounds of assurance that one is the "real deal." (1) having the presence of the Spirit (1Jn 4:13), (2) acknowledging Jesus as God's Son (1Jn 4:14, 15), and (3) abiding in love (1Jn 4:16). Throughout this epistle, John offers assorted indications of authentic Christian experience which provide a basis for assurance of our eternal security. The presence of these signs testifies to one's true spiritual condition. By this we know (ginosko - present tense continue to grow in personal, experiential knowledge) that (hoti) we abide (meno - present tense - continually dwell) in Him and He in us, because (hoti) He has given (perfect tense) us (plural) of His Spirit (pneuma) (NEB = "Here is the proof that...") - By what? While this could refer to what has been stated (if we love one another - 1Jn 4:12), most favor that John is referring to the Father's gift of the Spirit as the means by which we know. In short, this is his reader's (and our) ground of assurance that we have personally come to know God (that we abide in Him and He in us). We is John and his readers (who are believers). By this could also refer to the truth John just mentioned and it connects to the gift of the Spirit. In context (1Jn 4:12+), we know (present tense) because we have begun to experience love for one another (1Jn 4:12+). Before we received His gift of the Spirit we did not know this quality of love and could not have loved one another. To say it another way, before the Spirit poured out the love of God within our hearts (Ro 5:5+) and began to bear His fruit (Gal 5:22-23+) in our lives, believers had no inherent power to manifest supernatural God-like love. We know this mutual abiding (we in God, God in us) is real because of His Spirit Who indwells us. In turn, we know we have His Spirit because we are able to confess Jesus and are able to love one another, both of which are supernatural not natural responses. We abide (live) often in the Gospel of one dwelling in the home of another and here describes believers continually living in fellowship with God (meno - present tense)! H A Ironside seems to favor the "by this" as looking to what preceded writing "If we love in this divine way, we abide in Him. You cannot abide in Christ and have hatred in your heart. You cannot abide in Christ and have jealousy in your heart; you cannot have unlovely thoughts and unholy desires. All these break fellowship with the Lord." Knowledge possessed through the intellectual process of learning is one thing. Knowledge gained by experience, by an active relationship between the one who knows (in this context believers) and the person known (in context God Himself), is far superior to apprehension of facts (about God). Ginosko describes the experiential knowledge which every Christ follower should zealously seek to pursue regarding the Person of Christ (e.g., see ginosko in Jn 8:32+, Php 3:10-11+). In this case the knowledge has to do with the genuine believer's experience of God's Spirit. How can we know we have been given the Spirit? In simple terms, we can know because we begin to experience a life radically different than when our old nature was in full control of our thoughts, words and deeds. In short "the old things passed away; behold, new things have come." (2Cor 5:17+) John had earlier said that "the one who keeps (present tense = not perfection but direction) His commandments abides (meno - present tense - continually dwells) in Him, and He in him. And we know (ginosko - present tense continue to grow in experiential knowledge) by this that He abides (meno - present tense - continually dwells) in us, by the Spirit Whom He has given us. (1Jn 3:24+) Henry Alford comments that John nearly repeats 1Jn 3:24+. "But why introduced here? In the former verse (1Jn 4:12+), the fact of His abiding in us was assured to us, if we love one another. Of this fact, when thus loving, we need a token. Him we cannot see: has He given us any testimony of His presence in us? He has given us such a testimony, in making us partakers of His Spirit. This fact it is to which the Apostle calls our attention, as proving not the external fact of the sending of the Son (1Jn 4:14+), but one within ourselves, the indwelling of God in us, and our abiding in Him.” Kenneth Wuest adds "the saint experiences the work of the Holy Spirit in him, and from that experience, he deduces the fact that the Holy Spirit is in him, a gift of God. This experiential knowledge confirms the fact that the saint dwells in God and God in him." (Eerdmans Publishing - used by permission) This passage ‘is the high-watermark of the thought of the epistle’ --Dodd John Stott explains that "The previous two sections have been exhortations—a warning not to believe every spirit (1Jn 4:1–6+) and an appeal to love one another (1Jn 4:7–12+). These two tests of belief and love are now applied more personally, no longer in exhortation but in affirmation. The belief and love, which John has been urging upon his readers, are now assumed, and deductions are drawn from them. Moreover, their relation to each other is for the first time indicated. This passage ‘is the high-watermark of the thought of the epistle’ (Dodd). That ‘the Father has sent His Son’ is not only the chief test of doctrinal orthodoxy but also the supreme evidence of God’s love and inspiration of ours....the ability to believe and the ability to love are alike attributable to the Holy Spirit. Thus belief and love are seen to be related both in the mission of the Son and in the indwelling of the Spirit. (Borrow The Letters of John) That we abide (meno - present tense) in Him and He in us, because He has given (perfect tense) us of His Spirit (pneuma) - This is what we grow in knowledge of - we gain an increasing sense or awareness of our reciprocal abiding, our oneness, our intimacy and ultimately our assurance with God. In 1Jn 3:24+ this mutual abiding (abides in Him, and He in him) is linked to our obedience, our keeping of His commandments (compare 1Jn 4:7-21 = with our demonstration of brotherly love), a knowledge which ultimately (and in my opinion somewhat mystically) is continually being made aware to our inner man by His Spirit. It is the Spirit Who continually gives us the consciousness of our mutual relationship with God. Our awareness of mutually abiding is not based on any personal achievement such as how much we pray, how many verses we memorize, how often we share the Gospel, etc. It is because He has given us of His Spirit. In Romans Paul writes "For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, “Abba! Father!” The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God." (Ro 8:15-16+) D Edmond Hiebert makes the observation that "In 1Jn 3:24+ and 1Jn 4:15+ this mutual indwelling is presented as the experience of the individual believer (Ed: singular pronouns); but here the use of the plural pronouns, “we … us,” presents this twofold relationship as the experience of the Christian community. Clearly it is a relationship that is true of every true believer. But it is the reality of God’s abiding in us that vitalizes the relationship with fellow believers." (1 John 4:7-21) One thinks of Peter's command "grow (present imperative = continually as enabled by the Spirit) in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory, both now and to the day of eternity. Amen." (2 Peter 3:18+) He (abides or lives) in us - This is the third time in this section in which John describes God's indwelling believers (1Jn 4:12, 13, 16), the last two verses describing reciprocal indwelling ("we abide in Him and He in us") Notice that when John describes the reciprocal indwelling here in 1Jn 4:12+, he follows up with evidence for it, explaining "He has given us of His Spirit." This is the burden of John in the whole letter: to teach us how to be sure that God abides in us. John Piper on we abide in Him and He in us - This is the burden of John in the whole letter: to teach us how to be sure that God abides in us. Are you sure that God abides in you today? He wrote this letter to help you answer that question. John's Clear Goal - Consider how many times he has made us think about this. You might want to put a little "a" in the margin by each of these verses to stand for assurance. 1 Jn 2:3—By this we may be sure that we know him . . . 1 Jn 2:5b—By this we may be sure that we are in him . . . 1 Jn 3:10—By this it may be seen who are the children of God . . . 1 Jn 3:14—We know that we have passed out of death into life . . . 1 Jn 3:19—By this we shall know that we are of the truth . . . 1 Jn 3:24b—By this we know that he abides in us . . . 1 Jn 4:2—By this you know the Spirit of God . . . 1 Jn 4:6b—By this we know the spirit of truth . . . 1 Jn 5:2—By this we know that we love the children of God . . . 1 Jn 5:13—I write this to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you might know that you have eternal life. (Piper continues) So one thing is very clear from this letter: John wants Christians to be sure of something. He wants us to be confident of something. He wants to help us get rid of our doubts about something. What? What does he want us to be sure of? Assurance That We Abide in God. There are some today who teach that our abiding in God and God's abiding in us simply refers to an advanced stage of intimacy between God and the mature Christian. They say that you can still be a Christian and yet not abide in God and not have God abiding in you. They say that what John wants to give assurance of is not that you are truly born again but that you are walking in intimacy with the Father. Here's a quote from one popular evangelical teacher: "The unsaved world does not know God...and the believer who harbors hatred toward another believer is stepping into a comparable sphere of spiritual darkness and death. This by no means calls his salvation into question, but it firmly negates every claim to intimacy with the Father and the Son. In the final analysis, it is this intimacy that the epistle of 1 John is all about" (1 Jn 1:3, 4). (Zane Hodges, The Gospel Under Siege, 1981, p. 65 [ED: SEE CRITIQUE OF THIS BOOK]) The motive behind this interpretation is the desire to keep the assurance of salvation separate from the spiritual and moral condition of the believer's heart and life. In other words this teacher wants to be able to give people assurance of salvation even if, to use his words, they are "harboring hatred toward another believer." (ED: See John's clear rebuttal of this false statement - 1Jn 3:10, 14+) And he does this by saying that when John gives the test of love, he is testing Christian maturity not salvation. He says that if we equate "abiding" with "being a Christian," the message of John's letter is hopelessly obscured. The theological deductions that arise as a result are fundamentally and irreconcilably hostile to the simple Biblical Gospel and to the offer of assurance of salvation based on the testimony and promise of God alone. (p. 66) In other words, if you think that 1Jn 4:13 of our text this morning has to do with salvation when it speaks of "abiding in God and God abiding in us," then (he says) your view is hostile to the gospel. Because for this teacher the gospel is the good news that you can be saved by a kind of intellectual faith that may not change your heart attitudes or make you into a loving person. (ED: SEE The Unusual Teachings of Zane Hodges) The reason I spell this out in some detail is that this is an amazingly widespread view, coming as it does from one of the (former?) bastions of evangelical orthodoxy (Dallas Theological Seminary). But it is a view of 1 John that as far as I know has no significant precedent in the history of interpretation. Abiding in Christ does not refer to a second level of maturity. It refers to whether you are in the vine or in the fire. It is a tremendously important issue. You must decide whether you think the issue in 1 John (and particularly in this text) is the assurance of salvation or the assurance of Christian maturity and intimacy. Either in the Vine or the Fire - What does John mean by abiding in God and God abiding in us? Is it an intimate second stage of Christianity or is it just plain being a Christian? Jesus said in John 15:6, "If a man does not abide in me, he is cast forth as a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire and burned." Abiding in Christ does not refer to a second level of maturity. It refers to whether you are in the vine or in the fire. (1 John 4:13-16: God Abides in the One Who Loves - This is an important sermon for evangelicals to read - click for the entire message) (Bolding added) William

1 João 4:13

1 João 4:14

Wuest - And as for us, we have deliberately and steadfastly contemplated, and we are testifying that the Father has sent off the Son as Saviour of the world. (Eerdmans Publishing - used by permission) we have: 1Jn 1:1-3 5:9 John 1:14 3:11,32 5:39 15:26,27 Ac 18:5 1Pe 5:12 Father: 1Jn 4:10 John 3:34 5:36,37 10:36 the Savior: 1Jn 2:1,2 John 1:29 3:16,17 4:42 12:47 1 John 4 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries Related Passages: John 4:42+ and they were saying to the woman, “It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves and know that this One is indeed the Savior of the world.” 1 John 4:9-10 (THIRD MENTION OF SENT HIS SON) By this the love of God was manifested in us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him. 10 In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. THE APOSTOLIC TESTIMONY OF GOD'S SAVIOR We have seen (theaomai - perfect tense) and testify (martureo - present tense) that the Father (pater) has sent (apostello - perfect tense) the Son to be the Savior (soter) of the world (kosmos) - NAS leaves off the connective conjunction AND (kai) in the Greek sentence. We is John and his fellow apostles, but some feel it might include believers, because they can "see" spiritually speaking (2Co 5:7+, 2Co 4:18+). Note that the three persons of the Trinity appear clearly in 1Jn 4:13–14. John had stated a similar truth at the beginning of this epistle writing "What was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we beheld and our hands handled, concerning the Word of Life– and the life was manifested, and we have seen and bear witness and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was manifested to us– what we have seen and heard we proclaim to you also, that you also may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ." (1Jn 1:1-3+) Notice the Trinitarian emphasis by John - the Spirit in 1Jn 4:13+ and here the Father and the Son. We see a similar pattern in Paul's letter to the Galatians But when the fulness of the time came, God (Father) sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law (cp 1Jn 4:14 ""the Father has sent the Son") , 5 in order that (term of purpose) He might redeem those who were under the Law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. 6 And because you are sons, God (Father) has sent forth the Spirit of His Son (1Jn 4:13 "He has given us of His Spirit") into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” We have seen (theaomai - perfect tense) and testify (martureo - present tense) that the Father (pater) has sent (apostello - perfect tense) the Son to be the Savior (soter) of the world (kosmos) - An Apostolic Affirmation. This phrase is similar to John's opening line in which he wrote "What was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and touched with our hands, concerning the Word of Life (Jesus the Messiah)." (1John 1:1+) The combination of seen and testify indicates that the apostle's testimony is grounded on their personal experience, their eye witness accounts and not on some speculative (or Gnostic) philosophy. Have seen is in the perfect tense indicating that their close, careful observation (past completed action) has produced an abiding impact on the "eyes of their heart." To be sure, any believer who actually saw the Incarnate Savior of the world must have been forever impacted! John says we continually (present tense) testify to the truth of what (Who) they have seen. THOUGHT - While we have not seen Jesus with our eyes, we have seen Him with the "eyes of our heart" which begs the question "Do I continually testify with my words and deeds that I have seen Jesus?" Christian certainty rests on this combination of the objective and subjective, the historical and experiential, the Son’s mission and the Spirit’s testimony. John Stott - Christian certainty rests on this combination of the objective and subjective, the historical and experiential, the Son’s mission and the Spirit’s testimony. As for the Father’s sending of his Son, this (John writes) we have seen. The verb (theaomai) is the same as in 1Jn 4:12. God in Himself ‘No-one has ever seen’, but ‘we have seen’ the Son Whom He sent....God has provided a twofold testimony to Christ, that of the apostles, who witnessed to the historic Jesus Whom they had seen and heard (1Jn 4:14), and that of the Holy Spirit, Who confirms their witness in the hearts of believers (1Jn 4:13). For this double witness see John 15:26–27 and Acts 5:32. (Borrow The Letters of John) D Edmond Hiebert adds that "In their association with the incarnate Son, they saw with their own eyes the outworking of His redemptive mission. What they beheld produced in them an abiding conviction concerning His true identity, and the conviction prompted them to “testify” (marturoumen), to continue to bear witness concerning Him. The Christian life rests upon the acknowledged reality of God’s revelation of Himself in His Son and a personal acceptance, by faith, of the Son’s unique person and ministry." (1 John 4:7-21) Henry Alford - The connection seems to be this: the inward evidence of God’s abiding in us and we in Him, is, the gift of His Spirit. But this is not the only evidence nor the only test which we have. This internal evidence is accompanied by, nay, is itself made possible (see 1Jn 4:19+) by, our recognition of the Father’s love in sending His Son as our Saviour: which last is a fact, testified by human evidence. (1 John 4 Commentary) C H

1 João 4:14

Wuest explains that "Emperor worship was the state religion of the Roman Empire, and the binding factor that united its far-flung, heterogeneous subject-peoples together in a union stronger than that of any military force. To recognize our Lord as the Savior (soter) of the world (kosmos) instead of the Emperor was a capital offence, for such recognition was a blow at the very vitals of the Empire. That was the quarrel which Rome had against Christianity, and that was the reason for the bloody persecutions."(Eerdmans Publishing - used by permission) Hiebert adds the world (kosmos) refers to "sinful society, estranged from God and under the dominion of the evil one (cf. 1Jn 5:19+). Its urgent need was to be rescued from sin and Satan.” The scope of His saving work is comprehensive—all humanity, not merely the “enlightened Gnostics” or the chosen Jewish people. “There is no limit but the willingness of men to accept salvation by believing on the Saviour. (Plummer)” (1 John 4:7-21) John mentions world three times in this section on love (1Jn 4:7-21+) - "God has sent His only begotten Son into the world that we might live through Him" (1Jn 4:9+), "the Father as sent the Son to be the Savior of the world." (1Jn 4:14+), "As He is, so also are we in this world." (1Jn 4:17+) God clearly demonstrates His love for the world in these passages, sending His Son as Savior, giving us His Son's life and leaving us on earth so that others might see Him in us (1Jn 4:17+)! Danny Hall on Savior of the world - The atonement of Christ is unlimited in its provision (the world) and limited in its application (applied only to those who have faith). (See discussion of limited atonement and unlimited atonement) He spoke to His belovèd Son With infinite compassion, Go hence, My heart’s most precious crown, Be to the lost salvation; Death, his relentless tyrant, slay, And bear him from his sins away, With Thee to live for ever. Willing the Son took that behest, Born of a maiden mother, To His own earth He came a guest, And made Himself my brother. All secretly He went His way, Veiled in my mortal flesh He lay, And thus the foe He vanquished. He said to me, “Cling close to Me, Thy sorrows now are ending; Freely I gave Myself for thee, Thy life with Mine defending; For I am thine, and thou art Mine, And where I am there thou shalt shine, The foe shall never reach us. “True, He will shed My heart’s life blood, And torture Me to death; All this I suffer for thy good, This hold with earnest faith. Death dieth through My life divine; I sinless bear those sins of thine, And so shalt thou be rescued. “I rise again to Heav’n from hence, High to My Father soaring, Thy Master there to be, and thence, My Spirit on thee pouring; In every grief to comfort thee, And teach thee more and more of Me, Into all truth still guiding. What I have done and taught on earth, Do thou, and teach, none dreading; That so God’s kingdom may go forth, And His high praise be spreading; And guard thee from the words of men, Lest the great joy be lost again; Thus my last charge I leave thee. -- Martin Luther Have seen (2300)(theaomai from tháomai = to wonder, from thaúma = wonder, admiration <> English = theatrical spectacular performance) means to have an attentive look, to have regard for something, to contemplate, to take in with one's eyes (implying that one is impressed by what he sees - see use in Mt 22:11 ). Theaomai implies an intent contemplative gaze. The point is that it is not a mere glance or quick look, but a long, searching gaze (e.g., Lk 23:55). Theaomai describes intelligent beholding, a "careful and deliberate vision which interprets its object" (G. Abbott-Smith). It means to gaze at a show or demonstration or to watch as in a theater. (thus giving us the origin of our English word "theater"). (2) Theaomai can mean to see for the purpose of visiting as in Ro 15:24. (3) Finally some lexicon's (BDAG) state theaomai can mean to perceive something above and beyond what is merely seen with the eye (this nuance clearly overlaps with definition #1 above). The apostle John uses theaomai in his Gospel to describe the wonder of beholding "the glory of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth." (Jn 1:14). He uses theaomai to describe the "Spirit descending as a dove out of heaven" and remaining on Jesus (Jn 1:32). Jesus uses when he calls on his disciples to "lift up your eyes and look on the fields that...are white for harvest." (Jn 4:35) Jesus used theaomai rather than a verb meaning simple sight, because He wanted His disciples not only to see the people streaming out of the city, but to contemplate the meaning and significance of this event. In Jn 11:45 "many of the Jews who came to Mary, and saw (theaomai) what He had done (raising Lazarus from the dead), believed in Him." These Jews were eyewitnesses to the miracle of Lazarus' resurrection from the dead. Their "seeing" including their contemplating what they saw and the result was that they believed in Jesus. Wuest notes that "The verb is in the perfect tense. The expanded translation reads, “Deity in its essence no one has ever yet beheld, with the present result that no one has the capacity of beholding Him.” (Eerdmans Publishing - used by permission) B F Westcott comments that "Here the thought is of the continuous beholding that answers to abiding fellowship." Morris on no one has seen God - But "the only begotten Son...hath declared Him" (John 1:18). "He that hath seen me hath seen the Father," Jesus said (Jn 14:9). Jesus Christ is "the image of the invisible God" (Col 1:15). In a lesser way, though quite real, just as we see God in Christ, so men can see God's attribute of love in us if we have allowed the Holy Spirit to bring His fruit (Gal 5:22) to perfection in our lives.

1 João 4:15

Wuest adds that "The name “Jesus” is the English form of the Greek Iēsous, and this is the Greek form of the Hebrew name “Jehoshua” which means “Jehovah saves.” “Christ” is from Christos, “the Anointed One.” (Eerdmans Publishing - used by permission) Abides (resides, dwells) (3306)(meno) in simple terms means to remain in the same place or position over a period of time. It means to reside, stay, live, lodge, tarry or dwell. Meno describes something that remains where it is, continues in a fixed state, and so endures. In the present context John speaks of the intimate oneness that believers (continually - present tense) have with God. Warren

1 João 4:15

Wuest - Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God in him dwells and he himself in God. (Eerdmans Publishing - used by permission) confess: 1Jn 4:2 5:1,5 Mt 10:32 Lu 12:8 Ro 10:9 Php 2:11 2Jn 1:7 God abides: 1Jn 4:12 3:24 1 John 4 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries Related Passages: John 14:23+ (THE FATHER ABIDES IN EVERY BELIEVER!) Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our abode with him. THE BELIEVER'S CONFESSION OF JESUS AS THE SON OF GOD John had just described Jesus as "the Savior of the world" (1Jn 4:14+) and now explains how this truth become operative in an individual's life. Whoever confesses (homologeo - aorist tense) that Jesus (Iesous) is (present tense) the Son of God (theos), God (theos) abides (meno - present tense) in him, and he in God (theos) - The NAS is a bit misleading as confesses suggests continual confession but the verb is in the aorist tense which signifies that at a point in time one has made a confession, acknowledgment or profession of faith in the Son of God. Hiebert adds that "The aorist verb confess denotes a specific, and apparently public, confession born of an inner persuasion. It is a response to the apostolic testimony recorded in 1Jn 4:14." The confession is that the Man Jesus is in fact the Son of God, God incarnate as Man. Kenneth Wuest agrees that confesses "is in the aorist tense, making the act of confession a definite one, and the classification, constative aorist, speaking of the fact that that confession is a lifetime confession, and represents the sustained attitude of the heart." (Eerdmans Publishing - used by permission) Marvin

1 João 4:16

Wuest - And as for us, we have known the love which God has in our case, and have that knowledge at present, and we have believed and at present maintain that attitude; God is as to His nature, love, and he who dwells in the aforementioned love, in God is dwelling, and God in him is dwelling. (Eerdmans Publishing - used by permission) we: 1Jn 4:9,10 3:1,16 Ps 18:1-3 31:19 36:7-9 Isa 64:4 1Co 2:9 God is love: 1Jn 4:8,12,13 and he: 1Jn 4:12, 3:24 1 John 4 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries Related Passages: 1 John 4:8+ The one who does not love does not know God (NOT A BELIEVER, NOT SAVED), for God is love. John 17:2+ (1Jn 4:16 FULFILLS JESUS' PRAYER) and I have made Your name known to them, and will make it known, so that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them.” John 6:69+ (SAME COMBINATION OF KNOWING AND BELIEVING IN REVERSE ORDER) “We have believed and have come to know that You are the Holy One of God.” (Seems to say faith might lead to knowledge and here in 1Jn 4:16 knowledge leads to faith - cf Ro 10:17) ABIDING IN LOVE AND IN GOD John has just described the amazing relationship of all who confess Jesus as the Son of God, that now "God abides in him and he in God." (1Jn 4:15+) We have come to know (ginosko - perfect tense) and have believed (pisteuo - perfect tense) the love (agape) which God (theos) has (present tense - the love God continually has) for us. God (theos) is (present tense) love (agape), and the one who abides (meno - present tense) in love (agape) abides (meno - present tense) in God, and God abides (meno - present tense) in him - NAS leaves out the and (kai) so it is literally "and we." We here refers to the apostle and his readers (contrast "we [apostles only] have beheld… the Son" 1Jn 4:14+), all who have made the confess in 1Jn 4:15. Know and believed are intimately linked (you can't know God unless you believe) are in the perfect tense, emphasizing a past completed act with abiding results in present time. They believed at a point in time and continue to believe as an abiding reality. D Edmond Hiebert writes that "God’s love for us has evoked a response on our part: “we have known and believed” God’s love. The two verbs “have known and believed", both in the perfect tense, indicate the resultant experience flowing from our initial faith and confession." (1 John 4:7-21) Danny Akin on have known and believed - There is a definite order and emphasis in the verbs. Knowledge is prior to and explained by faith. Faith must have content. “Keep the faith” is nonsensical. “Faith in what?” is always the crucial question. When one abides in the love of God, his knowledge of God grows, and his faith in God grows. The more we love him, the more we understand him, and in turn we trust him more and our faith increases. (1, 2, 3 John - Page 184) Bob Utley on know and...believed in perfect tense - Believers’ confident assurance of God’s love in Christ, not existential circumstances, is the basis of their relationship. Alfred Plummer says of know and believe that "each completes the other. Sound faith is intelligent; sound knowledge is believing." To know God means to be in a deep relationship to Him —to share His life and enjoy His love. As

1 João 4:17

Wuest - In this has been brought to completion the aforementioned love with us, which love exists in its completed state, in order that we may be having unreservedness of speech at the day of judgment, because just as that One is, also, as for us, we are in this world. (Eerdmans Publishing - used by permission) Perfected: 1Jn 4:12 1Jn 2:5 Jas 2:22 we may: 1Jn 2:28 3:19-21 Jas 2:13 the day: Mt 10:15 11:22,24 12:36 2Pe 2:9 3:7 as: 1Jn 3:3 Mt 10:25 John 15:20 Ro 8:29 Heb 12:2,3 1Pe 3:16-18 1Pe 4:1-3,13,14 1 John 4 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries Related Passages: 1 John 2:5 but whoever keeps His word, in him the love of God has truly been perfected. By this we know that we are in Him: 1 John 4:12 No one has seen God at any time; if we love one another, God abides in us, and His love is perfected in us. 1 John 2:28+ "Now, little children, abide in Him, so that when He appears, we may have confidence and not shrink away from Him in shame at His coming." 1 John 3:21+ Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God; 1 John 5:14+ This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. 1 John 4:16 We have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us. God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him (DESCRIBES COVENANT RELATIONSHIP). CONFIDENCE IN THE DAY OF JUDGMENT John Stott summarizes this last section (1Jn 4:17-21) - In 1Jn 4:12 John declared that if we love each other, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us. In 1Jn 4:13–16 he has enlarged on the divine indwelling; in 1Jn 4:17–21 he reverts to the theme of complete love, although now he is concerned with the completion not of God’s love in us but of our love for God. John is not suggesting that any Christian’s love could in this life be flawlessly perfect, but rather developed and mature, set fixedly upon God. He describes two marks of such ‘perfect love’, namely confidence before God and love of our brothers and sisters. (Borrow The Letters of John) By this, love (agape) is perfected (teleioo - perfect tense) with us, so that (hina) we (present tense - continually) may have confidence (parrhesia) in the day of judgment (krisis); because (hoti) as He is, so also (present tense - continually) are we in this world (kosmos) - By what? To what does this refer? The Amplified Bible interprets the by this as referring to the preceding truth describing our covenant relationship, our "union and communion" with God (cf 1Jn 4:16 = "abides in God and God abides in him") (But see Technical Note on By this) Love is perfected is not saying it becomes "perfect" and without flaw, but that it manifests a maturation, a reaching of the intended goal (a love like God, but which will be fulfilled only when we are glorified). Love that is perfected is love that is made visible in deeds as described in 1Jn 4:12 ("we love one another") and 1Jn 3:18 ("let us...love...in deed and truth"). The phrase with us is "not primarily God’s love for us or our love for Him, but the love which God is in His nature, produced in our hearts by the Holy Spirit." (Wuest)

1 João 4:17

Wuest - The saint who in the future Rapture of the Church will approach the Judgment Seat of Christ with boldness (parrhesia - freedom of speech). (This) is the saint who in his earthly life has had the love that God is in His nature brought to its full capacity of operation by the Holy Spirit in his life. That fullness of love results in a life devoted entirely to the Lord Jesus (ED: NOT PERFECTION, BUT DIRECTION!). The word parrhesia speaks of unreservedness of speech, a free and fearless confidence, with nothing to hide or be ashamed of. In that kind of life, the saint has nothing of which to be ashamed at the Judgment of his works. That kind of life is a Christ-like life, and that makes the saint as he dwells in the midst of a world of sinful people, like Christ. And the Lord Jesus will not at the Judgment Seat of Christ condemn those who while they lived on earth, were like Him (ED: NOT PERFECTION, BUT DIRECTION!). (Eerdmans Publishing - used by permission) John used parrhesia earlier in 1 John 2:28+ writing "Now, little children, abide in Him, so that when He appears, we may have confidence and not shrink away from Him in shame at His coming." As Wuest says "parrhesia in this context "speaks of the heart attitude of a saint who lives so close to the Lord Jesus that there is nothing between him and his Lord when He comes, nothing of known sin in his life when the Rapture occurs. This is the kind of saint that keeps a daily check-up on himself as to sin in his life . He maintains a constant yieldedness to and dependence upon the Holy Spirit to show him sin in his life and give him the grace to judge it and put it out (ED: cf Ro 8:13, 1Jn 1:9)." (Eerdmans Publishing - used by permission) Steven

1 João 4:17

Wuest says parrhesia is "freedom in speaking, unreservedness in speech, free and fearless confidence, cheerful courage, boldness, assurance… free and bold speaking; speaking out every word. Its dominant idea is boldness, confidence, as opposed to fear, ambiguity, or reserve. The idea of publicity is sometimes attached to it, but as secondary. (Hebrews Commentary online) Boldness - fearlessness in the face of danger, with daring or courage. Candor - unreserved expression Confidence - mean a state of mind or a manner marked by easy coolness and freedom from uncertainty, diffidence, or embarrassment. You can always be sure of the mood of a human leader, but you can always be sure of God's loving welcome. Judgment (justice, court, sentence)(2920) krisis from krino = to judge, decide) means a decision or judgment, verdict, justice, court (tribunal). The first use is by Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount declaring "‘Whoever commits murder shall be liable to the court." ("in danger of judgment") (Mt 5:21, cp also Mt 5:22) Mt 10:15, 11:22, 24 all describe Jesus' sobering warning to the Jews of a specific future and frightening "day of judgment." (cp "sentence of hell" Mt 23:33, see also 2 Peter 2:9, 11, 3:7, 1 John 4:17) In Jn 5:24 Jesus gives sinners the way of escape, the way to miss the horrible day of judgment (Heb 10:27)! In Mt 12:18 God's judgment is equated with justice, for He is the righteous and just Judge (cp Mt 12:20, 23:23, Rev 16:7). Note the striking contrast in Jn 5:29 "those who did the good deeds to a resurrection of life, those who committed the evil deeds to a resurrection of judgment." There is no such thing as reincarnation but only one life, one death, one judgment (Heb 9:27) KRISIS 47X/46V - court(2), judgment(38), judgments(2), justice(4), sentence(1).Matt. 5:21; Matt. 5:22; Matt. 10:15; Matt. 11:22; Matt. 11:24; Matt. 12:18; Matt. 12:20; Matt. 12:36; Matt. 12:41; Matt. 12:42; Matt. 23:23; Matt. 23:33; Lk. 10:14; Lk. 11:31; Lk. 11:32; Lk. 11:42; Jn. 3:19; Jn. 5:22; Jn. 5:24; Jn. 5:27; Jn. 5:29; Jn. 5:30; Jn. 7:24; Jn. 8:16; Jn. 12:31; Jn. 16:8; Jn. 16:11; Acts 8:33; 2 Thess. 1:5; 1 Tim. 5:24; Heb. 9:27; Heb. 10:27; Jas. 2:13; Jas. 5:12; 2 Pet. 2:4; 2 Pet. 2:9; 2 Pet. 2:11; 2 Pet. 3:7; 1 Jn. 4:17; Jude 1:6; Jude 1:9; Jude 1:15; Rev. 14:7; Rev. 16:7; Rev. 18:10; Rev. 19:2 World (2889) kosmos related to the verb kosmeo = to order or adorn, to put in order [Mt 25:7 = "trimmed"], to adorn literally [1Ti 2:9], to adorn figuratively [Titus 2:9+]) means essentially something that is well-arranged, that which has order or something arranged harmoniously. Kosmos in some contexts can refer to physical earth/universe but more often refers to the spiritual reality of the man-centered, Satan-directed system of this present age, which is alienated from and hostile toward God and God’s people --it represents the self-centered, godless value system and mores of fallen mankind. The goal of the world is self-glory, self-fulfillment, self-indulgence, self-satisfaction, and every other form of self-serving. This present evil man-centered (humanistic) world-system ruled & directed by Satan [1Jn 5:19,Jn 12:31] & in general the world apart from God & opposed to Him. In this sense kosmos is much like the Greek word for flesh (sarx), which can be a neutral word, but which many times in the NT takes on an evil connotation. Analytical Lexicon of the Greek New Testament has a good summary. Note that the meaning of kosmos in a passage is very dependent on the surrounding context. "Basically something well-arranged; (1) adornment, adorning ( 1Pe 3.3); (2) as the sum total of all created beings in heaven and earth world, universe (Acts 17.24); (3) as all human beings mankind, humanity, all people (Mk 16.15); (4) as this planet inhabited by mankind world, earth (Mt 16.26; JN 11.9); (5) morally, mankind as alienated from God, unredeemed and hostile to him world (1Jn 5.19); (6) sum total of particulars in any one field of experience, world, totality (Jas 3.6) (Borrow Analytical Lexicon of the Greek New Testament) An Out-of-this-World Experience A Look at Kosmos in the Johannine Literature - HERE ARE ALL OF JOHN'S USES OF KOSMOS - Jn. 1:9; Jn. 1:10; Jn. 1:29; Jn. 3:16; Jn. 3:17; Jn. 3:19; Jn. 4:42; Jn. 6:14; Jn. 6:33; Jn. 6:51; Jn. 7:4; Jn. 7:7; Jn. 8:12; Jn. 8:23; Jn. 8:26; Jn. 9:5; Jn. 9:39; Jn. 10:36; Jn. 11:9; Jn. 11:27; Jn. 12:19; Jn. 12:25; Jn. 12:31; Jn. 12:46; Jn. 12:47; Jn. 13:1; Jn. 14:17; Jn. 14:19; Jn. 14:22; Jn. 14:27; Jn. 14:30; Jn. 14:31; Jn. 15:18; Jn. 15:19; Jn. 16:8; Jn. 16:11; Jn. 16:20; Jn. 16:21; Jn. 16:28; Jn. 16:33; Jn. 17:5; Jn. 17:6; Jn. 17:9; Jn. 17:11; Jn. 17:13; Jn. 17:14; Jn. 17:15; Jn. 17:16; Jn. 17:18; Jn. 17:21; Jn. 17:23; Jn. 17:24; Jn. 17:25; Jn. 18:20; Jn. 18:36; Jn. 18:37; Jn. 21:25; 1 Jn. 2:2; 1 Jn. 2:15; 1 Jn. 2:16; 1 Jn. 2:17; 1 Jn. 3:1; 1 Jn. 3:13; 1 Jn. 3:17; 1 Jn. 4:1; 1 Jn. 4:3; 1 Jn. 4:4; 1 Jn. 4:5; 1 Jn. 4:9; 1 Jn. 4:14; 1 Jn. 4:17; 1 Jn. 5:4; 1 Jn. 5:5; 1 Jn. 5:19; 2 Jn. 1:7; Rev. 11:15; Rev. 13:8; Rev. 17:8 See 6 page article on Kosmos in New International Dictionary of NT Theology QUESTION - WHAT IS POSITIONAL SANCTIFICATION? The three “phases” of salvation are positional sanctification, progressive sanctification, and final sanctification. ANSWER - To sanctify means to set apart as holy, which is what happens to sinners who are saved from sin by the grace of God through the gift of faith (Ephesians 2:8–9). The three “phases” of salvation are positional sanctification, progressive sanctification, and final sanctification. At the moment of salvation, we are sanctified or set apart positionally; that is, we are saved from the ultimate penalty of sin. Then begins progressive sanctification, the process whereby we are saved from the practice and power of sin. And after this physical life is over, we will be sanctified finally; that is, we will be saved from the presence of sin. Positional sanctification is a one-time act of the Holy Spirit on the hearts of unbelievers whom He has chosen for salvation from sin. At the moment of salvation, believers understand and acknowledge their sinful state, their inability to save themselves through any works of their own, their need of a savior, their acceptance of the sacrifice of Christ on the cross as sin’s payment, and their faith in Jesus’ resurrection. At that moment, believers are brought out of darkness into the light. Our position before God has been changed forever. No longer dead in trespasses, we are made alive together with Christ (Ephesians 2:5). Our position changes in that we are made citizens of a whole new kingdom: “He has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves” (Colossians 1:13). Positional sanctification also changes our position as sinners deserving of God’s wrath to the position of beloved children of the Father and perfect in His eyes. Our new position means we are part of the body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:27); God’s special possession (1 Peter 2:9); new creations (2 Corinthians 5:17); dead to sin (Romans 6:2); and possessors of the divine nature (2 Peter 1:4). Because salvation is an act of the Spirit, the believer’s new position cannot change, be lost, or be given back. We cannot “un-save” ourselves, nor can we alter our position before God through any of our works or the lack thereof. We are kept in the position of beloved for the rest of our lives and throughout eternity. Positional sanctification is the work of God whereby He sets us apart and considers us holy in His eyes: “God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 2:6). Positional sanctification is not dependent on our feelings or whims; it is a fact of salvation, even though our actions on earth do not always align with our position in heaven. Positional sanctification inevitably leads to progressive sanctification, with good works as the inevitable result (ED: IF THAT IS NOT SEEN IN ONE'S LIFE, THEY NEED TO SERIOUSLY ASSESS WHETHER THEY HAVE EVER BEEN POSITIONALLY SANCTIFIED. SADLY, THERE IS A TEACHING IN EVANGELICALISM THAT SAYS ONE CAN BE POSITIONALLY SANCTIFIED WITHOUT EVER SHOWING EVIDENCE OF PROGRESSIVE SANCTIFICATION. AVOID THIS TEACHING LIKE A PLAGUE OF DEATH! AND KNOW THAT I AM NOT ADVOCATING "PERFECTION" IN YOUR CHRISTIAN JOURNEY, BUT THE GENERAL DIRECTION!)) Those who are born again will naturally begin to act according to their new nature in Christ (ED: THIS IS LOGICAL AND REASONABLE BECAUSE THEY HAVE A HOLY PERSON LIVING IN THEM CONTINUALLY ENERGIZING THEM GIVING THEM TO DESIRE AND POWER TO LIVE PLEASING TO GOD - Php 2:13NLT+), and the result will be increasing holiness in personal living (1 Peter 1:15–16). The positionally sanctified will be progressively sanctified by the same Holy Spirit who regenerated us in the first place. The works that God has foreordained for us will be accomplished through His power (Ephesians 2:10). Progressive sanctification is the lifelong process of becoming more Christlike as we cooperate with the Holy Spirit and yield to His control Once we have been positionally sanctified, the process of progressive sanctification begins. Progressive sanctification is the lifelong process of becoming more Christlike as we cooperate with the Holy Spirit and yield to His control (Romans 8:29; 2 Corinthians 3:18+). Once we are positionally sanctified, the Holy Spirit uses the Word of God to progressively sanctify us (John 17:17 ED: see esp 2Co 3:18+) so that in the end our practical holiness aligns with our positional holiness when we see Christ face to face in glory (1 John 3:2+). LOVES FOUR PREPOSITIONS. - James Smith 1 John 4:16, 9,12, 17. I. "Toward us"—the Direction of love (4:9). II. "To us"—the Intention of love (4:16). III. "In us"—the Habitation of love (2:15; 3:17; 4:12). IV. "With us"—the Perfection of love (4:17, margin). "Herein hath love been perfected with us" (A. V., margin). Suggesting a greater measure of the love of God dwelling within us, and a greater realisation, by mind and heart, of the greatness of His love. THE HISTORY AND DEVELOPMENT OF LOVE. - James Smith 1 John 4:8, 9, 17; 2:5. I. The Essence of His Love—God Himself—"God is Love" (4:8). II. The Cause of His Love—not in us. "Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us" (4:10). III. The Activity of His Love—Sending His Son to die for us (4:8,9). IV. The Manner of His Love. The outcome of that love is our adoption as children (3:1,2). V. The Perfecting of His Love. That is, the increasing discovery on our part of the assurance and perfection of His love. This gives us boldness (4:17). VI. The Maturing of His Love. That is, what we must do in order to liberate the love of God shed abroad in our hearts and lives in holy action (2:5). Perfect Love There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love. —1 John 4:18 Today's Scripture : 1 John 4:15-18 A wise man once wrote, “When love comes, fear goes.” I know so many Christians who are tormented by feelings of self-doubt, worthlessness, and sinfulness. They think they must do something to make God love them more. Yet the apostle John said that “as [Jesus] is, so are we in this world” (1 John 4:17). In other words, we share the same confidence that Jesus has in knowing that the Father loves us with perfect love. Because Jesus accomplished our redemption on the cross, all judgment for sin is behind Him and us, and the sin question is forever settled. We now face no condemnation. This removes fear. For as John wrote, “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear” (v.18). The “fear” of which John spoke is fear of judgment. But we have nothing to fear, for “there is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1). Fear is driven out by God’s “perfect love.” We’re forgiven for all our sins, held fast by God’s love, and destined to enjoy eternal fellowship with Him, not because of anything we have done but because He has done everything for us. “In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us” (1 John 4:10). That’s perfect love! Vance Havner - "As He Is, So Are We" "Because as He is, so are we in this world." 1 John 4:17 If he died outside the city gate, then if you are his you belong with him out there and you should go to him. Where are the marks of the cross in your life? Are there any points of identification with your Lord? Alas, too many Christians wear medals but carry no scars! The servant is not greater than his Lord and if the world persecuted him it will persecute us. It cannot be argued that times have grown better for conditions are essentially the same. Human nature has not improved and if we stood where our Lord stood we should fare as he fared. But the only place where most Christians know the shame and reproach of the old, rugged cross is in the hymn book. They are conformed, not transformed, and have followed Demas in loving this present world. We have preserved our own identity at the cost of our daily identification with him. Not only are we to be as he in suffering, but in spirit we are to be Christlike. Failing to share his persecution we fail to show forth his personality. For the marks of the Lord Jesus do not issue from mere abstract theorizing about him, we must drink of his cup and be baptized with his baptism (Mark 10:39). "Because as he is, so are we in this world. Vance Havner - 'HE" AND "WE" IN THIS WORLD As he is, so are we in this world (1 John 4:17). Of all the New Testament writers John states the greatest truths in simplest terms. He clothes profundity with simplicity. Our text is a good sample. Can you say it in shorter words? Can you say a greater truth in any words! There are many interpretations and applications of this text. It deals with love and judgment and identification with Christ. If He abides in us and we in Him, we need not be afraid or ashamed at the great judgment day. Perfect love casts out fear. Christ will never come into judgment and neither will we. The applications of the text stretch out in all directions but I want to look at it in its simplest form, just as it stands: "As he is, so are we in this world." These nine little words fall into three sets of three words each. As He is-so are we-in this world. 1. "As He is." Not as He was. Between the eternity of a yesterday that never had a beginning and the eternity of a tomorrow that never will end, stands Jesus Christ the same. There is only one thing that Jesus Christ ever was; He was dead. "I am he that liveth and was dead" but He is not dead now! ... Jesus Christ is the Eternal Contemporary. All the false messiahs of this world are dead and buried. Mohammed, Confucius, and Buddha are dead. We do not visit the mausoleum of a dead Saviour. There is a sepulcher in Jerusalem which some say is the grave where they buried Him but He is not in it! 2. "As He is, so are we!" Christians are like Him in kind, but not in degree. If we have truly trusted Him we are partakers of His nature and what is His is ours. The text does not say "As he is so we should be" or "shall be." In a Christian, Christ lives again. If you say, "But I don't see many professing Christians who bear much resemblance to Him," I answer that most of them may be just church members or babes in the faith who need to grow by spiritual food, rest and exercise until Christ is formed in them. Christians are the salt of the earth and the light of the world. If only we would be what we are! 3. "As he is, so are we in this world. " "Like Him" of all things! And "in this world" of all places! Not just in church on Sunday where it is not too difficult to look pious, or in some favored spot "far from the madding crowd's ignoble strife," but in this foul, wicked world, this perverted Sodom and Gomorrah, in the old rat race every day. Jesus lived in this world and had nowhere to lay His head. He had a hard time here and left us a legacy of tribulation and suffering, and we must take our share of what is left in the fellowship of that suffering. This world is not our home. It is no friend of grace "to help us on to God." . . . If you are under any illusions about the attitude of this world toward Jesus Christ, try really living for Him for a week and you will soon find out! He said, "As thou [the Father] hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world. " What we believe is important, but a man may believe correctly with his head and still be without any change of heart. What we do is important, but a man may do what a Christian ought to do and still be an unconverted Pharisee. Creed and conduct have their place but we are dealing here with character; not what we believe and do, but what we are. "So are we in this world. All Power - Frank E Ray - 365 Days in God's Presence: A Devotional 1 John 4:17… that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world. The Lord gives us five calls in life. The first call is the call of birth. You had nothing to do with that. The second call is the call from darkness to the marvelous light. You do have something to do with that call. That’s when you accept Christ or reject him as your personal Savior, The third call is the call to death. You really don’t have anything to do with that because sooner or later, we’re all going to die. But then there’s a fourth call, and that’s the call to resurrection. Whether you’ve been bad or good, you’re going to have to get up. Last is the fifth call, the call to judgment. Let me tell you how that’s going to work. The second call will determine the fifth call. 1 John 2:1 “My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.” You see, your attorney and your judge are the same person. Jesus is your Savior right now but on judgment day, He will be the judge. You may say Lord, “I was aiming to come and I just didn’t. Didn’t nobody tell me.” The Lord will remind you when you were fifteen years old and your classmate told you about Jesus Christ and you laughed in his face. Or when you were thirty years old and had your appendix taken out, do you remember when the Chaplain came to your room, and said “son, do you believe that Jesus died for you?” And you told him you didn’t want to talk. When you walk up to the bench, Jesus will be sitting there as well. However, if you have accepted Him as your Savior, the judge is going to see you coming and say, “Case dismissed.” The case has been handled out of court. I’ve got a good attorney. My attorney knows the judge. He died one Friday and got up Sunday with Al-l-l-l-l-l power. Ken Hemphill - WE ARE (See We Are - Page 84) As He Is 1 John 4:17 Love is perfected with us so that we may have confidence in the day of judgment; for we are as He is in this world. We have had a wonderful journey together, thinking about a few of the exciting “we are” faith statements in the Scripture. We finish with one containing a promise on how to have confidence concerning the “day of judgment.” This concept of judgment makes most of us a bit uncomfortable. It reminds us of the specter of final exams. Our professors used to assure us that we should look forward to exams because they gave us a chance to demonstrate what we had learned. (We were concerned, however, that they might reveal something else!) John wrote to tell us that our assurance in the face of judgment is fortified by the truth of who God is and what he has done in us—“for we are as He is in this world.” This promise is based on God’s “perfect love,” which he manifested toward us in redemption and continues to express through our relationship with him as Father and child. In doing so, God produces his character in us by the indwelling Holy Spirit. And as we become more like him in this life, the evidence of his presence in us gives us confidence that he remains active in our lives and will not forsake us in judgment. Jesus underlined this truth when he celebrated the Passover meal with his disciples: “Just as I have loved you, you must also love one another. By this all people will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:34–35). Do you have confidence in the “day of judgment”? Have you accepted Christ as Savior? If you are not certain, I hope you will read through the gospel presentation found in the appendix. If you are certain you have been born again, yet you still have worries about judgment, perhaps you just need to ask the Father to perfect his love in you. For I assure you, as you grow in your ability to express his love, you will become increasingly more confident about the final exam. Mercy Triumphs over Judgment - Nancy Alcorn (See Inspired by Tozer: 59 Artists, Writers and Leaders Share) Mercy is not something God has but something that God is. A. W. TOZER The Bible clearly states in 1 John 4:17 that “as He is, so are we in this world.” That means we should be mercy to the people who cross our paths; we are to show them the love of God in tangible ways. Bottom line, we need to ask God to break our hearts with what breaks His, and to help us to see people the way He sees them—with the eye of faith. We are to speak to people like Chris and tell them that God wants to meet them right where they are. We are to be for them a conduit of mercy—a voice that brings change! Choosing the Dependent Life - W Glyn Evans - Daily with My Lord My life, Lord, must be a copy of Your Son’s life on this earth. I am not necessarily to copy His acts—raising the dead, feeding the five thousand—but I am to copy Him. “As He is, so also are we in this world” (1 John 4:17). Just as Jesus went through a certain pattern, so I am to duplicate that pattern in my life. The pattern is one of dependence. “By myself I can do nothing” (John 5:30, NIV). Those are not the words of a helpless Christian, but the strong Son of God. He deliberately chose to live a life of utter dependence upon His heavenly Father. He taught only what the Father allowed Him to teach; He revealed as truths only what the Father permitted; He walked only where the Father directed. No life has ever been lived on this earth in such utter dependence upon the Father as the life of Jesus. In that sense I am to copy Him. “Without me you can do nothing” (John 15:5, KJV). To accept Christ as Savior and Master is to become a dependent. What would have happened if Jesus Christ had become independent of His heavenly Father? What happens when I become independent of Him? The result is complete confusion and utter misery. Just as Jesus was necessary to the Father’s plan of salvation for mankind, so are we necessary to the ongoing of that salvation today. A breakdown of obedience means a breakdown of the instrument of salvation to others. What a responsibility that is, and yet what a joy! Who else in the world offers us an opportunity to connect to an eternal scheme, in which what we do now has consequences that will never die? Jesus Christ calls us to follow “in His steps” (1 Peter 2:21), that is, to live the life He lived on this earth. What an honor! “And He who sent Me is with Me; He has not left Me alone, for I always do the things that are pleasing to Him” (John 8:29). Related Resource: The Holy Spirit-Walking Like Jesus Walked! Oswald Chambers - Because as he is, so are we in this world.—1 John 4:17 THOSE OF US WHO ARE God’s children stand in holy reverence when we read the above verse of Scripture. It can only mean one thing: The image, character, and holiness of Jesus Christ are in His sanctified ones. They are consequences of His sovereign right of creation. Sanctification means that I am taken into that mystical union which no language can define.” Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is” (1 John 3:2). It is one thing for God to claim me, quite another thing for me to allow Him to make that claim real. It is one thing to realize in speechless wonder that I can be sanctified, that my heart can be turned to worship; but it is another thing to tell God that I want Him to realize His claim in me. I can hear someone say, “Do you mean to tell me, Brother Chambers, that I—an ordinary human being with ordinary, commonplace work, surrounded by ordinary, commonplace people with no particular education—that I can be a new creation in Christ Jesus?” Yes, I am saying all of this. Let God realize His claim in you. Let Jesus Christ make His creation good in you. Jack Hayford - 1 John 4:17 - In the book Great Expectations, Charles Dickens paints a picture of love broken, twisted, and then reproduced. Elderly Miss Haversham had been the victim of great cruelty. At the cunning and revengeful hand of her scorned brother, her fiance left her at the altar on her wedding day. Her brokenness showed for a lifetime in her loneliness, her bitterness, her anger, and her caustic personality. More sorrowful yet was the reproduction of her unloving traits in the innocent child Estella she so profoundly influenced. We, too, affect the lives and attitudes of those around us. If we allow past hurt to keep us from loving, we will suffer. But we will not suffer alone. Our actions will influence those around us. They will be reproduced in the lives of others. But Jesus heals. If you are paralyzed and unable to love, Jesus heals. Every past hurt forgiven and presented to our Lord frees the fresh water of His love to flow through us. We experience the joy of love around us, and those we influence enjoy its benefits in their own lives. Fish which live in the depths of the ocean lose some of their faculties, like the Tibetan hermits who always live in the dark. The ostrich loses his power of flying because he does not use his wings. Therefore, do not bury the gifts and talents which have been given to you, but use them, that you may enter into the joy of your Lord. SADU SUNDAR SINGH Norman Harrison - 1 John 4:17 - We are now face to face with the inescapable implications: What is a Christian? One in whom God lives; one through whom God would manifest Himself in His essential nature, on the human level, through a human personality. We cannot escape the conclusion, and conviction, that in the outworking of redemption and the accomplishing of its purpose to make God known, we, the church as the Body of Christ, are taking the place of the Man Christ Jesus. “As He is, so are we in this world.” Jesus walked this earth to show what God is like when He lives in a man, and what man is like when God lives in Him. Friend, you are endowed and equipped to be that man for your generation as Christ was for His. Are you startled? Are you measuring up to your calling? A W Tozer - To accept Christ is to know the meaning of the words “as he is, so are we in this world.” We accept his friends as our friends, his enemies as our enemies, his ways as our ways, his rejection as our rejection, his cross as our cross, his life as our life and his future as our future. If this is what we mean when we advise the seeker to accept Christ, we had better explain it to him. He may get into deep spiritual trouble unless we do Vance Havner (some duplication of above) - Like Him in This World "As he is, so are we in this world" (1 John 4:17). Of all the New Testament writers John states the greatest truths in simplest terms. He clothes profundity with simplicity. Our text is a good sample. Can you say it in shorter words? Can you say a greater truth in any words! There are many interpretations and applications of this text. It deals with love and judgment and identification with Christ. If He abides in us and we in Him, we need not be afraid or ashamed at the great judgment day. Perfect love casts out fear. Christ will never come into judgment and neither will we. The applications of the text stretch out in all directions but I want to look at it in its simplest form, just as it stands: "As he is, so are we in this world." These nine little words fall into three sets of three words each. As He is—so are we—in this world. "As He is." Not as He was. Between the eternity of a yesterday that never had a beginning and the eternity of a tomorrow that never will end, stands Jesus Christ the same. There is only one thing that Jesus Christ ever was; He was dead. "I am he that liveth and was dead"... but He is not dead now! He didn't stay dead. After the crucifixion Pilate and Herod and Caiaphas might have rubbed their hands and said, "That takes care of Him," but it didn't. They rolled a stone before that sepulcher, set a guard of soldiers and attached a seal but they did not take into consideration a mighty angel. Stones and soldiers and seals are no match for mighty angels. That angel rolled the stone away and sat on it as if to say, "Now look who's in charge around here!" Jesus said: "I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore." He said, "Before Abraham was, I am." John had seen Jesus in the days of His flesh, and in His resurrection body—and then he saw Him in His glorified body and it knocked him out. It might knock out Sunday morning churchgoers to have such a glimpse of Him in His glory. I guarantee you that we would not come out of church the way we generally do. "As He is." Jesus Christ is the Eternal Contemporary. All the false messiahs of this world are dead and buried. Mohammed, Confucius and Buddha are dead. We do not visit the mausoleum of a dead Saviour. There is a sepulcher in Jerusalem which some say is the grave where they buried Him but He is not in it! No mortal can with Him compare Among the sons of men. The infinitude of Jesus Christ never leaves Him in a past tense. He forever is! The text goes on to say: "As he is, so are wet" Christians are like Him in kind, but not in degree. If we have truly trusted Him we are partakers of His nature and what is His is ours. The text does not say "As he is so we should be" or "shall be." In a Christian, Christ lives again. If you say, "But I don't see many professing Christians who bear much resemblance to Him," I answer that most of them may be just church members or babes in the faith who need to grow by spiritual food, rest and exercise until Christ is formed in them. Christians are the salt of the earth and the light of the world. If only we would be what we are! And finally the text says, "As he is, so are we in this world." "Like Him" of all things! And "in this world" of all places! Not just in church on Sunday where it is not too difficult to look pious, or in some favored spot "far from the maddening crowd's ignoble strife," but in this foul, wicked world, this perverted Sodom and Gomorrah, in the old rat race every day. Jesus lived in this world and had nowhere to lay His head. He had a hard time here and left us a legacy of tribulation and suffering, and we must take our share of what is left in the fellowship of that suffering. This world is not our home. It is no friend of grace "to help us on to God." It is no more kindly disposed toward Jesus Christ than it ever was. He said it hated Him and would hate us. I hope we remember that when we sing at church so casually, "To the old rugged cross I will ever be true, its shame and reproach gladly bear." If you are under any illusions about the attitude of this world toward Jesus Christ, try really living for Him for a week and you will soon find out! He said, "As thou (the Father) hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world." What we believe is important, but a man may believe correctly with his head and still be without any change of heart. What we do is important, but a man may do what a Christian ought to do and still be an unconverted Pharisee. Creed and conduct have their place but we are dealing here with character; not what we believe and do, but what we are. "So are we in this world." A man is not the sum total of what he thinks in his head and does with his hands, but what he is in his heart. Christians are not just nice people. They are new creatures. If you are what you have always been you are not a Christian. A Christian is something new; old things have passed away and all things are become new. The Scriptures tell us that Christians are married to Christ. When a woman marries a man she takes him for all he is, for better or worse—and sometimes he turns out to be worse than she took him for! When we receive Christ as Saviour and Lord, all that He has becomes ours and all we have becomes His. It is high time we discovered the magnitude of this exchange when we equate it with just joining a church. All things are His and all things are ours, except ourselves. We are not our own; "we are bought with a price." We are Christ's and Christ is God's. His friends are our friends. "Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you." A friend of Jesus is one who obeys Him. That automatically rules out a multitude of church members! What we call fellowship sometimes when we gossip over our coffee at a church supper is often just sociability under religious auspices and not the communion of saints. His enemies are our enemies. Paul writes of "enemies of the cross of Christ." The friend of the world is the enemy of God. A wife who is eighty-five percent faithful to her husband is not faithful at all. Christians cannot be popular with a world that crucified the Saviour. As the Master so must the servant be. His cross is ours. Simeon prophesied that Jesus would be "spoken against." The Jews in Rome said of the cause of Christ, "Everywhere it is spoken against"—not popular. We who follow Him must ever consent to be called the scum of the earth, a spectacle to the world for the scandal of the cross. His future is our future. If we suffer with Him we shall also reign with Him. We shall inherit the earth and judge the world. And in the world to come, Then we shall be where we would be, Then we shall be what we should be; Things that are not now, nor could be, Soon shall be our own. It may not look it now but Satan has only a lease on this earth; we have the deed! Are you married to the Heavenly Bridegroom? I invite you to the greatest of all altars to say: "I take Jesus. His life shall be my life, His joys my joys, His sorrows my sorrows, His friends my friends, His cross my cross, not just until death but for time and eternity, I am His and He is mine. O Jesus, I have promised to serve Thee to the end. Be Thou forever near me, my Master and my friend. I shall not fear the battle if Thou art by my side, Nor wander from the pathway if Thou wilt be my Guide." For as He is, so are we in this world! Andrew

1 João 4:18

Wuest says that "The divine love produced in the heart of the yielded saint includes the former (no fear) but not the latter (fear of punishment)" (Eerdmans Publishing - used by permission) Rod Mattoon - Perfect love casts out fear. How so? If I understand that God really, truly loves me, I can have absolute confidence that whatever happens at any given moment is the best for me. Regardless of what the doctor may say, what the IRS may declare, or who wins the election—when you are sure of God’s love for you, you don’t have fear. The answer to anxiety and fear is not to face your fears or to figure out your phobias. The answer to fear is to become saturated in God’s love because His perfect love casts out fear. God’s perfect love for believers casts out the fear of wrath and eternal punishment. -- ESV Study Bible Jesus speaking about the final judgment commands men to have a godly fear (and He even doubles down on this command).... “I say to you, My friends, do not be afraid (phobeo - aorist imperative see our need to depend on the Holy Spirit to obey) of those who kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. “But I will warn you whom to fear: fear (phobeo - aorist imperative see our need to depend on the Holy Spirit to obey) the One who after He has killed has authority to cast into hell (Gehenna); yes, I tell you, fear (phobeo - aorist imperative see our need to depend on the Holy Spirit to obey) Him!” (Luke 12:4-5+) Paul "expounds" on the truth of 1Jn 4:18 writing that we "have not received a spirit of slavery (douleia) leading to fear (phobos) again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, “Abba! Father!” (Ro 8:15+) Again Paul reminds Timothy that "God has not given us a spirit of fear (phobos), but of power and love and discipline." (2Ti 1:7+) When a man loves with a perfect love, he escapes from bondage. C H

1 João 4:18

Wuest - Fear does not exist in the sphere of the aforementioned (1Jn 4:15-17+) love. Certainly, this aforementioned, completed love throws fear outside, because this fear has a penalty, and the one who fears has not been brought to completion in the sphere of this love, and is not in that state at present. (Eerdmans Publishing - used by permission) Smalley - There is no fear in love. Rather, complete love drives away fear; for fear has to do with punishment. And the person who is afraid is still incomplete in love. (Word Biblical Commentary) is no: Lu 1:74-75 Ro 8:15 2Ti 1:7 Heb 12:28 fear involves punishment: Job 15:21 Ps 73:19 Ps 88:15,16 Ps 119:120 Jas 2:19 the one who fears: 1Jn 4:12 1 John 4 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries Related Passages: Luke 1:74-75+ To grant us that we, being delivered from the hand of our enemies, Might serve Him without fear (WITHOUT servile phobos), 75 In holiness and righteousness before Him all our days. Luke 12:32+ “Do not be afraid (phobeo - present imperative with a negative see our need to depend on the Holy Spirit to obey), little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom” 2 Timothy 1:7NKJV+ “God has (ou - absolutely) not given us a spirit of fear (phobos), but of power and of love (agape) and of a sound mind”. Hebrews 2:15+ and might deliver those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives. Romans 8:1+ There is therefore now (oudeis - absolutely) no condemnation (katakrima) for those who are in Christ Jesus. Romans 8:38-39+ For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. 1 John 3:1+ See (aorist imperative see our need to depend on the Holy Spirit to obey) how great a love the Father has bestowed upon us, that we should be called children of God; and such we are. For this reason the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. Psalm 34:4+ I sought the LORD, and He answered me, And delivered me from all my fears. LOVE THE ANTITHESIS OF FEAR There (present tense - continually) is (ouk = absolutely) no (servile) fear (phobos) in love (agape); but (alla - strong adversative) perfect (teleios) love (agape) casts (ballo - present tense) out (exo - outside, "out of doors" cf Mk 4:11+, Lk 13:28+) fear (phobos), because fear (phobos) involves (has - present tense) punishment (kolasis), and the one who fears (phobeo - present tense) is not perfected (teleioo - perfect tense) in love (agape) - Note the two key words, fear and love, each being basically the antithesis of the other. Obviously the other antithesis of fear is trust, but is not love a working out of our trust? The love John has been speaking of is supernatural agape that is exhibited in the one who possesses the Spirit of Christ, the Source of and power of this genre of love. Such a love is "perfected" or achieves its goal in the believer who is growing in grace and knowledge of Jesus (cf 2Pe 3:18+), continuing as their lifestyle (present tense) to manifest agape love more and more. Obviously this describes a progression toward a goal, not a full achievement of the goal in this lifetime. The "perfect perfection" of that love is called glory, the day when we see Jesus Who Himself is the full embodiment of agape love (1Jn 3:2+). That is our blessed hope (Titus 2:13+) and should motivate us and prompt us daily to practice agape love. We need to keep our eyes fixed on the prize (Christlikeness)(Heb 12:1+, Heb 12:2+, Php 3:14+), and not be discouraged (grow weary or lose heart) by "two steps forward, one step back," (Heb 12:3+, Gal 6:9+) for we still have the strong anti-God flesh which will daily fight us and tempt us to impede our progress in loving others as Christ loved the church (Eph 5:25+). Remember, this Christian life is not a 100 yard dash, but a marathon, so we need to keep running in the divine direction (listen to Run Like Heaven, then run, run, run in the power of Spirit of Christ for the glory of the Father), fully convinced that perfection is not possible in this lifetime, but is in the next! And as we discipline ourselves (1Ti 4:7,8+) to run this "agape love race" in this way, we can be assured that we will reap the wonderful present prize of "NO FEAR OF PUNISHMENT" in the future, but rather a "WELL DONE" (Mt 25:21+, Lk 19:17+)! As we grow in our practice of the love of God, we cease to be fearful of facing Him. -- Compare 1Jn 2:28+ One is reminded of Peter's exhortation to run with passion for the promised prize brethren, be all the more diligent (aorist imperative see our need to depend on the Holy Spirit to obey) to make certain (bebaios) about His calling and choosing you; for as long as you practice (present tense) these things (IN THE CONTEXT OF 1 JOHN 4 = PRACTICE AGAPE LOVE!) you will (OU = ABSOLUTELY) never stumble (cf 1Co 9:26, 27+); for (WONDERFUL TERM OF EXPLANATION) in this way the entrance (eisodos) into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be abundantly (plousios) supplied (epichoregeo) to you (BELOVED, KEEP YOUR EYES FIXED ON THIS PRIZE WHICH ELIMINATE ALL FEAR OF PUNISHMENT!). (2Pe 1:10-11+) “When love comes, fear goes.” Wuest's paraphrase is an excellent expression of John's truth in 1Jn 4:18 - "Fear does not exist in the sphere of the aforementioned (1Jn 4:15-17+) love. Certainly, this aforementioned, completed love throws fear outside, because this fear has a penalty, and the one who fears has not been brought to completion in the sphere of this love, and is not in that state at present." I love that picture of a "sphere" in which love pushes out fear from the "atmosphere" of that sphere! Remember, beloved, the fear John says is cast out is not the kind of healthy reverence and awe that we should have for God. That genre of fear is a good thing and is seen in both the Old and New Testaments and is even described in Heaven! In Rev 19:5+ we read "Give praise to our God, all you His bond-servants, you who fear Him, the small and the great.”. The kind of fear John has in view is a paralyzing dread and terror. Agape love and that genre of fear simply have nothing to do with one another and cannot coexist in the same sphere. Fear paralyzes for it has to do with punishment, but genuine love confirms our salvation and the truth that we no longer need fear condemnation before a holy God (Ro 8:1+). In sum, fear God but do not fear His judgment. (See related discussion The Fear of the Lord) (God's) “love” is so powerful and life changing that when we know it we are forever removed from the “fear” of God. -- Glenn Barker Steven

1 João 4:18

Wuest adds that perfected in the perfect tense means “has been made perfect or complete, and exists in its finished results.” This represents a past fact in the saint’s life and a present reality."(Eerdmans Publishing - used by permission) Hiebert explains that "the perfect passive verb “is perfected” (teteleiōmenē…estin) does not imply any previous imperfection in God’s love but rather presents God’s love as having been brought to its goal objectively in that life. (Cf. the same verb in 1Jn 2:5+.) Morgan suggests the following in illustration: “There is all the difference between its existence in the heart, and its expansion in the life, that may be observed between the root of the plant deposited in the soil and its rich and widespread foliage, and its clusters of flowers or fruits.” (1 John 4:7-21) TELEIOO - 23V - accomplish(2), accomplished(1), finish(1), fulfill(1), full number(1), made perfect(4), made...perfect(1), make...perfect(1), make perfect(1), perfect(2), perfected(7), reach...goal(1), spending the full number(1). Lk. 2:43; Lk. 13:32; Jn. 4:34; Jn. 5:36; Jn. 17:4; Jn. 17:23; Jn. 19:28; Acts 20:24; Phil. 3:12; Heb. 2:10; Heb. 5:9; Heb. 7:19; Heb. 7:28; Heb. 9:9; Heb. 10:1; Heb. 10:14; Heb. 11:40; Heb. 12:23; Jas. 2:22; 1 Jn. 2:5; 1 Jn. 4:12; 1 Jn. 4:17; 1 Jn. 4:18 Hymns Related to 1 John 4:18 O Love That Casts Out Fear Perfect in Love! Lord, Can It Be? To a Place of Celebration Valley of Blessing, The QUESTION - What does “perfect love casts out fear” mean? ANSWER - The Bible says that “love is of God” and “God is love” (1 John 4:7–8); in other words, love is a fundamental characteristic of who God is. Everything God does is impelled and influenced by His love. There is a distinct word for the type of love that God displays. In the Greek, this word is agape, and it refers to a benevolent and charitable love that seeks the best for the loved one. 1 John 4:18 says that “perfect love casts out fear.” The whole verse says this: “There is no fear in love. But perfect love casts out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.” The context here is important: verse 17 says, “This is how love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment: In this world we are like Jesus.” The dismissal of the fear of judgment is one of the main functions of God’s love. The “fear” that perfect loves casts out is the fear of God’s judgment. We know that Judgment Day is coming, but those who are in Christ know the love of God, which drives away fear of condemnation. The dismissal of the fear of judgment is one of the main functions of God’s love. The person without Christ is under judgment and has plenty to fear (John 3:18), but, once a person is in Christ, the fear of judgment is gone. He is reconciled to God, and “there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1). Part of understanding the love of God is knowing that God’s judgment fell on Jesus at the cross so that we can be spared: “The Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all” (Isaiah 53:6). Jesus’ sacrifice propitiated (appeased) God’s justice and won His good favor (1 John 2:2, ESV). Jesus spoke often of His mission: “God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him” (John 3:17). The only person who must fear judgment is the one who rejects Jesus Christ: “Whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son” (verse 18). The Bible says that nothing can separate the believer from the love of God in Christ (Romans 8:38–39). God’s love does not wax and wane; it is not a fickle, emotional sensation. God’s love for sinners is why Christ died on the cross. God’s love for those who trust in Christ is why He holds them in His hand and promises never to let them go (John 10:29). That divine love should take away our fear: “Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom” (Luke 12:32). “God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind” (2 Timothy 1:7NKJV). A spirit of fearfulness and timidity does not come from God. Sometimes this “spirit of fear” overcomes us, and to overcome it we need to trust in and love God more completely. “There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love” (1 John 4:18). If, as a child of God, we still fear God’s punishment, we have not yet reached the point of maturity in love. To help us be complete in love, God has liberally sprinkled encouragement against fear throughout the Bible. God tells us not to be afraid of being alone, of being too weak, of not being heard in our prayers, or of being destitute of physical necessities. These admonishments cover many different aspects of the “spirit of fear.” The key to overcoming fear is total and complete trust in God. Trusting God is how Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego faced the fiery furnace without fear (Daniel 3:1-30). Trusting God is how Stephen stood before his killers fearlessly (Acts 7:54-60). To trust God is to refuse to give in to fear. Even in the darkest times, we can trust in God to make things right. This trust comes from knowing God and knowing that He is good. Once we have learned to put our trust in God, we will no longer be afraid of the things that come against us. We will be like the psalmist who said with confidence, “Let all who take refuge in you be glad; let them ever sing for joy. Spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may rejoice in you” (Psalm 5:11). In summary, the word perfect in 1 John 4:18 means “complete” or “mature,” and the love that is referred to is God’s selfless agape love. The fear that this perfect love drives out is the fear of punishment. We have God’s promise that believers in Jesus Christ will not be judged with the world: “God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Thessalonians 5:9; cf. 1 Corinthians 11:32). We can say with the psalmist, “In God I trust and am not afraid” (Psalm 56:11). Joseph Stowell - THE CURE THERE IS NO FEAR IN LOVE. . . . PERFECT LOVE DRIVES OUT FEAR. —1 John 4:18 Is there a cure for the debilitating enemy of fear? Thankfully, yes— replace it with love and trust. Fear focuses on protecting and preserving “me.” At times it can be constructive (fear of fire, fear of wild beasts), but more often it shows its destructive side. Fear inhibits us from witnessing. Fearing the loss of a promotion, we may compromise our ethics to gain business success. When others get in the way of our plans, we may fear that our desires will go unfulfilled, so we intimidate or abuse them to get our own way. This kind of fear is not a friend of growth or grace. But a genuine love that commits itself to God’s will and the needs of others overcomes fear (1 John 4:11–21). In the life of a follower who is committed first to love, fear will become increasingly nonexistent. Love acts for the best interests of others. Fear is all about “me”. Jesus had much to fear by surrendering to the cross experience. But His love for His Father and His love for you superseded His fears. Yet, for us, dispelling fear and expressing unconditional love require an additional ally. Trust must go hand in hand with love to conquer fear. Trusting in God to watch over me, meet my needs, protect me, and give me His best releases me from the normal fears that hold me back. If I assume that I am solely responsible to protect and preserve “me”, then fear will dominate me and love will be impossible. Trusting in God to protect and provide dispels fear (Psalm 56:3–4). Are you afraid that in your love you will become vulnerable, misunderstood, taken advantage of, or misused? Is your God who He says He is? Then trust Him to work in and through the outcomes of your love and fearlessly turn your attention to His will and the needs of others. Fear wishes to hold you captive to yourself. Love wants to set you free. Can you trust God enough to love in the face of your fears Joseph Stowell - TRUE LOVE GOD IS LOVE. WHOEVER LIVES IN LOVE LIVES IN GOD, AND GOD IN HIM. —1 John 4:16 We love God by giving ourselves willingly to Him, His Word, and His will. “This is love for God: to obey his commands” (1 John 5:3). But loving God is also expressed by extending love toward others. In fact, loving others is the proof of our commitment to Christ ( John 13:34–35). These upward and outward directions of love are brought together in Christ’s command that we are to first love God and then our neighbors as ourselves (Matthew 22:34–40). The opposite of love is not always hate. It is more often self-centeredness rooted in a fear of loss, of being taken advantage of, of being misunderstood, of becoming vulnerable, or of losing control of our own destiny. Fear turns our attention inward. It thrives on self-centeredness—on our concern for our own welfare. When we are fearful, we refuse to surrender to God’s control and are afraid to reach out to others. Yet John reminds us that “perfect love drives out fear” (1 John 4:18). Love loves in the face of our fears and expels fear from our hearts. When I trust God to protect and prosper me, I have nothing to fear and am free to love. I am free to yield lovingly to God regardless of my circumstances and to unconditionally love others without seeking to protect my own interests. Paul helps us understand how foreign fear is to authentic faith: “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love” (2 Timothy 1:7 NKJV). A conscious commitment to true love will dispel fear and help drive out other fear-inspired enemies, such as anger, jealousy, and hatred. A loveless life is often a life that has been victimized by fear. Trust Him to cover your fears and risk an act of love that tells Him how much you love Him. Reach “up” to Him in trust and “out” to others. Start to love today by choosing one concrete way to express your love to God by loving someone you know who is in need. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear.1 JOHN 4:18 The unconditional love we so desperately need if we are to become authentic comes only from God. Interestingly enough, it is when we let God love us unconditionally at a deep level that we tend to become the person He really wants us to be. It is only when we feel His total love for us that we are free to be genuine in all of our relations with others. This genuineness, I feel confident, is exactly what pleases Him most. —NEIL CLARK WARREN God Said It, Don’t Sweat It When there is sin and disobedience in the heart, there is a fear of God, not but that God is love, but that a rebellious soul cannot be at peace in the arms of love. Seven Acts 1. AN ACT OF FAITH Mark 10:50 2. AN ACT OF LOVE 1 John 4:18 3. AN ACT OF CONFIDENCE 1 Peter 5:7 4. AN ACT OF WORSHIP Rev. 4:10 5. AN ACT OF OBEDIENCE John 21:6 6. AN ACT OF CONSECRATION Ps. 105:22 7. AN ACT OF POWER 2 Cor. 10:5 Love casteth out fear because love seeketh the face of the Beloved, trusts the Beloved’s power, basks under the Beloved’s wings. Zig Ziglar says, “Fear is the darkroom where negatives are developed.” Sometimes our fears are quite profound, complicated, and deep. At other times, they’re very simple. Bible Prescriptions The Bible is God’s pharmacist shop; here is where prescriptions are filled for— 1. DOUBT John 7:17 2. FEAR 1 John 4:18 3. PRIDE 1 Peter 5:5 4. LUST Gal. 5:16 5. SELFISHNESS John 12:25 6. ANGER Ephesians 4:31 7. HEARTACHES Isaiah 61:1 Art thou fearful love will fail? Foolish thought and drear, “God is love” and must prevail, Love casts out all fear! We have seen his lovely plan In God’s Son made Son of Man. Holy love could not create Save for love’s sake sweet, Therefore we his creatures wait Union made complete. When love’s perfect work is done, God and man will be at one. We may know that God is love, Know his Father’s heart, He hath spoken from above And our doubts depart. We have seen what hath sufficed In the face of Jesus Christ. Jack Hayford - Love Casts Out Fear September 29 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear.… But he who fears has not been made perfect in love. 1 John 4:18 Christianity gave love (Greek agape) a new meaning. This word rarely occurs in existing non–biblical Greek manuscripts of the period. Agape denotes an undefeatable benevolence and unconquerable goodwill that always seeks the highest good of the other person, no matter what he does. It is the selfless love that gives freely, without asking anything in return, and does not consider the worth of its object. Agape is a love by choice, and it refers to the will to love rather than the emotion of love. Agape describes the unconditional love God has for the world. His love for the world and toward each of us is complete. Fear grips our souls because we are more convinced of the triumph of circumstance and sin over us than the undefeatable unconquerable love that securely holds us. We are His and He finds us precious. Today He will keep us, love us, and if we will hold tightly to Him, He will drive our fears far from us. (Living the Spirit Filled Life - Page 60) David Jeremiah - SPIRITUAL LIBERTY God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. 2 TIMOTHY 1:7 We have been released from the spirit of fear by the Holy Spirit, who has placed us in the body of Christ. We have received the Spirit of adoption. This adoption provides for every believer release from the bondage that he once knew. The picture that Paul uses is the contrast between slavery and sonship. Slavery, with its fear and isolation, stands for our old lives before knowing Christ. We are told by the writer of Hebrews that Christ died that He might destroy the one who had the power of death and release those who were subject to a fear of death (Hebrews 2:14–15). The perfect love of God has cast out the fear to which we were once enslaved (2 Timothy 1:7; 1 John 4:18). Anything that involves a believer in fear of bondage cannot possibly be the work of the Holy Spirit of God. It must come either from his own heart of unbelief or as a temptation of the evil one. Our sonship implies perfect spiritual liberty and the absence of all legal features that would bring us once more under the law. (Sanctuary: Finding Moments of Refuge in the Presence of God) A W Tozer - LOVE CASTS OUT FEAR There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear. —1 John 4:18 Love always wills the good of its object and never wills any harm to its object. If you love somebody, really love him, you’ll want to be good to him and to do good to him. You’ll never want any harm to come to him if you can help it…. If I know a man loves me, I’m not afraid of him. If I’m not sure he does, I may be a bit cagey around him. Love casts out fear, for when we know we are loved, we are not afraid. Whoever has God’s perfect love, fear is gone out of the universe for him. All real fear goes when we know that God loves us, because fear comes when we’re in the hands of someone who does not will our good. A little boy lost in a department store will stand in a paroxysm of hysterical fear; people’s faces are strange, even those who want to be kind. The child is afraid that he may be in the hands of somebody who wills him harm. But when he sees the familiar face of his mother, he runs sobbing to her and climbs into her arms. He’s never afraid in the hands of his mother, because experience has taught him that Mother wills his good. Perfect loves casts out his fear. When the mother is not there, fear fills the little child’s heart, but Mother’s kind, smiling, eager face drives out fear. (Tozer on the Almighty God: A 365-Day Devotional - Page 13) “Perfect Love” Or “Wrong Husband” I heard of a minister who was away on his summer vacation when he learned that one of the young women in his church had just been married. He decided to send her a wire of congratulations, and thought immediately of a beautiful Scripture verse. Therefore, he wired simply this message, “Please read 1 John 4:18.” The telegraph operator at the other end, however, did not know the difference between 1 John, the Epistle, and John the Gospel. When she relayed the message, therefore, instead of writing, “Read 1 John 4:18,” she simply wrote, “Read John 4:18.” When the happy bride received the telegram delivered to her house by the messenger boy, she rushed to the Bible to see what message her pastor had sent her. Actually 1 John 4:18 would have been a beautiful message. It reads, “Perfect love casteth out all fear.” When she turned, however, to John 4:18, this is what she read, “He whom thou now hast is not thy husband.” John Butler - The Peace From Love (1 John 4:18) “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear … fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love” (1 John 4:18). Love brings tranquility; it removes fear that so destroys tranquility. Lack of love brings “torment” which is the fear of punishment and judgment. If fear is present, then love is deficient (“not made perfect”). Love and Its Perfection 1 John 4:17–21 I. Love’s Perfection in Relation to Self (vv. 17, 18). A. It causes us to have boldness in the day of judgment (v. 17). B. It casts out fear (v. 18). II. Love’s Perfection in Relation to Others (vv. 19–21). A. The principle of love (v. 19). B. The profession of love (v. 20). C. The proof of love (v. 21). Chris Tiegreen - A “No Fear” Zone Such love has no fear, because perfect love expels all fear. If we are afraid, it is for fear of punishment, and this shows that we have not fully experienced his perfect love. 1 John 4:18 IN WORD Human beings are full of fears. They nag us during the day and sometimes keep us up at night. They almost always seem reasonable even when they are completely irrational. They come from a multitude of directions and get energy from a multitude of past experiences. We have an almost endless capacity for asking “what if?” and thinking of negative answers to the question. But how about these “what ifs”? What if we were completely, thoroughly loved by a being who was full of extravagant love and capable of doing whatever He wants? What if this being was constantly watching out for our best interests whether we perceived Him doing so or not? What if He was always by our side whether we sensed Him or not? What if He loved those of us who believe in Him so much that we could not possibly fail beyond repair even if we tried? What if we were so secure in Him that all our fears were unfounded? The promise of Scripture is that all these things are true. These aren’t hypothetical possibilities; they are reality. All of God’s promises are “yes” and “amen” in Christ (2 Corinthians 1:20). The Kingdom culture is a place of no fear because the King’s presence eliminates all dangers. Sure, we can rebel and run away, and then we have plenty to fear. And sure, we have a fear of God that overwhelms us with His majesty. But fear of anything ultimately doing damage to our well-being while we’re in His presence? That’s totally unreasonable. The perfection of His love precludes any fear we might have. IN DEED Live in freedom from fear. Jesus came not only to deliver us from sin but also to deliver us from the fear that so often lies behind our sins. Our insecurities do not serve us well, and the love of the Father makes them unnecessary. We are completely, forever safe in Him. (The One Year Heaven on Earth Devotional: 365 Daily ... - Page 142) Joni Eareckson Tada - Different Yet the Same There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love. —1 John 4:18 Sometimes you do read good things in the newspaper, like this story that was in the newspaper recently. As I recall the details, the writer began, It was one of those rainy days that threatens to go on forever. The kids whined; the house closed in on us. So we escaped to the video store. While my husband stood in line with the movie that promised to lift us out of the doldrums, my children and I waited near the front of the store. Our three-year-old son, Joe, commented on everyone. Why was that man smoking? Why did that other boy have an umbrella—when he did not? Why did other people get to check out more than one video? What was that little girl’s name? Suddenly Joe saw a person who left him speechless. A boy, a few years older than he, was being pushed into the store in a wheelchair. Joe took in every detail of the child—the boy’s braced legs, slumped posture, tilted head, crooked smile. As the boy got closer, I held my breath, hoping that Joe would stay quiet. Just as the boy got within hearing distance, Joe looked at him and then glanced at me, opened his mouth, and smiled. “Mommy,” he said, “that boy has an Orioles baseball cap just like mine!” Somewhere along the line, little Joe had learned to look for the things he had in common with people. When we look at people through Jesus’ eyes, the fear of being different disappears. The Bible says that perfect love casts out fear. No matter what race you are, what age, what your abilities or disabilities, whether you are homeless or sitting secure in suburbia, good attitudes begin when you realize you have more in common with people than you thought. Lord Jesus, enable me to put on a compassionate heart that concentrates on matching ball caps rather than obvious differences. (More Precious Than Silver: 366 Daily Devotional Readings - Page 5) NOT TO BE MUZZLED Perfect love drives out fear. 1 JOHN 4:18 1531: In the Middle Ages most churches in Europe, especially the great cathedrals, had relics of some saint—these could be teeth, bones, pieces of clothing, a sword or axe by which the saint was martyred, and so forth. Typically a relic was small and encased in a gold or silver container called a reliquarium. People were very superstitious about relics, and because they were used to inspire piety, there was a brisk trade in them, with large churches competing to obtain relics of the most important saints. It sounds very silly to us, but to medieval Christians it was a part of church life they took seriously. Then in the 1520s a young English pastor began to preach against the cult of relics. His name was Thomas Bilney who, while he was studying for the ministry at Cambridge University, was struck by reading 1 Timothy 1:15: “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst.” Young Bilney was not the first nor last Christian to apply those words to himself. This marked his conversion, and soon he came to accept the new Protestant teachings of Martin Luther. Like Luther, he opposed the ridiculous cult of relics. Cardinal Wolsey, England’s most powerful church official, called Bilney in and ordered him to cease such preaching. Bilney complied but not for long. He began preaching Protestant views again, and one Sunday he was literally dragged out of the pulpit and imprisoned in the Tower of London for a year. The time in prison broke him, and he recanted of his views. But after his release, he realized he could not cease preaching the truth, and once again he taught Protestant doctrines—not in churches, since he was barred from them, but in the open fields. Because the church regarded him as a relapsed heretic, he was burnt at the stake on August 19, 1531, one of the first Protestant martyrs of England. (The Christian History Devotional: 365 Readings and Prayers) David Jeremiah - FEAR IS THROWN AWAY There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. 1 JOHN 4:18 When children are frightened, they need comfort more than courage, consolation more than logic, and compassion more than proof. Frightened children need to be wrapped in the caring arms of a loving adult until the fear melts away —finding consolation in the presence of someone who cares. That’s exactly what God does when we are afraid. He longs to wrap us in His loving arms. He wants us to know Him intimately as our wonderful, protective Father. The closer we draw to Him, the more we can trust in His perfect love. We can’t really fathom what perfect love means, because our best attempts at understanding God’s flawless love are marred by our sinful nature! The apostle Paul reminds us that God’s perfect love is indeed difficult to understand. He writes in Ephesians 3:17-19, “That you may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height —to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.” Today let His perfect love throw away your fears. As you do, you will feel His loving arms wrapping around you with comfort, consolation, and compassion. (Discovering God: 365 Daily Devotions - Page 80) NO CAUSE FOR FEAR There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear. 1 JOHN 4:18 I. . .CALL UPON YOU TO learn the true and proper definition of Christ out of these words of Paul, "which gave Himself for our sins." If He gave Himself to death for our sins, then undoubtedly He is no tyrant or judge which will condemn us for our sins. He is no caster-down of the afflicted, but a raiser-up of those that are fallen, a merciful reliever and comforter of the heavy and broken-hearted. . .Here is then no fear, but altogether sweetness, joy, peace of conscience. . .We teach no new thing, but we repeat and establish old things, which the apostles and all godly teachers have taught us. And would to God we could so teach and establish them that we might not only have them in our mouth, but also well grounded in the bottom of our heart. My heart is fixed, my mind is made, I shall not ever be afraid, Love conquers fear, our God will do What He has promised me and you. My heart is fixed, I trust His Name, Forever and a day the same, His Holy Spirit from above Will fill my soul with perfect love. Billy Graham - Fear Not! There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear. 1 JOHN 4:18 The world of Jesus’ day was filled with fear. The Romans feared rebellion, and their subjects feared Rome’s power. The Sadducees feared the Pharisees, and both were suspicious of the publicans. The hearts of people everywhere were filled with fear and distrust. Life was precarious, and above all, people feared death. The world lives with fear even today. What is your fear? Do you fear the future? Do you fear life’s burdens that sometimes seem almost overwhelming? Do you fear death? Most of us fear everything except God—yet it is God whom we should fear most of all! Jesus can put an end to fear for all who trust in Him. “Do not fear, little flock” is a phrase typical of His teaching and preaching (Luke 12:32). He is the answer to any fear you have. After all, God’s power is greater than the powers of evil, and “neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future . . . nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:38–39 NIV). (Hope for Each Day Morning and Evening Devotions - Page 294) Billy Graham - Committed Love Perfect love casts out fear. 1 JOHN 4:18 NIV When I understand something of Christ’s love for me as a sinner, I respond with love for Christ—and that love includes feelings and emotions. But emotions come and go, and we must not allow them to mislead us. God loves me, whether I feel it or not. Christians who gauge their relationship with Christ only by their feelings seldom have a stable spiritual life. What makes the difference? It can be summarized in one word: commitment. Feelings come and go, but commitment stays. We who have committed our lives to Christ may feel joy, gratitude, love, and so on. But even when we don’t have those feelings, our commitment keeps us true to Christ. This commitment not only keeps us faithful to Christ when we don’t feel like it, but it also keeps away negative emotions such as doubt and fear. John Witherspoon, the only cleric to sign the Declaration of Independence, once said, “It is only the fear of God that can deliver us from the fear of man. (See Unto the Hills: A Daily Devotional - Page 10) A BASEMENT FULL OF FEARS - Barbara and Dennis Rainey There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear. 1 JOHN 4:18 I don’t remember when my brother told me about “the creature,” but I can recall as a little tyke standing at the top of the stairs looking down into the deep darkness of our basement. It was a dark, damp and dingy kind of place. Of course, I didn’t know it but my brother pulled a trick on me when he told me about the most grisly, meanest bogeyman you’ve ever seen. On occasion, my mom would send me downstairs to get some canned green beans or some potatoes she stored in our basement. You’ve never seen a kid run so fast. I’d set a world record going down and up those stairs. Although I never saw that bogeyman, I heard him frequently. And it scared the daylights out of me. In fact, to this day, when I stand at the top of those same stairs, I still feel a leftover trace of that same fear. Are there any bogeymen in your life? You may couch it in terms like “I’m concerned about this,” or “I’ve been thinking about this a lot.” But any way you slice it, most of us are fearful. We’re fearful about the future, about where our lives our going. We’re even fearful of God’s will. Hate is not the opposite of love, fear is. As 1 John 4:18 says, “perfect love casts out fear.” To be secure in God’s love and protection of us, we must have faith. And we can’t manufacture spiritual fruit ourselves. Sheer effort alone does not make good fruit grow. Zechariah 4:6 says, “‘Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ says the Lord of hosts.” As God’s Spirit works in us and through us to develop this fruit, He will take away our fear and fill us with His love. Discuss: What are your top three fears in life right now? Share them with one another and talk about why you are afraid in each of these areas. When you pray, pray for your spouse to be delivered from all his or her fears. Pray: Ask God to begin removing fears in your life by filling you with His love and with His Spirit. John Henry Jowett - THE PERFECTING OF LOVE “Herein is our love made perfect.” 1 John 4:11-21. HOW? By dwelling in God and God in us. Love is not a manufacture; it is a fruit. It is not born of certain works; it springs out of certain relations. It does not come from doing something; it comes from living with Somebody. “Abide in Me.” That is how love is born, for “love is of God, and God is love.” How many people are striving who are not abiding. They live in a manufactory, they do not live in a home. They are trying to make something instead of to know Somebody. “This is life, to know Thee.” When I am related to the Lord Jesus, when I dwell with Him, love is as surely born as beauty and fragrance are born when my garden and the spring-time dwell together. If we would only wisely cultivate the fellowship of Jesus, everything else would follow in its train—all that gracious succession of beautiful things which are called “the fruits of the Spirit.” And “herein is our love made perfect.” It is always growing richer, because it is always drawing riches from the inexhaustible love of God. How could it be otherwise? Endless resource must mean endless growth. “Our life is hid with Christ in God,” and hence our love will “grow in all wisdom and discernment.” TODAY IN THE WORD There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear. - 1 John 4:18 It's customary at the close of a president's term in the White House for every member of the staff to turn in letters of resignation. The incoming Commander-in-Chief has the utmost flexibility to decide who will fill the White House under his watch. As Israel prepared to advance on Canaan, God made His intentions perfectly clear: the Lord was to be the new ruler of this land, and He wanted Israel to clean house. The command was total. They were to drive out all the people. They were to destroy all the objects of worship. They were to demolish all the places of worship. God wanted every living person and every trace of false deity removed from the land of His dwelling (v. 52). The consequence for disobedience was practical. God didn't threaten Israel with His wrath. He merely notified them of the suffering that would naturally spring from leaving any remnant of the enemy in their land: those people would be as unbearable as a barb to the eye! We see in the book of Judges just how true God's prediction was. The Promised Land was to be Israel's land for the taking. God didn't say, “If you try really hard and fight unbelievably well, then the land will be yours.” Victory didn't depend on their special talent; rather, defeating and driving out the enemy would be the result of faithful obedience to His commands. When Moses made this announcement to Israel, it would have been particularly reassuring for them. They hadn't even crossed the Jordan River and God was already instructing them how to divide up the land once they had possession over it. It wasn't a matter of if they would conquer Canaan, but when the land would be theirs. Such confidence from a leader can embolden a people. Had all twelve leaders who originally surveyed the land shown such boldness, perhaps they could have avoided forty years of wandering and judgment in the wilderness. TODAY ALONG THE WAY -There are battles in our lives that God has already won for us, including the ultimate victory over sin! If there are recurring sins in your life that seem unbeatable, remember that your God is the God who defeated the Canaanites. Our own ability is not the issue—He requires only our faithful obedience. If you find yourself struggling in some area, consider whether your level of obedience needs a boost. Spiritual disciplines like prayer, Bible study, giving, and Scripture memory can help us follow Christ more faithfully. 1 JOHN 4:18 READ: 1 John 4:11-21 DUE to my carelessness, our console TV fell out of the trunk of my car and was badly marred. The thought of going home and telling my wife made me feel fearful, yet home was where I wanted to be. I wasn't afraid that she would yell at me or hit me. I feared the look of disappointment I would see on her face. My fear was the kind we should feel in relation to God. It is the mature fear advocated in Psalm 34:9 and many other Scripture passages. It is the fear of disappointing the Lord because we love Him so much and because we so much appreciate His love for us. The fear of punishment, on the other hand, is an immature fear, and it is cast out by the "perfect love" mentioned in 1 John 4:18. This kind of fear isn't entirely bad, though. It's often a factor leading to belief in Christ, and it may also keep Christians from serious sin. But as we grow in faith, we will obey God because we love Him so much that we don't want to disappoint Him. Pleasing Him will be our supreme desire.—HVL Lord, help me to move beyond my immature fear of punishment and get to the place of maturity where I do what is right simply because I love You and want to please You. Vance Havner - Faith and Fear Matthew 8:23-27 IN the eighth chapter of Matthew, Jesus says to the alarmed disciples who have wakened Him in the storm at sea: "Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith?" They had cried out in alarm, "Lord, save us! We perish!" according to Matthew; according to Mark: "Master, carest thou not that we perish?" How true to human nature is that fearfulness of His disciples! After all the mighty works which they had seen Him do, here they could see only the immediate danger. Some have used the sleeping presence of Christ in the boat to indicate that Christ is in every believer and "needs only to be called into action by stirring up the gift of God within us." But such an interpretation beclouds the matter. It was fear rather than faith that called upon Him here; a stronger faith would have let Him sleep. There is more faith in a quiet dependence upon the indwelling Christ than in an excitable anxiousness that would awaken Him in every storm, as though any real harm could come to us when He is within. Many believers need to learn that faith delivers from fear. Theoretically, we believe in the Christ within, but when the crisis comes we grow panicky and cry, "Master, we perish!" But faith and fear are contradictory. In proportion as we have one we do not have the other. "There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love" (1 John 4:18). Since love is the outward working of faith, it follows that faith, working by love, drives out fear. How the Master would cry to us timid and alarmed disciples as He did to these: "Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith?" "How is it that ye have no faith?" "Where is your faith?" No Christian need fear anything, "for God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind" (2 Tim. 1:7). We fear misfortune; we fear criticism; we fear others; we fear to undertake things, to speak for Christ; we fear for financial security; we fear sickness; we cross bridges before we reach them; we fear the future. But for every fear, "faith is the victory." We are not thinking of fear merely as a feeling, but as an attitude that paralyzes the will and restrains and cramps the life until one becomes a cowering slave. Neither is faith merely a feeling, but the attitude which steps forth in dependence upon God even though feelings and circumstances may point the other way. The conquest of fear is not wrought in a day. The Christian who sets out to live by faith will find many nervous qualms and inhibitions trying to choke his courage, but as he exercises faith the faith grows stronger and the fear weaker until it no longer becomes a serious problem. Here as everywhere else, the practice of His presence plays its part. Some believers make the mistake of waiting until they feel all fear disappear before they venture forth by faith. But they never reach the high hills that way. Faith sets out in the very teeth of adverse circumstances and contrary feelings and makes fear disappear by continually assuming, asserting and practicing the attitude of faith until it becomes real and fear has been broken. Of course, it is all done through the indwelling Spirit, but still there must be practice and persistence. God will empower and sustain, but the decision of the will is our part, and all the prayers and devotional readings on earth will not make up for our definite stepping out upon the promises Oswald Chambers - Do You Really Love Him? She has done a good work for Me. —Mark 14:6 If what we call love doesn’t take us beyond ourselves, it is not really love. If we have the idea that love is characterized as cautious, wise, sensible, shrewd, and never taken to extremes, we have missed the true meaning. This may describe affection and it may bring us a warm feeling, but it is not a true and accurate description of love. Have you ever been driven to do something for God not because you felt that it was useful or your duty to do so, or that there was anything in it for you, but simply because you love Him? Have you ever realized that you can give things to God that are of value to Him? Or are you just sitting around daydreaming about the greatness of His redemption, while neglecting all the things you could be doing for Him? I’m not referring to works which could be regarded as divine and miraculous, but ordinary, simple human things— things which would be evidence to God that you are totally surrendered to Him. Have you ever created what Mary of Bethany created in the heart of the Lord Jesus? “She has done a good work for Me.” There are times when it seems as if God watches to see if we will give Him even small gifts of surrender, just to show how genuine our love is for Him. To be surrendered to God is of more value than our personal holiness. Concern over our personal holiness causes us to focus our eyes on ourselves, and we become overly concerned about the way we walk and talk and look, out of fear of offending God. “…but perfect love casts out fear…” once we are surrendered to God (1 John 4:18). We should quit asking ourselves, “Am I of any use?” and accept the truth that we really are not of much use to Him. The issue is never of being of use, but of being of value to God Himself. Once we are totally surrendered to God, He will work through us all the time. Octavius Winslow - Daily Walking with God. "There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear: because fear has torment. He that fears is not made perfect in love." 1 John 4:18. Who that has felt it will deny, that "fear has torment"? The legal fear of death, of judgment, and of condemnation- the fear engendered by a slavish view of the Lord's commandments- a defective view of the believer's relation to God- imperfect conceptions of the finished work of Christ- unsettled apprehensions of the great fact of acceptance- yielding to the power of unbelief- the retaining of guilt upon the conscience, or the influence of any concealed sin, will fill the heart with the torment of fear. Some of the most eminent of God's people have thus been afflicted: this was Job's experience- "I am afraid of all my sorrows." "Even when I remember, I am afraid, and trembling takes hold on my flesh." "When I consider Him, I am afraid of Him." So also David- "What time I am afraid, I will trust in You." "My flesh trembles for fear of You; I am afraid of Your judgments." But "perfect love casts out fear:" he that fears is not perfected in the love of Christ. The design and tendency of the love of Jesus shed abroad in the heart is to lift the soul out of all its "bondage through fear of death," and its ultimate consequences, and soothe it to rest on that glorious declaration, triumphing in which, many have gone to glory, "There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus." See the blessed spring from where flows a believer's victory over all bondage-fear- from Jesus: not from his experience of the truth, not from evidence of his acceptance and adoption, not from the work of the Spirit in his heart, blessed as it is- but from out of, and away from, himself- even from Jesus. The blood and righteousness of Christ, based upon the infinite dignity and glory of His person, and wrought into the experience of the believer by the Holy Spirit, expels from the heart all fear of death and of judgment, and fills it with perfect peace. O you of fearful heart! why these anxious doubts, why these tormenting fears, why this shrinking from the thought of death, why these distant, hard, and unkind thoughts of God? Why this prison-house- why this chain? You are not perfected in the love of Jesus, for "perfect love casts out fear:" you are not perfected in that great truth, that Jesus is mighty to save, that He died for a poor sinner, that His death was a perfect satisfaction to Divine justice; and that without a single meritorious work of your own, just as you are, poor, empty, vile, worthless, unworthy, you are welcome to the rich provision of sovereign grace and dying love. The simple belief of this, will perfect your heart in love; and perfected in love, every bondage-fear will vanish away. Oh, seek to be perfected in Christ's love. It is a fathomless ocean, its breadth no mind can scan- its height no thought can scale. - Octavius Winslow. Daily Walking with God. No Fear Factor - Joe Stowell "God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.” 2 Timothy 1:7 ESV The reality TV show Fear Factor featured people who are willing to face their worst fears for notoriety and financial gain. I need to tell you that I rarely watched more than a fleeting moment of the show as I surfed with my remote. I find it tough to watch people eat cockroaches, immerse themselves in a tank full of creepy worms with legs, and stay under water far too long with slimy eels crowding around their heads. It’s just not my definition of high-value entertainment. But the program did remind me that fear is an emotion that we are all very familiar with. In fact, my discomfort with watching for any length of time probably has something to do with reminding me of things and events that I fear or at least find uncomfortable. Yet thinking of the program does make me wonder: Would I be willing to conquer my fears to do what Jesus asks me to do, just as these contestants overcome their fears for a moment in the spotlight of national TV? There is no doubt that fear is no friend of our effectiveness for Christ. We are often fearful about witnessing, giving our money away, saying no to our friends, forgiving a cruel offense, saying yes to a short-term missionary assignment, or risking being misunderstood if we speak up for biblical values at the water-cooler. If Satan can get us stymied by fear, he doesn’t have to do much else to shut down our spiritual progress and usefulness. So, let’s talk about what it takes to succeed for Jesus in the face of fear. First, let’s remind ourselves that fear primarily focuses on protecting and preserving “me.” Overcoming fear begins with deciding that some things in life are more important than ourselves. Things like the eternal destinies of others, the prosperity of the work of Christ in our world, the fact that the reputation of Jesus is more strategically important than my fleeting popularity, and that His integrity and righteousness showing up in my life is more important than cheating for some personal gain. Once you and I realize that a self-surpassing passion for others and Jesus trumps fear, we can understand why the apostle John wrote that love casts out fear (1 John 4:18). But loving can often feel like a risky, sometimes losing proposition, which is why we need another ingredient to release the power of the love that conquers fear. That ingredient is trust. Trusting that God will protect you when you are fearful, that God will reward you when you feel at risk, that God will give you guidance and courage when you feel lost and intimidated is what it takes to defeat the fear that holds you back. Are you afraid that when you love you will become vulnerable, misunderstood, taken advantage of, or misused? Trust God to watch over you, meet your needs, and give you His best, and those fears will become increasingly nonexistent. When our lives are characterized by trust-filled love, fear ultimately will not be a factor. As President Roosevelt said in his inaugural speech, “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself!” YOUR JOURNEY… What does God want you to do but you are afraid of doing? List the advances you could make spiritually if fear were not a factor in your life. Be specific. What would it take for you to be more passionate about others and Jesus than you are about yourself? In Psalm 56:3, what did David say he would do in the face of fear? Are you ready to do the same? What specifically can you trust God for when fear threatens your walk with Him? Simon Kistemaker - Television viewers are able to witness courtroom sessions almost on a daily basis. We have become accustomed to the judge, jury, defendant, plaintiff, and lawyers. We hear the verdict and see the innocent acquitted and the guilty sentenced. Often we witness the expressions of emotions that no longer can be controlled. These emotions depict at times anxiety and fear, at other times joy and happiness. Every human being will have to appear before the judgment throne of Christ. Feelings of guilt and remorse will fill the hearts of all those who have refused to obey God’s commands, to believe his Word, and to accept Christ as Savior. Their hearts will be filled with fear (Rev. 6:15–17), for they realize that the Judge will sentence them because of their sin. They who have lived in fellowship with the Father and the Son have nothing to fear. Their hearts are filled with joy and love. And they will hear the word acquitted from the lips of Jesus. He will say to the Father, “I have paid it all.” Paranoia In Reverse (Read: 1 John 4:1-6,17-19) - There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. —1 John 4:18 I remember watching television news reports in 1991 as the nonviolent revolution took place in the streets of Moscow. Russians who had grown up in totalitarianism suddenly declared, “We will act as if we are free,” taking to the streets and staring down tanks. The contrast between the faces of the leaders inside and the masses outside showed who was really afraid, and who was really free. Watching the newsreels from Red Square on Finnish television, I came up with a new definition of faith: paranoia in reverse. A truly paranoid person organizes his or her life around a common perspective of fear. Anything that happens feeds that fear. Faith works in reverse. A faithful person organizes his or her life around a common perspective of trust, not fear. Despite the apparent chaos of the present moment, God does reign. Regardless of how I may feel, I truly matter to a God of love. Far, far above thy thought His counsel shall appear, When fully He the work hath wrought That caused thy needless fear. —Gerhardt Feeding your faith helps starve your fears. Norman Geisler - 1 JOHN 4:18—If love casts out all fear, why are we told to fear God? PROBLEM: John affirms here that “perfect love casts out all fear.” Yet we are told that the “fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge” (Prov. 1:7) and that we should “serve the Lord with fear” (Ps. 2:11). Indeed, Paul said, “knowing … the terror [fear] of the Lord, we persuade men” (2 Cor. 5:11). SOLUTION: Fear is being used in different senses. Fear in the good sense is a reverential trust in God. In the bad sense it is a sense of recoiling torment in the face of God. While proper fear brings a healthy respect for God, unwholesome fear engenders an unhealthy sense that He is out to get us. Perfect love casts out this kind of “torment.” When one properly understands that “God is love” (1 John 4:16), he can no longer fear Him in this unhealthy sense. For “he who fears has not been made perfect in love” (1 John 4:18). Nonetheless, at no time does proper love for God ever show disrespect for Him. Rather, it is perfectly compatible with a reverential awe for Him, which is what the Bible means by “fearing God” in the good sense (cf. 2 Cor. 7:1; 1 Peter 2:17). (When Critics Ask) D L Moody - There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.—1 John 4:18. THERE cannot be true peace where there is fear. “Perfect love casteth out fear.” How wretched a wife would be if she doubted her husband! and how miserable a mother would feel if after her boy had gone away from home she had reason, from his neglect, to question that son’s devotion! True love never has a doubt. Alexander

1 João 4:19

Wuest - As for us, let us be constantly loving, because He Himself first loved us. (Eerdmans Publishing - used by permission) 1Jn 4:10 Lu 7:47 John 3:16 Jn 15:16 2Co 5:14,15 Ga 5:22 Eph 2:3-5 Titus 3:3-5 1 John 4 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries Related Passages: 1 John 4:10+ In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. John 6:44+ “No one can come to Me, unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up on the last day. WHY DO WE LOVE? HOW IS IT EVEN POSSIBLE? We love (agapao - present tense), because (hoti) He first loved (agapao) us - Refers to we John and all believers as in 1Jn 4:17. We love describes an active, dynamic love (not an emotional feeling) and in the present tense speaks of our lifestyle. Agape love is divine love and implies, indeed must have, a supernatural source, the indwelling Spirit (Gal 5:22-23+). So if a man loves with this quality of love, it is clear indication he has the Spirit of Christ. Because is a term of explanation so John is explaining why believers can even exhibit agape love. John's point is that God's love always takes the initiative and our love is (or should be) a response to His love. Stott adds that "God’s love was primary; all true love is a response to his initiative." "All human love is preceded and generated by the love of God." (Vincent) John has already explained how He loved us writing "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." (1Jn 4:10+) One could think of believers as "conduits" of vertical love which is then displayed horizontally. God’s love is: spontaneous in its source; universal in scope; long-suffering in intensity; self-sacrificing in character, aggressive in action; and constant in duration. -- W Griffith-Thomas John

1 João 4:19

1 João 4:20

Wuest says agape "speaks of a love which is awakened by a sense of value in an object which causes one to prize it. It springs from an apprehension of the preciousness of an object. It is a love of esteem and approbation. The quality of this love is determined by the character of the one who loves, and that of the object loved." (Eerdmans Publishing - used by permission) AGAPAO USES BY JOHN - Jn. 3:16; Jn. 3:19; Jn. 3:35; Jn. 8:42; Jn. 10:17; Jn. 11:5; Jn. 12:43; Jn. 13:1; Jn. 13:23; Jn. 13:34; Jn. 14:15; Jn. 14:21; Jn. 14:23; Jn. 14:24; Jn. 14:28; Jn. 14:31; Jn. 15:9; Jn. 15:12; Jn. 15:17; Jn. 17:23; Jn. 17:24; Jn. 17:26; Jn. 19:26; Jn. 21:7; Jn. 21:15; Jn. 21:16; Jn. 21:20; 1 Jn. 2:10; 1 Jn. 2:15; 1 Jn. 3:10; 1 Jn. 3:11; 1 Jn. 3:14; 1 Jn. 3:18; 1 Jn. 3:23; 1 Jn. 4:7; 1 Jn. 4:8; 1 Jn. 4:10; 1 Jn. 4:11; 1 Jn. 4:12; 1 Jn. 4:19; 1 Jn. 4:20; 1 Jn. 4:21; 1 Jn. 5:1; 1 Jn. 5:2; 2 Jn. 1:1; 2 Jn. 1:5; 3 Jn. 1:1; Jude 1:1; Rev. 1:5; Rev. 3:9; Rev. 12:11; Rev. 20:9 Hates (3404) miseo from misos = hatred) means to dislike strongly, to have a strong aversion to or to detest, all of these representing expressions of hostility of one person (or group) toward another (Mt 5:43, Lk 6:27, et al). Specifically the hatred can be directed toward God (Lk 1:71). Good hatred in Heb 1:9 (cf use of miseo in Lxx of Ps 101:3, Ps 119:104, 113, 128, 163, Ps 139:21-22). The majority of the NT uses of miseo convey the literal meaning of animosity towards God, people or particular attitudes. It is notable that except for Lk 1:71, miseo is always used by Jesus in the Gospels. Miseo is the opposite of agapao (to love). The essence of to love is to care more about others than about self, caring even to the point of sacrifice of one's life (Jn 15:13, Eph 5:25). To hate is to care little or nothing about the other person and even wish them harm and/or death (Eph 5:29, Mt 24:9). Hate (Webster's Dictionary) - To feel strong aversion or intense dislike for. To dislike greatly; to have a great aversion to. It expresses less than abhor, detest, and abominate, unless pronounced with a peculiar emphasis. In Scripture, it signifies to love less. Hate implies an emotional aversion often coupled with enmity or malice Hates (miseo) conveys the meaning of animosity towards another. To hate is to possess and/or express a strong negative reaction, a feeling toward someone considered an enemy as well as loving someone less than another. In 1Jn 4:19 miseo is in the present tense which signifies their hatred is habitual. Their lifestyle is one of hating others! What a miserable way to live!!! It is the polar opposite of agape love. Note that all five uses of miseo are in the present tense which describes a lifestyle of hatred. John has used miseo four times already in his epistle… 1John 2:9+ The one who says he is in the Light and yet hates (present tense = continually) his brother is in the darkness until now… 1Jn 2:11+ But the one who hates (present tense = continually) his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness, and does not know where he is going because the darkness has blinded his eyes. 1John 3:13+ Do not be surprised, brethren, if the world hates (present tense = continually) you. 1 John 3:15+ Everyone who hates (present tense = continually) his brother is a murderer; and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him. John describes this hatred in his Gospel John 3:20+ "For everyone who does evil hates (present tense = continually) the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. (Ultimately "the Light" is the Lord - Jn 8:12). John 7:7+ "The world cannot hate (present tense = continually) you, but it hates (present tense = continually) Me because I testify of it, that its deeds are evil. John 12:25+ "He who loves his life loses it, and he who hates (present tense = continually) his life in this world will keep it to life eternal. John 15:18-19+ "If the world hates (present tense = continually) you, you know that it has hated (perfect tense) Me. 19 "If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, because of this the world hates (present tense = continually) you. John 15:23+ "He who hates (present tense = continually) Me hates (present tense = continually) My Father also. 24 "If I had not done among them the works which no one else did, they would not have sin; but now they have both seen and hated (perfect tense) Me and My Father as well. 25 "But they have done this to fulfill the word that is written in their Law, 'THEY HATED (aorist tense) ME WITHOUT A CAUSE.' John 17:14+ (Jesus praying to His Father says) "I have given them Your word; and the world has hated (aorist tense) them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. Liar (5583) pseustes from pseudomai = to lie) is one who speaks falsehood, untruth, and so attempts to deceive. Thayer adds that pseustes describes "one who breaks faith, a false or faithless man." Webster's 1828 Dictionary - A person who knowingly utters falsehood; one who declares to another as a fact what he knows to be not true, and with an intention to deceive him. The uttering of falsehood by mistake, and without an intention to deceive, does not constitute one a liar. This is the fourth of five times in this short letter that John describes a liar three times referring to men and twice to God… 1Jn 1:10+ If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us. 1Jn 2:4+ The one who says, "I have come to know Him," and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him 1Jn 2:22+ Who is the liar but the one who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, the one who denies the Father and the Son. 1Jn 5:10+ The one who believes in the Son of God has the witness in himself; the one who does not believe God has made Him a liar, because he has not believed in the witness that God has borne concerning His Son. Octavius Winslow Daily Walking with God If a man say, I love God, and hates his brother, he is liar: for he that loves not his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen? 1 John 4:20. HERE is a test of relationship to the family of God which never fails. "We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren." From this the weakest believer may extract the greatest consolation. Other evidences, beloved, may be beclouded. Divine knowledge may be deficient, Christian experience may be limited, and the question, "Am I a child of God?" may long have been one of painful doubt; but here is an evidence which cannot deceive. You may doubt your love to God, but your love to His people, as such, proves the existence and the reality of your love to Him. Your attachment to them, because they are holy, is an evidence of your own holiness, which no power can invalidate or set aside. Since the Holy Spirit has constituted it as evidence, and since God admits it as such, we press its comfort, with all the energy which we possess, upon the heart of the doubting, trembling child of God. You may often have questioned the reality of your love to God, scarcely daring to claim an affection so great as this. Your attachment to Jesus, so inconstant, so wavering, and so cold, may often have raised the anxious fear and the perplexing doubt. But your love to the people of God has been like a sheet-anchor to your soul. This you have not questioned, and you could not doubt. You have loved them because they were the people of God; you have felt an attachment to them because they were the disciples of Christ. What does this prove, but your love to God, your affection to Jesus, and your own participation in the same Divine nature? It were a thing impossible for you to love that which is holy, without a corresponding principle of holiness in yourself. Speaking of the enmity of the ungodly against His people, our Lord employs this language; "If you were of the world, the world would love his own; but because you are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hates you." Now, if there is the opposite feeling to this glowing in your hearts, be sure that, as the hatred of the world to the saints proves that it loves only its own, so your love to the saints places the fact of your union with them beyond all doubt. Try your heart, beloved, by this test. Do you not love the people of God, because they are His people? Is not Christ's image in those who upon which you so delight to gaze, and gazing upon which, often enkindles your soul with love to Christ Himself? Do you not love to cull the choicest flowers of grace in the Lord's garden—growing in what bed they may—as those in whom your soul has the greatest delight—their different tints, their varied beauties and odors, rather increasing, than diminishing, the pleasure which they afford you? Then, let every Christian professor test his religion by this grace. Let him who has been used to retire within his own narrow enclosure ask himself the question, "If I love not my brother whom I have seen, how can I love God whom I have not seen?" Henry Mahan - Love to God and Others If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen? 1 John 4:20 John is saying here that all who truly love the living God also love those who are in the image of God, and that which is identified with God here and now on the earth. How foolish it would then be to claim to love God while holding in contempt those things which are God’s —the very people he has made for himself and by whom he is pleased to reveal and glorify himself. You have never seen God and this leaves you free to imagine whatever you will about God. This allows you to form and make a character which pleases you and then call it “god.” "Thou thoughtest I was altogether such an one as thyself," said the Lord in Psalm 50:21. But the living God is revealed in his own dear Son who walked on this earth. He is revealed in his Word, his providence, his creation, and yes, in his church! The people of God (frail and weak though they may be) are a part of God himself. He loves them, redeems them, indwells them, and uses them to accomplish his purpose and glory. So to not love them and to refuse to be identified with them in their fellowship and worship is to declare loud and clear that we really do not know and love God. "He that despiseth, despiseth not man, but God, who hath also given unto us his Holy Spirit." (I Thess. 4:8). Therefore, the religious recluse who can find no one who agrees with him, no one who pleases him, no one and nothing to enjoy, and no fellowship in which to delight, is not really in love with God at all - he’s just in love with himself. He is settled in self-righteousness and in under a false concept of God. That which he sees and hates is that which God made. That church which he shuns is God's church. That providence in which he finds no delight is God's providence by which God works his divine will. Christ said, "In as much as ye did it not unto the least of these my brethren, ye did it not unto me” (Mt. 25:45). Christ and his church are one! John is simply telling us, in no uncertain terms, that it is impossible to love one and not love the other. Warren

1 João 4:20

Wuest - If anyone says: I am constantly loving God, and his brother is as constantly hating, he is a liar. For the one who is not constantly loving his brother whom he has seen with discernment and at present has within the range of his vision, God whom he has not seen with discernment and at present does not have within the range of his vision, he is not able to be loving. (Eerdmans Publishing - used by permission) Someone: 1Jn 2:4 3:17 not seen: 1Jn 4:12 1 John 4 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries Related Passages: 1 John 2:4+ The one who says, “I have come to know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar (pseustes), and the truth is not in him; 1 John 2:22+ Who is the liar (pseustes) but the one who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, the one who denies the Father and the Son. Hebrews 12:14+ Pursue (present imperative see our need to depend on the Holy Spirit to obey) peace with all men (CF TO LOVING YOUR BROTHER), and the sanctification without which no one will see the Lord. (THAT IS, THEY ARE NOT BELIEVERS - THEY PURSUE PEACE BECAUSE THEY ARE SAVED, AND ENABLED BY THE SPIRIT TO PURSUE PEACE, THEIR PURSUIT OF PEACE IS NOT TO MERIT OR EARN SALVATION). A PROFESSION PROVEN TO BE A PREVARICATION! A prevarication is a statement that deviates from or perverts the truth. If you don't love your visible brother, then you can't be loving the invisible God. -- John Piper If someone says (cf the other six false statements = 1Jn 1:6, 8, 10; 2:4, 6, 9), "I love (agapao - present tense) God," and hates (miseo - present tense - continually, habitually, as his lifestyle) his brother (adelphos), he is (present tense) a liar (pseustes); for (gar) the one who does not love (agapao - present tense) his brother (adelphos) whom he has seen, cannot (ou - absolutely + dunamai - can, able = cannot) love (agapao - present tense) God Whom he has not seen - John again introduces someone who continually professes love of God but continually fails to practice that love to others. Beloved, John is not speaking of falling out of fellowship with God, but of failing to ever enter into fellowship with God. Clearly, John is giving another test of the authenticity of one's faith and salvation and in this case, the individual is deemed a liar (pseustes) and fails to pass the test and remains in danger of eternal separation from God. Bob Utley on if someone says - This is a THIRD CLASS CONDITIONAL SENTENCE which meant potential action. This is another example of John quoting the statements of the false teachers in order to make a point (cf. 1Jn 1:6, 8, 10; 2:4, 6). This literary technique is called diatribe John

1 João 4:21

Wuest says agape "speaks of a love which is awakened by a sense of value in an object which causes one to prize it. It springs from an apprehension of the preciousness of an object. It is a love of esteem and approbation. The quality of this love is determined by the character of the one who loves, and that of the object loved." (Eerdmans Publishing - used by permission) While this quality of love is not devoid of feeling, it does not depend upon feeling. We don't always feel like showing this love, but as John writes we are commanded to do so. AGAPAO USES BY JOHN - Jn. 3:16; Jn. 3:19; Jn. 3:35; Jn. 8:42; Jn. 10:17; Jn. 11:5; Jn. 12:43; Jn. 13:1; Jn. 13:23; Jn. 13:34; Jn. 14:15; Jn. 14:21; Jn. 14:23; Jn. 14:24; Jn. 14:28; Jn. 14:31; Jn. 15:9; Jn. 15:12; Jn. 15:17; Jn. 17:23; Jn. 17:24; Jn. 17:26; Jn. 19:26; Jn. 21:7; Jn. 21:15; Jn. 21:16; Jn. 21:20; 1 Jn. 2:10; 1 Jn. 2:15; 1 Jn. 3:10; 1 Jn. 3:11; 1 Jn. 3:14; 1 Jn. 3:18; 1 Jn. 3:23; 1 Jn. 4:7; 1 Jn. 4:8; 1 Jn. 4:10; 1 Jn. 4:11; 1 Jn. 4:12; 1 Jn. 4:19; 1 Jn. 4:20; 1 Jn. 4:21; 1 Jn. 5:1; 1 Jn. 5:2; 2 Jn. 1:1; 2 Jn. 1:5; 3 Jn. 1:1; Jude 1:1; Rev. 1:5; Rev. 3:9; Rev. 12:11; Rev. 20:9 A Multiplied Love When a woman in Karen’s church was diagnosed with ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease), things looked bad. This cruel disease affects nerves and muscles, eventually leading to paralysis. The family’s insurance wouldn’t cover home care, and the stricken woman’s husband couldn’t bear the thought of putting her in a nursing home. As a nurse, Karen had the expertise to help and began going to the woman’s home to care for her. But she soon realized she couldn’t take care of her own family while meeting the needs of her friend, so she started teaching others in the church to help. As the disease ran its course over the next seven years, Karen trained thirty-one additional volunteers who surrounded that family with love, prayer, and practical assistance. Ask God to show you how He wants you to use your gifts for His kingdom. “Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister,” said John the disciple (1 John 4:21). Karen gives us a shining example of that kind of love. She had the skills, compassion, and vision to rally a church family around a hurting friend. Her love for one person in need became a multiplied love lived out by many. How might God use your talents and abilities to serve others in need? Ask God to show you how He wants you to use your gifts for His kingdom. To learn more, read God Is Love at discoveryseries.org/q0612. Love your neighbor as yourself. —Jesus INSIGHT: In the gospel of John, Jesus told His disciples that love would be the identifying mark of His followers: “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another” (13:35). He also told them: “If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love” (15:10). The connection between these two verses is as simple as it is wonderful: Loving Jesus means keeping His commands, and His command is to love. In fact, John says we cannot do one if we do not do the other. They cannot be separated—we cannot love God in one way and fellow believers in another way. Rather, “Whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen” (1 John 4:20). Charles Stanley - A LOYAL FRIEND He who loves God must love his brother also. 1 JOHN 4:21 The way you feel toward another person is not an automatic consequence of what that person did—it is a matter of what you have allowed yourself to feel.… The truth is we all are different human beings with differing perspectives, ideals, and ideas about our world, but those differences should not cause brokenness among us. We should be able to live in peace with each other. One valuable trait that will enable people of differing values to have satisfactory friendships with each other is if they have loyalty toward each other. Loyalty allows us to disagree on certain things and yet be committed to our friendship and a long-term association. The Proof of Love 1 John 4:7–21 Think about this for a moment: How do you know God loves you? As you give this question some thought, here is a short story that will add some color to your imagination. Many years ago a man found himself hiking in a mountain wilderness. Far from civilization, he was lost and he knew it. What began as a miscalculation back at the home base station had grown into a dangerous adventure. As he hiked back in a direction that looked correct, he noticed over his shoulder smoke billowing from the forest. “Wildfire!” The hiker quickened his pace as he began to worry about the oncoming fire. What would he do? He was lost and the fire would eventually consume him. After an hour had gone by, he came to the edge of a great divide. Below him was a deep ravine. On the other side was safety. But getting across was impossible. As he walked further down the edge of the ravine, he noticed that a great tree had fallen and bridged the two sides. This was his way to escape certain death: to walk across the tree and reach the other side. In the same sense, we were saved from destruction by God’s love for us. Now, we see others lost and the eternal fires of hell coming ever closer to consume them. God had mercy on you as He placed a great tree—the cross of Christ—over the great divide between man’s sin and God’s holiness. In love, we, too, must show others the way to be saved. Each one must be led to the cross. Loving others proves that you have accepted God’s love—the provision of His Son who died for your sins. And there is no greater way to show your love for others than to show them the way of escape—the way of the cross. Focusing on People LOVE 1 John 4:7–21 Jesus Christ did not come into the world to save an institution—He came to save people. Walter B. Knight stresses this point with this thought-provoking story. A budding high-school orator delivered Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address. Calmly he began, “Fourscore and seven years ago.” He glowed with fervency when he came to the climactic words “… that government of the people, by the people, and for the people shall not perish from the earth!” The audience applauded … An old man hobbled slowly through the crowd and said to the young orator, “You did a grand job, son! You will be interested to know that I was present at Gettysburg when Lincoln delivered that memorable speech.… But, son, you didn’t say it just like Lincoln did. “You said, ‘Government of the people, by the people, and for the people.’ When Lincoln spoke these words … he said, ‘Government of the people, by the people, and for the people.’ Your emphasis is on [the] prepositions [not on the people]!”49 As believers, we too must remember not to focus upon things, places, or organizations but upon people. God commands it! THEY aren't flashy. They aren't showy. But they are living proof that "he who loves God must love his brother also" (1 John 4:21). The couple I have in mind have taken in teenage girls who could no longer live at home. They have helped pay tuition for students who couldn't afford it. They work tirelessly and humbly in music and children's activities. They give and give to others and never ask for anything in return. They have their own set of problems just like everyone else, but they never use them as excuses to stop loving other people. This kind of lifestyle should characterize everyone who claims to know and love God. The apostle John said, "He who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen?" (v. 20). But do we show love to others as we should? Lord, I think I have things reversed. It is easy for me to say "I love You" because You are not physically present to make demands on my time, energy, and resources. Yet You say I cannot love You if I do not love those who DO make demands of me. Help me to prove my love for You by doing loving things for others. Porcupine People - Deep in a Wyoming canyon I came across the biggest porcupine I’ve ever seen. As he lumbered toward me, I watched him closely and gave him plenty of room. I was not about to get near a guy whose quills looked like missiles. No wonder he was alone! But he’s not alone all the time. Every November and December, porcupines get close enough to produce offspring. During that time they choose to relax their quills, then they return to their prickly selves. In nearly every church, there will be a porcupine or two, with sharp quills of criticism or sarcasm or arrogance. We want to avoid them, but God places us in communities of believers for fellowship. He commands us to love one another—including the porcupine types. And in our honest moments, we have to admit that we have quills too. John wrote, “He who loves God must love his brother also” (1John 4:21). To do this, we need to ask God to help us “relax our quills,” even when other people are prickly. The Holy Spirit will help us stop being so defensive or critical or controlling, and enable us to love our Christian brothers and sisters. It’s the way we show the world that we love God (John 13:35). By David C. Egner Some people can be difficult to love And so we do not even try to care, But God says, "Love them just as I've loved you— You'll bring Me glory as My love you share." God loves you and me- Let's love each other. The Measure Of Love - While visiting a Christian’s home, I saw these words displayed on a wall plaque: “You love Jesus only as much as you love the person you love the least.” I squirmed at those revealing words. Later I found similar words in 1 John 4:20+, “He who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen?” After that I often caught myself criticizing others while overlooking my own glaring faults. If I loved Jesus only as much as I loved the people I criticized, then I loved Jesus very little. This grieved and frustrated me, as I seemed unable to love Jesus and others as I should. In 1 John 4:10+, we learn that the key to knowing love isn’t found in our love for God, but rather in His love for us. He showed the depth of His love in Jesus’ sacrificial death for our sins. That’s our example. “If God so loved us, we also ought to love one another” (1Jn 4:11+). Now when I fail to love others, I seek God’s forgiveness. I ask Him to help me show to others the kind of love He showed to me. Do you long to love Jesus more? Start with loving the people around you. Remember, love for Jesus and love for others always go together. — By Joanie Yoder Unfailing is God's matchless love, So kind, so pure, so true; And those who draw upon that love Show Christ in all they do. —D. De Haan Love is God's will in action. 1 John 4:20 Commentary <> 1 John 5:1 Commentary

1 João 4:21

Wuest - And this commandment we have from Him; the one who is constantly loving God, should constantly be loving also his brother. (Eerdmans Publishing - used by permission) 1Jn 4:11 3:11,14,18,23 Lev 19:18 Mt 22:37-39 Mk 12:29-33 Lu 10:37 John 13:34-35 Jn 15:12 Ro 12:9,10, 13:9,10 Ga 5:6,14 1Th 4:9 1Pe 3:8 4:8 Related Passages: 1Jn 4:7-8+ Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. 8The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love. 1Jn 4:10-12+ In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son [to be] the propitiation for our sins. 11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 12 No one has beheld God at any time; if we love one another, God abides in us, and His love is perfected in us. 1Jn 4:19-21+ We love, because He first loved us. 20 If someone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for the one who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen. 21 And this commandment we have from Him, that the one who loves God should love his brother also. John 13:34-35+ “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as (HERE IS THE "QUALIFIER" - JESUS CALLS FOR LOVE LIKE HE LOVED!) I have loved you, that you also love one another. 35 “By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” John 15:12+ “This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you. Mark 12:30-31+ AND YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND, AND WITH ALL YOUR STRENGTH.’ 31 “The second is this, ‘YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” Galatians 5:14+ For the whole Law is fulfilled in one word, in the statement, “YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.” COMMANDMENT TO LOVE REITERATED And this commandment (entole) we (apostles and all believers) have from Him, that (hina) the one who loves (agapao - present tense) God should love (agapao - present tense) his brother (adelphos) also - The commandment (entole) is from Jesus (Jn 13:34-35+, Jn 15:12+). The conjunction that (hina) may introduce the intent or purpose of the commandment. (but see Harris) The principle is straightforward. Love of God is validated by love of our brethren and this love is not a nice suggestion but a serious commandment. And remember that God's commandment always comes "prepackaged" so to speak with His enablement. He never asks us to do anything that He does not empower us to do. He is commanding supernatural agape love which is only possible by reliance on the Holy Spirit Who He has given each believer. W Hall Harris interprets the hina clause differently than in the previous comment - The hina-clause in 1 John 4:21 could be giving the purpose or the result of the commandment mentioned in the first half of the verse, but if it does, the author nowhere specifies what the commandment consists of. It makes better sense to understand this hina-clause as epexegetical (explanatory) to the pronoun ταύτην (tautēn, “this”) at the beginning of 4:21554 and thus explaining what the commandment consists of: “that the one who loves God should love his fellow Christian too.” The fact that God commands us to love shows that it is not always effortless or easy. Steven