1 John (written)

Sunday, 24 May 2020

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

John has just noted that “the love has been perfected among us.” He continues that thought now, again placing an article before “love.” In fact, there are articles throughout the verse in the Greek, demonstrating the definite nature in which John is speaking.

Young’s Literal Translation states, “Fear is not in the love, but the perfect love doth cast out the fear, because the fear hath punishment, and he who is fearing hath not been made perfect in the love.” As “fear is not in the love,” it shows that it has no state of existence in the perfected love that he just referred to, and which he will again refer to with the (from Young’s) words, “but the perfect love dost cast out the fear.”

The very state of fear is cast out when the perfect love exists. The two are mutually exclusive and cannot dwell together. Understanding that John is speaking of the perfect love of God which comes through faith in Christ, John’s words apply in that context. In other words, one cannot say that there is no fear in a general state of love.

A person may love his wife. If she gets cancer, there exists a state of fear in both the wife and in the husband. Such things are not what John is speaking of. The perfected love is the love realized in a person when he comes to God through faith in Christ. Therefore, the fear which John refers to is a fear which is found in a separation from God.

In that separation, there is fear “because fear involves torment.” The word translated as “torment,” kolasis, is found only here and in Matthew 25:46 where it refers to eternal punishment for the unrighteous. It is “torment from living in the dread of upcoming judgment from shirking one’s duty” (HELPS Word Studies). When one is not in Christ, there is fear of punishment because a person can never know with certainty if he is right with God or not.

However, in Christ, there is the absolute assurance that He died for our sins, and that we are no longer imputed sin. Because of this, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Him. As there is no condemnation, then “the fear” has been cast out. This is the state that John is referring to. For those who are perfected in “the love,” there is no fear. But, as John notes (from Young’s), “and he who is fearing hath not been made perfect in the love.”

If someone has not come to Christ, he cannot know if he will make the standard set by God. Therefore, there remains a state of fear in him because of his state of imperfection in “the love.” God’s love does not abide in him, and therefore God does not abide in him, and he does not abide in God.

One could logically argue that a person who blows himself up as an offering to the false god of the Muslims is confident of his actions and he has no fear. But that is a separate issue of following a false god. To do this means that acceptance is predicated on one’s works in order to please his god. This is not the gospel. Rather, it is a false gospel based on the supposed demands of a false god.

If he knew of the true gospel, there would be fear because he would no longer know if his self-detonation would actually get him to heaven or not. Thus, the state of fear actually exists, even if it is not realized because of a lack of knowledge. This is not God’s fault. He has made the offer, even if the person doesn’t know it. His state of condemnation remains (John 3:18).

There is also the case that many saved Christians fear death, even though they have believed in Christ. This is a normal human emotion which is also not what John is referring to. Along with death often comes other things, such as pain, loss, and so on. But this is not the fear he is speaking of. He is referring to the fear of condemnation – something that happens after death, not during the process of death.

Our fear of death is a natural part of us, given to us as a protection. Our fear of condemnation is as well. It is given to us to seek God. When one seeks God, finds Christ, and is perfected in the love, the fear of death (meaning that which results in eternal punishment) is removed.

It is illogical to believe that Christ has granted believers eternal life just to remain in a state which still fears eternal punishment. The two are mutually exclusive. Thus, the doctrine of eternal salvation is a part of trusting in Christ. If a pastor, priest, teacher, or preacher teaches that salvation can be lost, he is teaching a falsity which does not cast out the fear. As this is so, one should not pay heed to any teacher of the Bible who teaches that one can, in fact, lose his salvation. It is poor theology, bondage, and it is a doctrine which has not been perfected in love, nor has it cast out “the fear.”

Life application: What John is telling us, is that as believers, we have boldness when judgment day comes because of the love which is in us, meaning the perfected love of God. As this is so, there should be no fear (for our eternal destiny) as we wait on that coming day.

As Christians, we are expected to know the perfect love of Jesus Christ. If God sent Jesus to the cross to pay the debt we owe and to suffer the torment we deserve, then the payment has been made and the punishment has been meted out – it is over. The cross is the ultimate expression of God’s love for us because it involved the torment of Jesus in our place. This perfect demonstration of love has removed, the anxiety of condemnation from us, and where anxiety is removed all fear (of eternal punishment) should also be done away with.

For the believer who has accepted Jesus Christ, but who has not completely comprehended what this means, his full realization of God’s love is still incomplete. This is the reason why he has fear when he sins – “Oh, I hope I don’t lose my salvation;” “O, I just know God will send me to hell for what I did;” “O, how could God ever forgive me for that?” All these involve fear and demonstrate that the individual lacks the fullness of God’s love in his Christian walk.

Jesus has (past tense) forgiven you for your sins when you have called on Him. Your judgment can never lead to condemnation, only a loss of rewards. This is the love of God which casts out fear. Do you believe it? Then act like it!

Lord Jesus, we struggle with sin in our lives, and we struggle with the thought that our sin is greater than Your forgiveness. We want so desperately to understand the doctrine of eternal salvation – completely and absolutely. We know that as the light shines on us concerning this, that all of our fears will truly be cast from our minds. Thank You for being patient with us as we grow in You and in the knowledge of Your infinite grace. Amen.

Saturday, 23 May 2020

Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world. 1 John 4:17

John now begins a new verse with, “Love has been perfected among us in this:” The question is, “Is he speaking about what he just said, or about what he will say.” The two possibilities would be –

1) God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him. It is in this that love has been perfected among us.
2) Love has been perfected among us in the fact that we may have boldness in the day of judgment.

The NKJV assumes the second option and places a colon after the first clause, indicating that it is so. However, this is incorrect. First, if it were not the first option, love would be a work required for salvation. Such an error in thinking could be assumed from 1 John 3:23, which seemingly makes both belief and love a part of being right with God. This also could be inferred from 1 John 4:8.

However, as was revealed in the commentaries there and subsequently, the love spoken of there is a result of salvation. Secondly, “boldness in the day of salvation” is not a perfection of love. Rather, it is a result of it. To say otherwise is to put the cart of boldness before the horse of perfected love. But to stand boldly before God on the day of judgment without being in Christ is an emblem of arrogance and pride, not of the boldness that comes through confidence in the Redeemer’s work. The thought is reflected in the letter to the Hebrews –

“Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. ¹⁵ For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. ¹⁶ Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” Hebrews 4:14-16

Even in our weaknesses and failings, we can be confident through Christ. But to come to God without His perfections is presumptuous and worthy of condemnation.

Understanding that John was saying of those who abide in love abide in God, and God in them, he now says, “Love has been perfected among us in this.” First, there is an article before “love.” It says, “The love has been perfected among us.”

Next, the word translated as “perfected” is teleioó. It is in the perfect tense, indicating that it is done and fully accomplished. However, John’s intent here is not that of absolute perfection in love, but rather a state of complete love or full development of our love. The word signifies “to consummate, reaching the end-stage, i.e. working through the entire process (stages) to reach the final phase (conclusion)” (HELPS Word Studies).

In coming to Christ, man’s love is brought to full development. Before coming to Christ, even if we loved, God could not accept that love because it was not rightly developed. However, in understanding God’s love in Christ, and coming to Him with that understanding, our love has become fully developed. Essentially, God can say, “You have seen the highest expression of love and have accepted it as such.”

We can see that it is not saying that the absolute perfection of love is evident because John says, “that we may have boldness in the Day of Judgment.” The fact that we will face a judgment (see 1 Corinthians 3:11-15 & 2 Corinthians 5:9-11) implies completion, not perfection. If we (including our love) were perfected when we came to God through Christ, there would be no need of further judgment.

In understanding this, meaning that our love is perfected in Christ, John says that we now know “that we may have boldness in the day of judgment.” There is an article before “judgment,” indicating a set day of judgment for believers, not an ongoing judgment as if we are being judged from day to day. Rather, we are living our lives, doing things according to how we feel concerning that day of judgment (the day of THE judgment), and we will receive our rewards and losses at that time.

Despite being the day of the judgment – and as Paul notes the terror of the Lord in the two references from 1 and 2 Corinthians above – John tells us that, at least in the aspect of perfected love , we may have boldness when we come before Him. The reason this is so is “because as He is, so are we in this world.”

John’s words are in the present tense. It is reminiscent of his other words, such as in 1 John 3:7, saying, “He who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous.” John notes that what is foundational in making us like Him is found in this perfected, fully developed love. Again, it is this which makes it possible for us to abide in God and God to abide in us. The love is not a requirement for salvation, but is rather a result of it.

In now possessing this love, we can have boldness – without fear – in the knowledge that we will meet Him for judgment. The meeting is certain, but it is to be one which will be handled perfectly, and the souls of those who have come to Him will not be condemned, even if they are a bit toasty after the judgment is over.

Life application: Our love is complete, or fully developed, in that we can be certain that on the day we stand before Christ Jesus, He will look upon us in favor and not condemnation – all because of our proclamation of faith in Him. Paul explains that we are free from condemnation in the book of Romans –

“There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.” Romans 8:1

Though we have fully developed love because of our faith in Jesus, we still fall short in our daily walk and in our Christian life. The greater our deeds during this walk of faith, the greater our rewards when we face the Judgment Seat of Christ.

So, let us endeavor to live for Him as best we can. Let us contemplate the Lord throughout our days. Let us meditate on His word as we come in and as we go out. Let us praise God with every marvel our eyes behold. And let us pursue a right and holy life – to the glory of God, and for the benefit of our walk with Him.

Just as God is love, we are now included in that perfect love of God when we belong to Him. Our love is complete in the work of God through His Son, Jesus. Let us act as if it is so.

O God! What a bargain You have set before us – call on Jesus and receive eternal life! And added in with this is the complete and full love of God, promises of rewards, and freedom from any possibility of condemnation. What a supremely glorious Creator You are! All hail You Lord God Almighty! Amen.

Friday, 22 May 2020

And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him. 1 John 4:16

John now continues to explain the state of love which he has referred to already. He has shown that believers can know that they abide in God and that God abides in them. This comes from testifying to the fact that Christ is the Son of God, and thus fully God. In that, John then says, “And we have known and believed.” Both verbs are in the perfect tense, indicative mood. It shows the complete and continuing effects of what has occurred, and that this is an absolute fact.

Believers have known and believed, and they continue in this state. It is concerning “the love that God has for us.” The Greek reads “in us,” and it should be translated this way due to the words of the next sentence which speak of the love of God abiding in us.

The manifestation of the Son is what makes this love of God known. If God never sent Christ, how could we be sure of anything? But in the coming of Christ, when we were already dead in trespasses and sins, it shows how very much God loves us. John then repeats his words from verse 4:8, “God is love.”

As before, there is an article before God. It says, “The God is love.” Thus, the words cannot be transposed to say, “Love is God.” Love is merely an aspect of God, but He is more than love. Love, however, is not more than God. It is one of His characteristics that reveals His character to us. With this repeated for effect, John expands on it by saying, “and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him.”

This is similar in thought to what was just expressed in the previous verse –

15. Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God
16. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him.

Confessing Jesus is what makes this union possible. When the union occurs, the state of love, which reveals God’s character, is now also realized in the believer. Thus, to “confess that Jesus is the Son of God” is to “abide in love.” The state results from the confession.

Life application: Through the apostolic testimony, there is the ability to both know and have faith in the great display of love that God demonstrated for us. This is why John says for a second time that God is love. Because He is, and because it is His very nature, then anyone who lives in that love must also abide in Him; the two are inseparable.

And if we abide in Him, then because of the nature of the relationship, He also abides in that person. There is a bond which is intimately woven together, and which is complete and unspoiled – the bond of the perfect love, which is God.

Because we share in that perfect love, it should then be the very mark of our lives as Christians. Although we are bound by our physical bodies, we can still strive to demonstrate God’s love in our lives and in our actions. Let us determine to do so to testify to the world that God truly abides in us and that we abide in Him.

Lord Jesus, help us to be the proper and loving example of the Christian faith that You would have us to be. It is not an easy walk at times, but we truly wish to reflect Your love – the infinite love revealed in who You are. Give us that ability so that others can see You in us and desire that same love for themselves. Thank You for hearing our prayer, O God. Amen.

Thursday, 21 May 2020

Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. 1 John 4:15

John is methodically presenting what it means to be a saved believer in Christ Jesus. Following the train of thought from verse 12 shows us what is on John’s mind –

If we love one another, God abides in us and His love has been perfected in us.
It is by the Spirit that we can know that we abide in Him and He in us.
It is testified to by the apostles that the Father sent Jesus as the Savior of the world.

Love is what demonstrates our position.
The Spirit is what identifies our position.
Christ makes our position possible.
Therefore, John next says –

“Whoever confesses that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.” The Greek more precisely reads, “Who if any shall confess.” It is an aorist subjunctive verb. It is conditional, but if it happens at a certain point, then the result (which he will state in the second clause) will occur. As the Pulpit Commentary paraphrases this thought, “Whosoever has once for all taken up the position of confessing.” It is a one-time and for-all-time result based on meeting the conditions John puts forth, meaning confessing “that Jesus is the Son of God.”

In this, John again brings in the Father/Son relationship. This has been contrasted to the Devil and the Antichrist. One is either positionally under the Devil’s authority and resides in the spirit of the Antichrist, or he has moved to being in Christ and under the authority of the Father. The way one makes this move is by confessing “that Jesus is the Son of God.”

This is exactly what Paul speaks of. Paul gives the gospel in 1 Corinthians 15:3, 4 –

“For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, ⁴ and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures.”

Paul then shows how this is appropriated in Romans 10:9, 10 –

“…that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. ¹⁰ For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.”

Paul then shows what the effects of this process is in Ephesians 1:13, 14 –

“In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, ¹⁴ who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory.”

Belief + confession = salvation (note; confession is not a work. Refer to Romans commentary). Salvation is then confirmed through the sealing of the Spirit. It is the same message proclaimed by both apostles.

When this process is followed by a person – believing, confessing, and being saved, John says, “God abides in him, and he in God.” The verb is present indicative. Abiding is the result and it is a certain thing. One no longer needs to wonder if God abides in Him or not. If he has believed and confessed concerning Jesus – meaning that He is God come in the flesh – the indwelling has taken place.

As previously stated, the key of the entire process is “what Jesus.” There are those who claim Jesus as their Savior, but they do not believe He is God incarnate. That is a false Jesus and thus they have believed a false gospel. God entered the stream of humanity, uniting with flesh in the Person of Jesus. This is proven in the resurrection, and that is why Paul includes that point in the gospel (above) of 1 Corinthians 15. One must accept the work of God in Christ, as presented, in order to move from the Devil to God. It is that simple.

Life application: In the previous verse it was seen that Jesus is “the Savior of the world.” Yes, this is true, and He is the One that can bring salvation; no other name will do. But this in no way implies universalism. Jesus is not the Savior to everyone in the world, despite being the Savior of the entire world. There is a requirement for this salvation to be realized. This requirement is consistently stated in the Bible – faith in Jesus.

Confessing that Jesus is the Son of God is the vehicle of salvation, but faith is the gas which makes it run. In other words, anyone can say, “Jesus is the Son of God,” but not really mean it. Tied into this confession is the sincere belief that it is true. Also tied into it is what is implied in the confession. “Son of God” means exactly that, Son of God.

If God is God and God has a Son, then the Son of God carries the very nature of His Father – He is fully God. Likewise, man is man. If Jesus was born into humanity, then the Son of Man carries the very nature of humanity – He is fully Man. The confession that Jesus is the Son of God is a confession about the very nature of the Person, and it is a confession based on faith. This isn’t complicated, but it is so enormously twisted by cults – Gnostics, Arians, Mormons, etc. that the concept no longer carries the same meaning intended by the Holy Spirit who authored Scripture.

This shouldn’t be difficult for us to grasp, but it carries eternal consequences. If you are struggling with Jesus’ nature, pray to the Lord and ask Him to clear this up in your thinking. God has given you all the necessary information, and He wants you to process it properly. When you do, God abides in you and you in God.

Lord Jesus, we confess that You are the Son of God – born of God and bearing the very nature of Your Father. You came in human flesh to give us restoration so that we can now call on Him as our Father! Thank You for this glorious work, and may Your name be praised for all eternity! Amen.

Wednesday, 20 May 2020

And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son as Savior of the world. 1 John 4:14

John again highlights the Father/Son relationship concerning Christ Jesus. This is quite purposeful. He has just said that we know that we abide in God and that He abides in us. He then gave the reason for this by saying, “because He has given us of His Spirit.” He now ties that fact into the idea of the Father/Son relationship. This will become fully evident after the next verse now, but to set that thought up, he provides the words of this verse, beginning with, “And we have seen.”

He is speaking of those who personally beheld Christ, and probably more specifically of the apostles of Christ. The idea of his words is that they not only “have seen,” but they intently observed what they saw, which is what the Greek word signifies. It was as if they were spectators in a theater, which is where the word theaomai (have seen) is derived from. It is the root of the word theatron which is the basis for our modern word “theater.”

These men had seen and observed carefully and therefore they can “testify that the Father has sent the Son.” They are qualified to bear witness of Christ, and therefore their testimony is both acceptable and reliable. The Greek verb translated as “has sent” is in the perfect tense, indicative mood. The sending of Christ is accomplished, and it is a certain fact. It is this sending of the Son by the Father which makes the giving of the Spirit possible, and it is the giving of the Spirit which makes a knowledge of our abiding in God, and His abiding in us, possible. This is because God sent Jesus Christ “as the Savior of the World.”

The same word, translated as “Savior,” is found elsewhere in John’s writings in John 4:42 when Jesus spoke with the people of Samaria –

“Then they said to the woman, ‘Now we believe, not because of what you said, for we ourselves have heard Him and we know that this is indeed the Christ, the Savior of the world.’”

However, the same word is used by Luke, in Acts, and by Paul, Peter, and Jude when referring to Christ Jesus and/or to God. The Father sent the Son in order to save the world, and the condition which must be met for this to occur is to be relayed to us by John in the coming verse. What John will say (and which is in accord with what he has already said) is not at all contradictory to the words of Paul concerning the gospel. Rather, they bolster what Paul says, forming a full picture of what the gospel signifies.

Life application: In reviewing John’s words, it is good to revisit 1 John 1:1, 2 –

“That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of life— ² the life was manifested, and we have seen, and bear witness, and declare to you that eternal life which was with the Father and was manifested to us.”

Just as he did at the beginning of the letter, and elsewhere in his writings, John testifies that he has seen the physical manifestation of Jesus Christ. During chapter 4, John has been speaking of error in those who claim falsities about God, the Spirit, and related doctrine. Then just a couple verses ago, he says that “no one has seen God.” He is quite clear that people who claim to have seen God in visions are false teachers and liars. But what God has done is to reveal Himself in the person of Jesus Christ, His Son.

The word of Jesus is the work of God in the physical world we live in. And this work is as glorious as it possibly could be! It is the work of salvation through the “Savior of the world.” Jesus is the one who saves us from the work of the devil and from the fallen state we are in. Should you be suffering in pains, trials, financial troubles, family troubles, or in any other way, remember that these things are temporary.

The world and its system are passing away. Jesus will herald in a new order of things which will completely remove all of these woes, replacing them with eternal and complete joy. John testifies to what the whole Bible proclaims – that God loves us and has a great plan and purpose for us if we will only allow Him to fulfill it in our lives. He won’t override our free-will choices, so it is up to us to bend the knee and submit to the work He has accomplished for us. What a great, tender, and loving God!

The work is done, and the choice is ours! Call on Jesus and anticipate a glorious eternity in His marvelous light.

Marvelous indeed is the Lord Jesus! O God, thank You for Your wonderful plan and purpose for our lives. And this is not because we somehow merit Your favor, but because of Your infinite love and mercy. And so, we accept both willingly. May our eyes never stray from the Prize, which is Jesus our Lord! Amen.