1 John

Thursday, 28 May 2020

Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves Him who begot also loves him who is begotten of Him. 1 John 5:1

“Whoever believes.” John has used the word translated as “believe” rather sparingly in the first four chapters of this letter, but he uses it seven times in this chapter. He is coming to the end of the letter and is culminating his thoughts with an amazing amount of information for the believer to process. In this chapter are several very difficult verses to grasp and there is even a verse which is highly disputed as to whether it even belongs in the Bible. Let us not lose sight of the importance of what John is saying over such differences thought.

In verse 4:7, John said, “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God.” He now begins with, “Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God.” It is a confirmation of what has already been said, which is that the love John speaks of here is not a condition for salvation, but is a product of being saved. If one believes that Jesus is the Christ, then he has accepted the premise that Jesus came in the flesh and also came of God. He lived in that state, He was crucified and buried, and He rose again – proving that He is fully God.

In believing that, the love which is of God becomes a part of his very nature. In having this new aspect, John says, “and everyone who loves Him who begot also loves him who is begotten of Him.”

The words, “Him who begot,” refer to God. In coming to God through Christ, we now love God – understanding what He has done for us in Christ. This is the idea of what John was referring to in 1 John 4:20 when he wrote concerning claiming to love God but hating one’s brother. Such a person has not loved God, and he is a liar, because he has not come to God through Christ. The hatred is evidence of this. Hence, when one loves God (who begot), they also love “him who is begotten of Him.”

Cambridge lays out the overall thought process here –

Every child of God loves its Father.
… Every believer in the Incarnation loves God.
Every believer in the Incarnation loves God.
Everyone who loves God loves the children of God.
… Every believer in the Incarnation loves the children of God.

Christ is the only begotten of God in the sense of transmission of divine life – From Father to Son. However, believers in Christ are begotten of God through the Spirit (see 1 Peter 1:3). As we are all “begotten” of God in this sense, then we will possess the love which is of God for those who are begotten of Him. Again, this is not the love that we think of in normal human relations, but of the love which is of God, and which marks us as believers. It is a unifying love which will be fully realized in us when we are also perfected. But it is what marks us out at this time, just as the sealing of the Spirit (Ephesians 1:13, 14) does.

Life application: John says that faith in the fact that Jesus is the Christ is an essential truth to being “born of God.” Being the “Christ” means that Jesus is the fulfillment of the Old Testament prophecies that state this One is both human and deity. One cannot claim a belief in Jesus Christ and disregard that He came in the flesh and dwelt among us. However, if one can mentally acknowledge this and then avow its truth, then he is born of God. Once this is realized in the believer’s life, a change takes place which is identifiable as the work of God.

It is God who “begot” us because of our faith. In turn we love Him for this action. We become a member of the family of God and there is harmony and peace between us and Him. However, there is more to identify us as children of God. Just as we love Him who begot us, we also are to love other believers who are begotten of Him. In other words, and is stated several times already in his letter, John tells us that our love for other believers is an identifying mark of our conversion.

Therefore, we need to strive as if it is as important to us as it is to God – to be faithful in loving our family of believers. How can we be a part of a family we don’t love? Just as we are excluded from fellowship with our earthly family when we don’t love them, we are likewise excluded from our heavenly family when we act in hatred toward them. Let us make every effort to display the love which is of God, even as we walk in these fallen bodies, awaiting the time when what we now possess can be fully expressed.

Heavenly Father, Your word – time and again – reveals to us our failings as members of Your family. We have not been as loving towards our fellow believers as we should be. Certainly, this causes a wall between us, and we know this must be corrected. Help us to change so that we can be pleasing members of Your household at all times. Amen.

Wednesday, 27 May 2020

And this commandment we have from Him: that he who loves God must love his brother also. 1 John 4:21

John has just expressed the idea that when someone says, “I love God,” and yet he hates his brother, there is no truth in that person; he is a liar. In coming to Christ, we are brought into the state where our love is perfected. We can see what true love is because we have seen what Christ was willing to do in order to save us. He loved us when we did not love Him. In expressing the love of God in this way, He then relayed that those who follow Him must act accordingly. And so, John says, “And this commandment we have from Him.”

A commandment has been given. As this is so, it is our obligation to do what He has commanded. Christ is the Lord, He is the Head of the church, and He is the executor of the New Covenant in His blood. It is this act which reveals the length God was willing to go through to express His love to us. Therefore, John next restates the command he has heard. It is “that he who loves God must love his brother also.”

As already seen, the command was given in John 13. But the surrounding verses will help clarify the full intent of what Jesus commands –

“Now the Son of Man is glorified, and God is glorified in Him. ³² If God is glorified in Him, God will also glorify Him in Himself, and glorify Him immediately. ³³ Little children, I shall be with you a little while longer. You will seek Me; and as I said to the Jews, ‘Where I am going, you cannot come,’ so now I say to you. ³⁴ A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. ³⁵ By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” John 13:31-35

Jesus not only gave the commandment, but He did so in relation to His going away. In His absence, it is the responsibility of the believer to act as He did. The reason for this becomes obvious. In expressing His love, those who saw it could then understand His nature. Those who follow Him, in expressing that same state, will then continue to reveal His nature. In loving one’s brother, we are indirectly reflecting Him and loving Him at the same time.

This is why at Paul’s vision of Christ, Jesus said, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?” Paul was persecuting Christ’s followers. Thus, he was indirectly persecuting Christ. Logically, in demonstrating love to the brethren, we are then loving in Christ’s stead, and we are loving Christ as well. To not do so shows a defect in our love. But John has already been shown that “love has been perfected in us” (1 John 4:12).

Therefore, the commandment is set forth to remind us of our state, and to continue to live in that state at all times. The definition of love, given by Paul in 1 Corinthians 13, shows us how to be loving, and how to know if we are complying with the commandment which has been given.

Life application: The Old Covenant relayed a similar truth to what the commandment of the New Covenant relays –

And behold, a certain lawyer stood up and tested Him, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?”
²⁶ He said to him, “What is written in the law? What is your reading of it?”
²⁷ So he answered and said, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind,’ and ‘your neighbor as yourself.’” Luke 10:25-27

Jesus says in Matthew 22:40 that on these hang all the Law and the Prophets. If all of the Law and the Prophets hang on these two things, and if in Christ, then we have inherited eternal life, then our love has been perfected because of our being in Christ. Therefore, we can claim we love God, and we understand that love is more than emotion. It is a state which says, “Without Christ, this person stands condemned. It is my obligation to love him, even as Christ loves him, so that he can enter into God’s love as well.”

For those in Christ, it says, “This person is in Christ. He is a member of Christ, and therefore it is my obligation to love him, just as I love Christ.”

Therefore, we are to act upon the love that has been perfected in us, demonstrating that it is a part of who we are.

Heavenly Father, You loved us before we loved You. There was a divide between us that could not be crossed by us, and so You sent Christ to make the bridge possible once again. Help us to act in a like manner toward those who have yet to find out the truth of what You have done, loving them in the same manner in which You first loved us. It is a hard path for us in these fallen lives of ours, but through Christ we can do it. May it be so, and may it be to Your glory. Amen.

Tuesday, 26 May 2020

If someone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen? 1 John 4:20

John now builds upon his previous words, which said, “We love Him because He first loved us.” It is a statement of fact based on our position as believers. Therefore, what he now says must be taken from that perspective, and it must be thought through with care. The premise is that of unconditional love. God loved us at a point in time when we were His enemies. The fact that Christ came to redeem us means that we needed to be redeemed. No person is redeemed apart from Christ. Therefore, the love John writes of is an unconditional love.

Now he begins with, “If someone says, ‘I love God.’” He has already said that we love God. This is because we understand that God has loved us, and He has done for us what was, therefore, a true act of love. As believers who have realized this, the proposition he now sets forth cannot be speaking of believers. The fact that we love God has been settled. Therefore, he is referring to someone who has not been perfected in love; he is not a believer. If this person says, “I love God,” and yet he “hates his brother, he is a liar.”

The two are mutually exclusive, and John will explain why this is so in a moment. But are there believers who do not love their brothers or their fellow man? The answer is pretty much unanimously, “Yes.” We have warring feelings that come over us, we have disagreements, and because of these things, real animosity arises in us. Does this mean that we are liars about loving God? No, as noted, that proposition has already been settled.

Therefore, this is not (it cannot be) speaking on the same level as the human-based emotional love that we feel. Rather, it is the understanding that those people around us are people that Christ died for too. Even in their possibly completely depraved state, we were in the same condition as they were – enemies of God and destined for condemnation. Our love for those people is to be displayed in an earnest desire for them to glorify God, be saved through Christ, and not be cast into hell. To desire for them to go to hell, while we – who were in the same position as they were – is contrary to understanding our position in Christ.

How much more for those who are not saved. They claim they love God, but they hate others who are in the same fallen state that they are in. They cannot love God, because they do not understand what God has done for them in Christ. If they did, they would come to God through Christ and be saved. They would also desire for those who are in the same position as they are to also be saved.

This is then supported by John’s next words. He says, “for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen?” The proposition is obvious on the surface. He cannot. A person who sees his brother in a fallen, unsaved state, and who hates that person, is only demonstrating that he hates himself as well. They are in the same state.

John is writing about the perfected love of God. It is the love that has come to the understanding of what God has done, and thus who God is – God is love.

If God is love, it means that God loves – unconditionally. Those who have not understood this love remain in darkness, and they cannot love God. Hating their brother, who they can see, reveals that they do not love whom they cannot see. The unseen God is the perfecter of love. In not having accepted His love in Christ, their love has not been perfected.

Life application: What we see today is a more aggressive repetition of a lesson John has already stated in 1 John 3:17 –

“But whoever has this world’s goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him?”

As John has built his logical case for truth and sound doctrine, he has inserted obvious questions for us to consider. Today’s question is painfully blunt and demands an answer that is rather unpleasant when the mirror is on us. Too many people hold up their hands and say, “Yes, count me with the ‘God’ family…I really love Him!”

However, after their proclamation, they show complete disregard and even contempt (hates his brother) for the brethren. John says that we don’t need to wonder about this person’s motivations or sincerity concerning God – he is a liar. There is no love of God in him.

When we as humans have contempt for our brother who we can see, how can we have love for God whom we can’t see? Contempt for our brother and love of God are mutually exclusive. As you evaluate yourself and others, ensure you use the biblical model. If your evaluation is based on doctrine, truth, and love, you will be able to identify the truth of the person. As Jesus said to His disciples –

“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. ³⁵ By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” John 13:34, 35

This commandment will be the subject of John’s next words.

O God, we have complete faith in You and in Your word. We know that Your promises are true even though we have never seen You. But we honestly struggle with loving our brethren. Give us the ability and wisdom to handle difficulties concerning them in a way which demonstrates our love for You. In Jesus’ name we pray! Amen.

Monday, 25 May 2020

We love Him because He first loved us. 1 John 4:19

Note: In case your Bible translates this differently and leaves off “Him,” it is because some ancient manuscripts don’t include that word. In this case, it would read “We love, because He first loved us.” This is not a point which affects doctrine, but it is good to note the variation. Understanding this, John says in this translation, “We love Him.”

The verb is present tense, indicative mood – we are loving him, and it is a certainty. However, in the coming verses, John will note those that do not love God, and he will state the reason for it. Therefore, for him to make the statement now must indicate an absolute change has been effected in us that allows him to say, “We love Him.” Otherwise, it would be a conditional statement, which it is not.

Therefore, like in the earlier verses, we see that the love spoken of is a part of our nature after coming to Christ. It is a love that is acceptable to God, not simply because of a change in our love, but because of a change in us. This is then supported by the words, “because He first loved us.”

God loves His people, meaning humanity – even before we love Him. Because He is love, His love doesn’t increase or decrease. It simply is. He first loved us, and because He did, He sent Christ Jesus to save us. In our salvation, we can now love. This is obviously not the act of loving, or of being loving, but it is rather the state of love which is defined by being a believer in Christ.

The tense of the verb “loved” signifies an action that occurred. Of course, we know what that action was – the cross of Jesus Christ. We love God because He demonstrated His love for us in the Person of Jesus. This goes for those before the cross, and for those after the cross, because Revelation 13:8 says that Christ Jesus is the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.

Those before the cross anticipated the Messiah. Those since Christ’s coming look back on that event. In both, faith in what God has promised is what sets the person apart. Thus, “He first loved us” shows that it was a love that always has been – God is love. Thus, our love is a love which evokes gratitude. It is reactive, owing its source to God, who first loved us.

Life application: As amazingly incomprehensible as it is, God united with human flesh – His creation – and walked among us, demonstrated holiness and perfection among us, and then willingly endured the cross in front of us. All of this was done to signify the immense love of God. There is simply no other explanation, and anyone who would attempt to lessen the significance of the cross is worse than a demon.

Those who attempt to connect the cross with material blessing, financial gain, prosperity, status, or any other thing have a perverse streak in them which is a complete departure from the Christian faith. The cross signifies our reconciliation with God and our sins removed. Therefore, our goal and desire should be to bring honor to Him and fellowship with other believers. We are free from enmity with God and we are able to love Him intimately, just as He first demonstrated His intimate love for us.

What a story! What a Savior! What a God! He is Abba who adores us, the Father that never fails, the Papa who protects, the Daddy who delivers. Set aside time today to simply walk and talk with this wonderful Creator who loves You so very much.

Heavenly Father, at one point in each of our lives, we were in a battle against You. We had a shield up and our sword out. But instead of destroying us where we stood, You sent Your Son between the battle lines. He demonstrated Your love in such an immense way that we could no longer rebel. Accept our fallible and failing offer of love in return for the marvelous love with which You first loved us. Amen.

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.