Daily Writing

Sunday, 17 May 2020

Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 1 John 4:11

John began verse 4:7 with the words, “Beloved, let us love one another.” Since then, he has been building his case as to why this should be. Now, he completes that thought with the same words, plus a few concluding explanatory words. He, again, says, “Beloved.” The apostle demonstrates the very thing he appeals to by stating this. From there, he next says, “if God so loved us.”

This is the conclusion to be drawn from verses 4:7-10, but in particular the words, “that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.” God was willing to do this, even when we did not love Him. How much more then should we be willing to love those who are in our own family of the faith!

In this, the word “so” here is in the emphatic position. A direct translation would say, “Beloved, if SO God loved us…” This can be referring to either the manner of God’s love, meaning the type of love He displayed, or it could be referring to the extent of God’s love, meaning the lengths He was willing to go to. Both, however, merge into one thought when the cross is considered. It was a sacrificial type of love, and it was the ultimate extent that could have been demonstrated. As this is so, John concludes with that same basic thought as is found in the words of verse 4:7, saying, “we also ought to love one another.”

God in His glory was willing to step down to our lowly level. God in His holiness was willing to interact with those who are unholy. God in His infinite being was willing to unite with His finite creation in order to redeem us. God who feels no pain was willing to allow the earthly body He united with to feel pain, suffering, and death. Such things, and all other such things, are given to us to learn from. They are examples for us to emulate, and they are the basis for the commandment to love one another.

As the Creator, Jesus Christ had the right to speak the words of commandment. As the Redeemer, He then has demonstrated exactly why it is so and the lengths to which we are to go in order to fulfill that commandment –

“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

Life application: Earlier in this chapter John was speaking of false teachers and the spirit of the Antichrist. In verse 7 though, he changed his direction to speaking of love. But the two ideas he’s built upon are not disconnected. If we go back and look at the entire chapter thus far and then evaluate this verse also in context, we can see where John has made love out to be a moral obligation.

He says “if,” but the term here is assuming the truth of the coming statement – “If God so loved us.” Right in the middle of this assumption of truth is the word “so.” This two-letter word is calling to remembrance the great and exalted actions of verses 9 and 10.

If this is so (and John confirms it is), “then we also ought to love one another.” So, think it through clearly. When John uses the term “ought,” he is placing on each of us a moral obligation – because God/so ought we. Now that we can see that, we can complete the picture by comparing the false teachers of verses 1-6.

John’s contrast is against them and whatever perverse teaching they employed that held to no moral absolute. They had teaching without heart; doctrine with no purity; and instruction without morality. Be attentive to such teachers, reject them, and instead hold to the strict and pure gospel of Jesus – the gospel which builds love upon love and which exalts the work of Jesus Christ.

Heavenly Father, just as You sent Jesus to reconcile us to You, so also give us a change of heart so that we may be reconciled to those with whom we are at enmity. May You be glorified as we act in a manner that brings about complete harmony between each of us and those around us. May it be so, as we pray this in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Saturday, 16 May 2020

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. 1 John 4:10

In verse 4:7, John implored his reader to love one another. In 4:8, he noted that God is love. In 4:9, he then said that the love of God was manifested toward us in the sending of His Son. With that train of thought in mind, John now says, “In this is love.” In the Greek, the word love is preceded by an article, “the love.” This indicates the very nature of God. His love simply is – it doesn’t increase or decrease, but it is constant, complete, and perfect.

John will now define what this love of God is. Yes, it was manifest toward us in the sending of Jesus, but what does that really signify? Understanding this, he says, “not that we loved God.”

It may be true that we love God, but that is not the highest and most perfect manifestation of love. Even if we love God, it is not an all-encompassing love. We get busy with life and forget the other things going on around us. We forget the time. And, we forget that God is even there. Our love toward God, if it even exists, is a directed thought which is not always being displayed or even considered. However, such is not the case with God.

John has already noted that God is love. There is no increase or decrease in His love. It is – always. Further, it is unconditional. That is seen first in the words, “but that He loved us.” Think of the vilest person you know of that is alive today – maybe a politician. What if that person becomes a Christian tomorrow? What would that mean to you? Probably relief that he finally came to his senses. Now, you can finally start to like him.

But God already loved that person. There is no time He didn’t love him, and His love for him did not increase after he received Jesus. As John says, “and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.” Nothing changed from yesterday to today from God’s perspective – only from ours. God sent Christ Jesus before anyone received Christ Jesus. Therefore, He loved you before you came to Him. He loved Paul of Tarsus before he came to the Lord. And, he loved Vile Vince the politician before he changed his ways.

Our love is an after-the-fact love. God’s love is a before, during, and after the fact love. God is love. And so God sent Christ Jesus to be for us what we could not be for ourselves. He became our “propitiation.”

God cannot look upon man with favor. Not because He doesn’t love him, but because He is Holy, Just, and Righteous. Because of sin, man is none of those things. Therefore, God must judge man’s sin, or He is none of those things. But because God is Mercy, Grace, Truth, and Love, God was willing to judge the sin – not in the man, but in His Son – in order to bring about a propitious relationship between the two. This is what the word “propitiation” signifies.

The word in Greek is hilasmos. It is found only here and in 1 John 2:2. It is an offering intended to appease an angry and offended party. Christ died on the cross, shedding His blood. Through His sacrifice, He provided the necessary propitiation which was foreshadowed in the Day of Atonement offering found in Leviticus 16 and 23.

Jesus Christ is the actual point of propitiation, but more, it is because of His death that this is so. To get a better understanding of the meaning of this word, and another word used by Paul, hilastérion, please refer to the commentary on 1 John 2:2.

In short, and understanding these two words, the implication is that without Christ Jesus, there would be no atonement for sin. But in Him, there is full atonement for all sin. And this offering was made before any person was saved. Thus, this is the highest expression of love. Its Source is God, its message is one of restoration, and it was sent out before any love toward God existed from those who would receive it. In this is love.

Life application: While we are looking out for ourselves and never considering God in our little world, God never forgets His creatures. He loves us regardless of how we have considered Him.

Our lack of love, resulting in sin, has caused a rift between us, and that rift needs to be mended. And so, God sent Jesus. It is He who restores felicity between God and man when we accept His work. Think on this today. Consider the perfection of what God has done for us through Jesus! He loved us, and He loves us.

O God, that You would send Jesus for us! It is more than we could ever imagine. What a great and splendid love You possess to restore us to You through the blood of Christ! May we never forget the majesty of this act, and may we never fail to proclaim it to others! Restoration and life are available because of Jesus. Hallelujah and Amen!

Friday, 15 May 2020

In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. 1 John 4:9

John now continues the same thought that he has been giving for the past two verses. In verse 7, he said, “and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God.” In verse 8, he said, “He who does not love does not know God.” He is speaking about the state of love either existing in a person or lacking in a person. That continues with this verse with the Greek words en hēmin. Rather than, “In this the love of God was manifested toward us,” the Greek reads, “In this the love of God was manifest in us.”

John has shown that belief and love are actually one inseparable idea –

“And this is His commandment: that we should believe on the name of His Son Jesus Christ and love one another, as He gave us commandment.” 1 John 3:23

To love without belief does not satisfy the expectation of God. To believe without love is to fail to obey the commandment given by Christ Jesus. But we are not given a commandment we cannot obey. Therefore, the “love of God is manifested in us” when we believe.

John uses an aorist verb, indicative mood, and passive voice. It happened at a set time, it is a certain fact, and the believer is the recipient of the action. Belief brings us into the state of love. At this point, our love can be acceptable to God. Before this point, we could love all day long and it would be of no true value to Him.

God cannot credit love as righteousness unless the person is already deemed righteous through faith in Christ. If He could, then faith in Christ would be unnecessary to be pleasing to God. This is why “God has sent His only begotten Son into the world.”

In this, the Greek more accurately reads, “His Son, the only begotten.” He enlarges and highlights the Son by stating it this way. God has “sons” as is recorded in Scripture. Israel is called His son in Exodus 4:22. Believers are sons of God, as is noted in both testaments as well. But only Christ Jesus is set apart as “His Son, the only begotten.” It is He who was “sent.” The verb, being in the perfect tense, reveals the completed and continuing results which stem from sending Him. And those results are “that we might live through Him.”

This is the purpose of the sending of Christ. Sending Him is how the love of God is manifested in us, but our living through the Son defines why God did this. In belief, we are saved, and in being saved, the love of God now defines our love, meaning it is now a love that is acceptable to God.

To more fully appreciate this, one must consider the words, “live through Him.” If we were not “alive,” meaning possessing eternal life, before coming to Christ, it means that we were still dead in our trespasses and sins. In this state, it doesn’t matter how much we loved others. We were dead in sin and God could not accept our love. But in living through Christ, our sins are atoned for, our state before God is changed, and our love – whatever level of love it may be – is now acceptable, because the love of God is manifested in us.

Life application: This verse, like others from John, is reminiscent of John 3:16 –

“For God so loved the world that He gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

It is important to remember that the term, “begotten,” and not, “one and only,” as many modern translations state, is the correct term to use. The reason for this is more than translational from the Greek, but it is scriptural based on Exodus 4:22 (mentioned above) –

“Then you shall say to Pharaoh, ‘Thus says the LORD: “Israel is My son, My firstborn.”

God has more than one son – in several contexts. Israel is called God’s “firstborn son.” We are also sons of God through adoption. Therefore, the term “one and only” is entirely incorrect. Additionally, the Greek supports “begotten.” Jesus was generated of the Most High and the power of the Holy Spirit through Mary. He is unlike any other. Because of these points, it is far preferable and proper to use the term “begotten.”

Also, John mentions “the love” of God. The article which precedes “love” isn’t referring to a general love, but the specific love, one which is particular to that demonstrated in the work of Jesus.

Because of the great love God has for the people of the world, He sent Jesus Christ to restore us to true and spiritual life, and to grant us eternal life – someday to be free from the trials, troubles, and temptations of this world. Let us never forget this great and awesome love, demonstrated at the cross of Calvary!

How tender and precious it is to be called a son of God because of the work of Jesus! We can now call you Father in a way which was never possible before. Thank You, thank You, O God, for the wondrous and extravagant love You have for us! Glory, honor, and majesty – they belong to You alone! Amen.

Thursday, 14 May 2020

He who does not love does not know God, for God is love. 1 John 4:8

In the previous verse, John said that “everyone who loves is born of God and knows God.” Now, he goes beyond a simple one to one comparison. Instead of saying, “He who does not love is not born of God,” he goes even further in his words by saying, “He who does not love does not know God.” Further, the verb “know” is in the aorist tense. He has never known him. The separation between the two is absolute.

This isn’t just a mild disconnect that can be overcome by the person. Rather, this person has no ability to understand God, and his feelings toward God are missing entirely, or they are completely skewed. The reason for this is then stated by John with the words, “for God is love.”

The Greek here must be properly translated to fully understand John’s intent. It literally reads, “because the God love is.” An article precedes “God,” but not “love.” What this means is that the statement is not reversible. We cannot say, “Love is God.” God’s nature is love, but we cannot limit Him to only love. God is the embodiment of love, but love is not the embodiment of God. Such a statement would allow the worship of love, as a “god.” Rather, God is to be worshipped because He is love, among other things.

In his writings, John says that God is Spirit, God is light, and God is truth. The Bible also says that God is jealous, God is righteous, God is holy, and so on. None of these things are God, but they reflect His nature. Such statements tell us that they are not qualities of God which he merely possesses, but they are statements about His very being.

And further, John doesn’t state it in the form of an adjective – “God is loving.” As Jamieson-Faucett-Brown notes –

“…for then John’s argument would not stand; for the conclusion from the premises then would be this, This man is not loving: God is loving; therefore he knoweth not God IN SO FAR AS God is loving; still he might know Him in His other attributes. But when we take love as God’s essence, the argument is sound: This man doth not love, and therefore knows not love: God is essentially love, therefore he knows not God.”

Life application: John makes specific points about the nature of God in his writings. What he says in his points cannot be mistaken (although they can be twisted by perverse thinking), and his clarity in them gives us real and valid insights into our Creator.

Taking John’s words in their proper context, we can now see why he says, “He who does not love does not know God.” How can one be acquainted with God – who is by His nature love – and yet not possess the very quality defined by that acquaintance? It is not possible.

However, it must be remembered that we do are not the very definition of such attributes. Nobody apart from God can claim, “I am truth,” or “I am love.” We can only emulate God. As believers, there are times when we aren’t loving. And yet, we can still be included in “everyone who loves.” Our shortcomings do not negate the state that we have been brought into.

And even more than focusing on ourselves, if we look to God and focus on Him, we can find absolute assurance. Because God is love, we can know that He isn’t just loving at times, but that everything He does is based on love. We may see things happen that appear to show an uncaring God, but that is because we cannot see the purpose for what occurs. But everything that God does is done with the loving intent which stems from His very nature.

If someone says, “A person being cast into hell by God is unloving, and therefore God is not love,” he has misunderstood God’s other attributes. God is just. One attribute (such as love) cannot override another attribute (such as justice). The way that the tension between God’s many attributes is relieved is through the cross of Jesus Christ. For example, God’s infinite love can be poured out on man because God’s justice is served in Christ’s substitutionary and atoning death.

All things are brought into harmony once again through what God has done in Christ. As Paul says –

“Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, ¹⁹ that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation.” 2 Corinthians 5:18, 19

For those who have come to God through Christ, God – who is love – has accomplished complete, absolute, and eternal reconciliation. For us, God can now and forevermore express His infinite love towards us.

Of one thing we can be sure, O God – You are love. When we look to the cross of Jesus and reflect on the marvelous majesty of His great work, we can see love in a way which transcends all other things. Knowing this about You allows us to revel even more in Your glory. May we never forget that You are love, and because of Jesus we are the objects of Your love! Thank You for this wonderful assurance. Amen.

Wednesday, 13 May 2020

Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. 1 John 4:7

This verse marks a slight change in the overall topic being discussed, and yet it will be found to fit harmoniously into the overall flow of thought. John starts with “Beloved” indicating those who have experienced the great love he is about to discuss, and which comes through faith in the work of Jesus Christ. Such faith results in adoption as sons of the Living God.

John previously mentioned love as a test of faith, such as in 3:10-24, but now he will explain the logic behind this claim. He begins this by saying, “let us love one another.” In 1 John 3:23, he said that “we should believe on the name of His Son Jesus Christ and love one another.” This is speaking of the fraternal love which is to be exhibited among believers, and it was called a “commandment” in verse 3:23. He again states that we are to love one another and then explains that saying, “for love is of God.”

The meaning of this is that God is the source of properly directed and true love. In verse 4:4, speaking to believers, he said, “You are of God.” In verse 4:6, including himself in his words, he says, “We are of God.” As this is so, and as “love is of God,” it is only reasonable that believers are to love one another. How could love be of God, and believers be of God, and yet believers do not love one another? It is illogical thinking. With this understood, John says, “and everyone who loves is born of God.”

This is obviously speaking of love in the way that God loves. On the earth, there are all kinds of love which are a part of the human emotions that we possess. But there is the godly love which can only come through union with God, because apart from God, such love cannot be understood. If it cannot be understood, then it also cannot be rightly expressed. But when one is born of God, he loves in the way which is expected of God because he “knows God.”

The love of God is found in what God has done in and through Christ. Man was in sin, but God remedied that situation by sending His Son. It is from the greater to the lesser. God, the greatest of all beings, was willing to express his love towards His creatures through Christ. He had nothing to gain from it, and it was the highest price that could have been paid, but He did this as an expression of His perfect love.

In coming to God through Christ, we know God – meaning we understand His heart – in a way that could never be understood apart from Christ. This is the love that John speaks of, and it is the same love that John asks us to express towards fellow believers.

Life application: Why should believers love one another? It is because everyone born of God through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ knows God. To know God is to understand the complete expression of love because God loves infinitely. To know this calls for us to strive to emulate what we know.

When John says, “let us love,” he is speaking of continual practice, not just a one time or fleeting occurrence. Rather, it should reflect everything we do and think about, and it should be expressed to all with whom we fellowship in the Body of Christ. Just as this love is from God, and thus it gives evidence of a sound relationship with Him, in the same way our love should give evidence of a sound relationship with those around us.

The way John terms “born of God” indicates a completed action. Through God we have been begotten and we remain his child eternally. As is taught clearly and without exception, the doctrine of eternal salvation is referred to here. One is born of God and is forever a child of God. The only thing we can expect from backsliding and waywardness is a loss of joy in this life and a loss of eternal rewards in the next.

When we stand before the judgment seat of Christ, let us be found acceptable as sons and daughters of the One who adopted us into His eternal kingdom. Let us love, even as we are loved.

Lord God, because love stems from You, and because You are the Source and full expression of true love, fill us with the desire to emulate You in loving those around us. May our lives be examples of the love that we received when we came to Jesus. You sent Him despite our failings, and so help us to love others – even in their own failings. May it be so, and may it be to Your glory, O God. Amen.