Daily Bread 2010 - 1 John 4
Daily Bread 2010 – 1 John 4
13 This is how we know that we live in him and he in us: He has given us of his Spirit. 14 And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. 15 If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in them and they in God. 16 And so we know and rely on the love God has for us.
God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them. 17 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. 18 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. 19 We love because he first loved us. 20 Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen. 21 And he has given us this command: Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister.
As we have mentioned the letter of 1 John is confronting false teachers and prophets at the end of the first century who were teaching that Jesus only appeared to be God, but really was just a man. Or the other type of teaching was that Jesus only appeared to be a human, but was really a spiritual being. This was called, “Docetism”, one of the early forms of “Gnosticism” condemned as heresy (false teaching).
But John clarifies some of this teaching with who Jesus is and how we can be sure we are “in Him” and “He in us”. First, John says if we come to acknowledge that Jesus is the Son of God, we will be given the Spirit, which will help us to testify to what we believe in. This is one of the ways in which God lives in us, since the Spirit is everything that God is.
Then John reasons since “God is love”, meaning everything about God is love, that those who are “in Him” will love like He did. And then he says this love “will be made complete among us”. This means that becoming the type of person who loves like God did is a process. Then he gives us an example of what this will look like as we becoming more loving. He says that we will not be a fearful person. Wow! What an incredible promise! How many of us live with lots of fear, which creates lots of stress and anxiety?
But the writer says, “God’s perfect love casts out all fear”. He reasons that fear has to do with punishment and because God loves us completely and God loved us first, that we don’t need to fear God. God doesn’t want us to do the right things because we fear him and fear divine retribution if we make a mistake. God wants us to love like He did and does.
Then he says that if we don’t love others in the same way that He does that we are “liars”. That seems harsh, but again the writer is confronting some early problems in the church, where people said they loved God but completely ignored those in the community that had problems, and especially those in need. It is unthinkable in John’s mind for a person who knows God to turn their back on a brother or sister in the community. For if God has loved us when we were un-loveable, how can we not give others the same grace we have received.
Gracious God, we thank you that you loved us first before we could love you. We thank you that perfect love casts out all fear and we don’t have to be afraid of you but can have confidence that Your Son Jesus lives in us as we acknowledge that He is Your Son. As we received Your great love may we love our brothers and sisters with this same love so the world may know Your love in Christ. Amen.
13 This is how we know that we live in him and he in us: He has given us of his Spirit. 14 And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. 15 If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in them and they in God. 16 And so we know and rely on the love God has for us.
God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them. 17 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. 18 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. 19 We love because he first loved us. 20 Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen. 21 And he has given us this command: Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister.
As we have mentioned the letter of 1 John is confronting false teachers and prophets at the end of the first century who were teaching that Jesus only appeared to be God, but really was just a man. Or the other type of teaching was that Jesus only appeared to be a human, but was really a spiritual being. This was called, “Docetism”, one of the early forms of “Gnosticism” condemned as heresy (false teaching).
But John clarifies some of this teaching with who Jesus is and how we can be sure we are “in Him” and “He in us”. First, John says if we come to acknowledge that Jesus is the Son of God, we will be given the Spirit, which will help us to testify to what we believe in. This is one of the ways in which God lives in us, since the Spirit is everything that God is.
Then John reasons since “God is love”, meaning everything about God is love, that those who are “in Him” will love like He did. And then he says this love “will be made complete among us”. This means that becoming the type of person who loves like God did is a process. Then he gives us an example of what this will look like as we becoming more loving. He says that we will not be a fearful person. Wow! What an incredible promise! How many of us live with lots of fear, which creates lots of stress and anxiety?
But the writer says, “God’s perfect love casts out all fear”. He reasons that fear has to do with punishment and because God loves us completely and God loved us first, that we don’t need to fear God. God doesn’t want us to do the right things because we fear him and fear divine retribution if we make a mistake. God wants us to love like He did and does.
Then he says that if we don’t love others in the same way that He does that we are “liars”. That seems harsh, but again the writer is confronting some early problems in the church, where people said they loved God but completely ignored those in the community that had problems, and especially those in need. It is unthinkable in John’s mind for a person who knows God to turn their back on a brother or sister in the community. For if God has loved us when we were un-loveable, how can we not give others the same grace we have received.
Gracious God, we thank you that you loved us first before we could love you. We thank you that perfect love casts out all fear and we don’t have to be afraid of you but can have confidence that Your Son Jesus lives in us as we acknowledge that He is Your Son. As we received Your great love may we love our brothers and sisters with this same love so the world may know Your love in Christ. Amen.
Comments
Post a Comment