1 John 4:11-21

“Love Others Because God Lives In You!”

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

Last week…we mentioned a spiritual tolerance that people often develop to scripture and/or the gospel.

Once one begins to understand the magnitude of sin, the love of God is made plain and causes that person to respond to others in a god-oriented way.

“Ought” infers that this obligation to love others cannot be postponed. If you love God, you are spiritually obligated to love others.

If a person is a true believer, then the pursuit of holiness and mercy in their life will mirror the example of Christ. [Lk.6:36; 1 Pt. 1:15]

12 No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us.

No man has ever seen God in totality.

Exodus 33:22 And while my glory passes by I will put you in a cleft of the rock, and I will cover you with my hand until I have passed by.

But God can be seen is in the lives of those who love Him, by the way they love others, specifically “one another.”

Jesus loved because he was the incarnate God, we love because we are inhabited by God.

The love one has for the church demonstrates the Spirit of God within.

13 By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit.

The indwelling Spirit gives evidence that someone has surrendered to Christ.

This person will possess an ongoing awareness of the intimate communion they have with the Spirit within.

Knowledge of the indwelling Spirit gives the believer assurance of their membership in the family of God.

Romans 8:16 - The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God,

14 And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world.

1 John 1:1–3 That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life— the life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was made manifest to us— that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ.

John is making a case for us here in Chapter 4. He is saying that though we have never seen the Father, we have seen the Son whom He sent.

An unseen God that had the sinner in mind when He sent the incarnate Christ to earth to love and die for a fallen world.

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

Not only are love, mercy and holiness apart of the believers life, but a true believer will confess Christ in their lives.

Romans 10:9–10 because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.

A person confession will also indicate the condition of the heart. A confession of the gospel and salvation reveals inward commitment.

We are not saved by holding to our confession. The fact that we hold to our confession is proof that we are God’s true children. - Warren W. Wiersbe

A confession opposite of that reveals a false faith or perhaps false teaching.

16 So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides [lives, continues or remains] in love abides in God, and God abides in him.

This is the process of sanctification.

We understand the gospel. Then as we abide in God, our knowledge of Him grows then our faith in Him grows.

The more we love Him (seek obedience) the more we understand Him…which leads to a greater trust in Him as our faith increases.

17 By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because as he is so also are we in this world.

John swaps to a theme of judgment.

He says that it is the love one has for God, the confession of Jesus as Lord and the mutual abiding between the Spirit and the Believer that gives the believer confidence at the judgment.

There is no reason to fear because Christ has atoned for the sins of His people.

18 There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love.

“Cast out Fear” implies that the reason a believer can live with no fear regarding the judgment is because fear has to do with punishment.

And Romans 8:1 tells us that “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”

So if you feel fear of judgment then you are not being perfected in love.

19 We love because he first loved us. 20 If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen.

The spiritual character of a person is revealed when they lie about their love for God.

John 14:15 - “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.

They may say they love God but their life fails to demonstrate that love in their treatment of others.

21 And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother.

Loving our family in Christ is not just a spiritual requirement - it is a command.

Loving God and Loving the Church are two parts of one command. They cannot be divorced.

Galatians 5:14 - For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”