First John: 1 John 4:8a-The Child of God Who Does Not Love Does Not Know God Experientially Lesson # 161

1 John 4:8 Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. (ESV)

“Anyone who does not love does not know God” is composed of the following: (1) negative particle me (μή), “not” (2) articular nominative masculine singular present active participle form of the verb agapaō (ἀγαπάω), “anyone who does” (3) emphatic negative adverb ou (οὔ), “not” (4) third person singular aorist active indicative form of the verb ginōskō (γινώσκω), “does know” (5) articular accusative masculine singular form of the noun theos (θεός), “God.”

The verb agapaō means “to divinely love” referring to the practice of the love of God by the believer when interacting with their fellow-believer.

However, this time the verb’s meaning is negated by the negative particle me, which denies any idea of a believer practicing divine love in their life in relation to their fellow-believer.

The present tense of the verb agapaō is a gnomic present which is used in a generic statement to describe something that is true “any time” rather than a universal statement that is true “all the time.”

Therefore, the gnomic present expresses the idea of a believer who “at any time” does not divinely love their fellow believer.

The verb ginōskō is used in the aorist tense this time and means, “to know experientially” in the sense of personally encountering someone or something, observe or undergo something through a process, to have knowledge or practical wisdom gained from what one has observed, encountered or undergone,” and implies being affected by what one meets.

This verb’s meaning is emphatically negated by the emphatic negative adverb ou, which expresses a negation which is absolute and not subject to conditions or exceptions and speaks of something that is not subject to dispute or challenge.

The noun theos refers to the Father which is indicated by the word’s articular construction which is anaphoric which means that the word is retaining the same meaning and referent as it did in 1 John 4:7, where it was used of the Father.

Therefore, this verb ginōskō and the emphatic negative adverb ou are expressing the idea of a believer “never knowing experientially” God the Father because they disobey the Lord’s command in John 13:34 to love one another as He loves them.

The aorist tense of the verb ginōskō is ingressive aorist which is used to stress the beginning of an action or the entrance into a state.

Here it is expressing the idea that the person who at any time does not divinely love never “enters into the state of” knowing God the Father experientially.

1 John 4:8 The one who at any time does not practice divine-love never enters into knowing God (the Father) experientially because God (the Father) is divine-love. (Author’s translation)

The apostle John under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit solemnly presents an eternal spiritual truth regarding any believer who at any time disobeys the Lord Jesus Christ’s Spirit inspired command in John 13:34 and 15:12 to love one another.

It asserts they never exist in the state of entering into knowing God the Father experientially or in other words, they never enter into the state of personally encountering Him because they disobeyed His will, which is expressed in His Son’s Spirit inspired command to love one another.

This is the third assertion that John presents to the recipients of First John with regards to disobedience to this command.

The first two appear in 1 John 3:10 and 14.

Now, here in 1 John 4:8, the apostle John teaches the recipients of First John that any believer who at any time does not practice divine love towards their fellow-believer never enters into the state of knowing the Father experientially.

When John speaks of knowing the Father experientially, he is referring to the child of God experiencing fellowship with God from the perspective that they are personally encountering the Father by obedience to His will, as this will, is revealed in the pages of Scripture and in prayer by God the Holy Spirit.

This also involves being affected by this encounter with the Father resulting in the gaining of practical spiritual wisdom and more of the character of Christ.

We noted in our study of 1 John 4:7, that there are many synonyms in Scripture which describe the church age believer experiencing fellowship with God.

First of all, it is synonymous with experiencing eternal life because when a Christian is experiencing fellowship with God they are experiencing eternal life.

They are also experiencing their salvation or in other words, their deliverance from eternal condemnation, condemnation from the Law, spiritual and physical death, personal sin, enslavement from the sin nature and Satan and his cosmic system.

To experience fellowship with God is also to experience sanctification or in other words, fellowship is experiencing being set apart to serve God exclusively in doing His will.

The believer must be filled with the Spirit or more accurately influenced by the Spirit in order to experience fellowship with God which is accomplished by obeying the Spirit’s voice as He speaks to the believer through the communication of the Word of God regarding the will of the Father.

They must also be operating in the love of God in order to experience fellowship with God.

When a believer is experiencing fellowship with God, they will experience undeserved suffering which advances them to spiritual maturity.

The believer will pray when they are in fellowship with God.

Lastly, the believer who experiences fellowship with God and grows to spiritual maturity will experience intimacy with God.

The command to love one another summarizes the “one another” commands which appear in the Greek New Testament.

Do not bite and devour one another: Galatians 5:15 But if you bite and devour one another, take care lest you be consumed by one another. (NASB95)

Do not challenge and envy one another: Galatians 5:26 Let us not become boastful, challenging one another, envying one another. (NASB95)

Do not speak evil or complain against one another:

James 4:11 Do not speak against one another, brethren. He who speaks against a brother, or judges his brother, speaks against the law, and judges the law; but if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law, but a judge of it. (NASB95)

James 5:9 Do not complain, brethren, against one another, that you yourselves may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing right at the door. (NASB95)

Be devoted to one another: Romans 12:10 Be devoted to one another in brotherly love; give preference to one another in honor. (NASB95)

Be of the same mind toward one another: Romans 12:16 Be of the same mind toward one another; do not be haughty in mind, but associate with the lowly. Do not be wise in your own estimation. (NASB95)

Build one another up: Romans 14:19 So then we pursue the things which make for peace and the building up of one another. (NASB95)

Tolerate one another: Ephesians 4:2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love. (NASB95)

Kind, tender-hearted and forgiving to one another: Ephesians 4:32 Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you. (NASB95)

Speak to one another with spiritual songs: Ephesians 5:19 speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord.

Be subject to one another: Ephesians 5:21 and be subject to one another in the fear of Christ. (NASB95)

Regard one another as more important than yourself: Philippians 2:3 Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves. (NASB95)

Bear with one another: Colossians 3:13 bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you. (NASB95)

Comfort one another: 1 Thessalonians 4:18 Wherefore comfort one another with these words. (NASB95)

Encourage one another: 1 Thessalonians 5:11 Therefore encourage one another and build up one another, just as you also are doing. (NASB95)

Stimulate one another to the performance of divine good: Hebrews 10:24 and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds. (NASB95)

Pray for one another: James 5:16 Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much. (NASB95)

Hospitable to one another: 1 Peter 4:9 Be hospitable to one another without complaint. (NASB95)

Serve one another: 1 Peter 4:10 As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.

Humble toward one another: 1 Peter 5:5 You younger men, likewise, be subject to your elders; and all of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, for GOD IS OPPOSED TO THE PROUD, BUT GIVES GRACE TO THE HUMBLE. (NASB95)