God's Abiding Love

APRIL 14, 2021 STUDY NOTES I JOHN 4:12-16 BIBLE TEACHER: CLIFTON JONES GOD’S ABIDING LOVE INTRODUCTION Review what we have learned in the previous verses: Love is of God (7) God is love (8) God’s love sent His only begotten Son into the world that we might have life (9) It was not that we loved God, but He loved us (10) We ought also to love one another (11) Now John tells us that if we do love one another two things are true (12) God dwelleth in us and His love is perfected in us “Dwelleth” is a key word in these verses, it is found 5 times in verses 12-16 We find it twice in verse 16 and that is the last time that John uses it in this letter But the Greek word translated “abideth” or “dwelleth” is found 23 times in 1 John It is important that we understand what John is telling us through the use of “dwelleth” He says, God dwelleth in us (12) and we dwell in him (13) In verse 15 John puts verses 12 & 13 together, God dwells in us and we dwell in God In verse 16 John tells us you cannot separate dwelling in God and dwelling in love There are those who do not properly interpret the word “dwelleth” and they fail to learn the truth The word dwelleth has nothing to do with the thought of a Christian losing their salvation It has nothing to do with the thought of a Christian gaining their salvation “Dwelling” speaks of a Christian enjoying the fullness of their salvation “Dwelling” presents the life that every Christian should experience daily Christians are to live in the New Life of salvation and not the Old Life of sin Christians should not continue to live in the Old Life that we were delivered from “Abiding” or “dwelling” in Christ is living the life that Christ gave us in our salvation “Dwelling” means more than the fact that we are saved It presents a special spiritual relationship that we can have with God as we obey Him The fact that we are saved assures us that we can “dwell in Him” “God dwells in us” means more that the fact that the Holy Spirit lives within us The Holy Spirit within us is the living proof that “God dwells in us” The truth that “God dwells in us” tells us that we have been blessed with all spiritual blessings, Eph 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: Understanding the word “dwelleth” helps us understand how “His love is perfected in us” LOVE PERFECTED IN US 1Jn 4:12 No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us. John makes a very strong statement to introduce another strong point Absolutely no one, not one single one, at any particular time, has ever seen God in His totality God in His essence is invisible, 1Ti 1:17 Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honour and glory for ever and ever. Amen. God is a Spirit and cannot be seen by man, Joh 1:18 No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him. He is the One who no one has seen or can see, 1Ti 6:16 Who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no Page 1 of 6 man can approach unto; whom no man hath seen, nor can see: to whom be honour and power everlasting. Amen. God has been seen in a “theophany” which is a visual manifestation of God’s presence In the OT God made His presence and power known in a variety of ways: The burning bush, The pillar of cloud and the pillar of fire, the cloud and fire on Mt. Sinai at the giving of the Law The SHEKINAH Glory that dwelt in the Holy of Holies in the tabernacle and the Temple God through a theophany revealed a certain truth about Himself But no created being has ever seen, understood, and admired the total person of God But John said, Joh 1:18 No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him. Jesus came to reveal or make known God the Father to us, Jesus said, Joh 10:30 I and my Father are one. He does not mean that they are the same person, but they are the same in nature, both being God To know Jesus is to know the Father, Joh 14:7 If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him. To see Jesus is to see the Father, but Philip said to Jesus, show us the Father, Joh 14:8 Philip saith unto him, Lord, shew us the Father, and it sufficeth us. Philip was asking for a theophany like those found in the OT, but it was no longer necessary Jesus explained that we are now in the day of the NT, Joh 14:9 Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father? The Father was dwelling and working in Jesus, Joh 14:10 Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works. Jesus said, “See me, watch me, believe me, and you will know the Father, Joh 14:11 Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me: or else believe me for the very works' sake. Then Jesus gave us a promise which is not limited to the disciples according to 1 John 4:12 The believer will do greater works, Joh 14:12 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father. Jesus does not have in mind greater miracles, signs, and wonders than He did while on earth The greater works are based upon Jesus going back to the Father What did Jesus promise that He would do when He returned to the Father, Joh 14:16 And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; “Another Comforter” means another of the same kind, of the same quality and character of Jesus And when the Holy Spirit comes, you will know, Joh 14:20 At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you. You will know of the relationship that exist between the Father and the Son Jesus Christ is in the Father, believers are in Christ, and Christ is in the believer That is exactly what John is telling us in 1 John 4 John is telling us what God will do in us as we love God and obey His commandments Now listen to what Jesus promised, Joh 14:21 He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him. Through love and obedience, Christ will manifest Himself through the believer The Holy Spirit working in the life of a believer has replaced the physical presence of Jesus In the day of Jesus, God the Father could be seen through Jesus John tells us how someone can see God today, If we love one another, This is the fifth and final time that John tells us to “love one another” in 1 John We ought to love one another because of the previous truths that John has revealed to us We are obligated to love one another because of His love that dwells in us Page 2 of 6 If we practice love toward others as God has loved us, we have a promise, God dwelleth in us, God dwelled in the Tabernacle and the Temple, God dwelled in Jesus as He was upon the earth Now God dwells in the believer through the person of the Holy Spirit But John has more in mind than the Person of the Holy Spirit living within us He is referring to the Holy Spirit living “through us” as “we love one another” Which is an experience of His presence not known in any other way God is seen, known, and understood in a special way as we love one another It is not the result of what we are doing, but the result of what He is doing “through us” The invisible God lives in us and becomes visible through His love working in us People learned of God because He came to dwell in the Tabernacle and the Temple People learned of God because He came to dwell in the life of Jesus upon the earth People learn of God today because “His love is perfected in us” and his love is perfected in us. John spoke of the “love of God perfected” in, 1Jn 2:5 But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him. Love originated in God--Love was manifested in Jesus--Love is perfected in us The “love of God perfected” means that God’s love is made complete and has reached its goal Which means that God’s love has accomplished what God intended for it to do “through us” Man receives the love of God by believing in Jesus Christ When you are saved you begin to learn the truth of God’s love Until you are saved you don’t really “know by experience” that God loves you Only after you are saved do you really know the truth of John 3:16 You read that God loves the world, but you learn from a personal experience that God loves you As you begin to love God in return, the Love of God teaches you to love the brethren Only after you have learned to love the brethren can you learn to love your enemy As a believer continues to keep God’s Word, he continues to learn the truth of God’s love As we learn more about God our love for Him grows The more that we love God, the greater His love becomes within us The more that we experience His love, the more love we share with others An obedient Christian is promised a special experience of the love of God and the Son We dwell in Him, He dwells in us, and we receive spiritual knowledge WE HAVE SPIRITUAL KNOWLEDGE 1Jn 4:13 Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit. “Hereby” introduces us to the way that we know that God’s love is perfected in us We have assurance, we have a living testimony to the truth of what John has said Assurance is an important truth to John, he has already said, 1Jn 3:24 And he that keepeth his commandments dwelleth in him, and he in him. And hereby we know that he abideth in us, by the Spirit which he hath given us. The experience of the Holy Spirit working in us tells us for sure that “we dwell in Him” Know we that we dwell in him, “Know we” first of all refers to John and the other Apostles and then to all who are saved Every believer knows that he has a living relationship with God because of the Holy Spirit within The Holy Spirit is the evidence, the proof, the living proof of God indwelling all believers We “dwell in Him” and “we know that He abideth in us” and he in us, Page 3 of 6 It is none other than “He” Himself in us, when we receive Christ, He receives us But John has more in mind than the fact of His presence within us John’s use of “dwelleth” means an abiding relationship that we can now experience When we are constantly living in a right relationship with Christ Loving one another reveals that we are in Christ and Christ is in us Loving one another is impossible unless you constantly abide in Him Love is the evidence of the abiding presence of the Holy Spirit The experience of abiding love is because he hath given us of his Spirit. It is not simply the fact that He has given us “the Spirit” John says, “Of His Spirit” which speaks of our participation in the Spirit of God Because He has given us “the Spirit,” He can now give us “of the Spirit” We are not given the Spirit by measure or in portions, He is a person and not a portion We have received the full, complete, total person of the Holy Spirit, He is present in us The Holy Spirit is a permanent gift, He comes to stay But we do not receive all that is “of the Spirit” in one experience of life That which we receive is in proportion to our “dwelling in Him” Some say that the “dwelling” experience is not conditioned upon belief, love, and obeying But it is, and that is exactly what John is telling us through the use of “abiding” and “dwelling” The Holy Spirit is always present, He is permanently present within us Our experience with Him is to be continual and daily, we are to be learning, living, and loving There is a basic primary purpose why we learn, love, live, and obey There is a specific reason why we abide in Him and He in us, it is our personal testimony OUR PERSONAL TESTIMONY 1Jn 4:14 And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world. “And we” again refers first of all to John and the other Apostles John and the Apostles were eyewitnesses of the earthly life of Jesus (1 John 1:1-4) In John’s introduction he told us what the Apostles heard and saw with their own eyes And what they handled with their own hands, and they were convinced that Jesus was the Christ They concluded beyond any doubt that Jesus was the Word of Life John said we declare unto you so that you too may share in the same truth that we do John shared his experience that we might share in the same experience That you too may experience that relationship with God the Father and Jesus the Son And then we are to share with others our experience So, when John says, “we have seen” it also includes all believers who have received “the Savior” All believers have seen and do testify, to “testify” is to bear witness to the truth We do that by showing others the nature of Jesus Christ We do that by sharing with others the same love that Christ has shared with us Our testimony is what we say and share by voice But the real evidence of Jesus within us is what is seen in our daily life Testifying is a natural result of dwelling in Christ As we abide in Christ witnessing becomes natural To testify is to declare and to confirm that Jesus is the Savior Believers are a living testimony that Jesus is the savior of the world Our testimony is that the Father sent the Son, God sent His Son, and His Son is the Savior The Son already was before He was sent to the earth, He was sent to be the Saviour Page 4 of 6 The purpose of God sending Jesus into the world is that the lost might be saved That those who are lost and hell-bound might be delivered and receive eternal life Believers are to dwell in that new life and tell others that Jesus has come to give them life That Jesus is the Savior of the world does not mean that all will be automatically saved This verse does not teach universal salvation, eternal life must be received through Christ Jesus paid the price of sin so that every individual sinner can receive Jesus and be saved The world does not abide in God or God would not have sent Jesus The world is that sinful society serving Satan and opposing God The coming of the Savior reveals the fact of God’s judgment of sin In Jesus we are saved from God’s judgment upon sin, God will judge the world of sin The purpose of our abiding in Christ is that the world will know that Jesus is the Savior The Christian is to be the one who sees Christ, shares Christ, and shows the life of Christ INDWELLING CONFESSION 1Jn 4:15 Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God. “Whosoever” is anyone and everyone who “shall confess” and at any time that they do confess To confess Jesus is more than just a say so of the lips, it must be a statement of the heart It is not just the mere repetition of the words of a prayer, it is a commitment in prayer John has more in mind than a past experience when you agreed with God and was saved But because of that past action of agreement with God there is now a new determination “Dwelling” in God is the determination to continually agree with God, His Will, and His Word It is the personal, conscious acceptance of the supernatural work of the Holy Spirit in the heart It is a sustained attitude, a surrendered life, daily acknowledging that Jesus is the Son of God, Christians must continually stand upon the doctrinal truth “that Jesus is the Son of God” That means that we believe and teach that Jesus was born of a virgin (Isaiah 7:14) That He lived a unique sinless life upon the earth (1 John 3:5) Unless He is the Son of God He could not have taught as He did or perform miracles as He did He could not have risen from the dead and He would not be at the Father’s right hand today He would not be coming back very soon to deliver us from the wrath to come (1 Thess. 1:10; 5:9) But He is the Son of God and He dwells in those who shall confess Him God dwelleth in him, and he in God. God dwells in all who are saved, we have a personal relationship with God Salvation is much more than being delivered from Hell and going to Heaven Salvation is Christ coming into your life to live and your life living for Christ John is still telling us that we must live daily within that personal relationship We are to live out the truth of God living within us, our living results in living John is telling us that there is more to life than what you have already lived “Abiding” has no end, it increases, grows greater, becomes more involved Abiding is a continual learning and living experience INDWELLING LOVE 1Jn 4:16 And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him. As for us, in us, in our own individual case, “we have known” This knowledge had a beginning at the time we were saved but it must continue on Page 5 of 6 “Abiding” leads us into a knowledge that cannot be forgotten, it is a present existing knowledge But that knowledge that we already have in salvation allows us to continue to learn We have entered a progressive knowledge which is the understanding of spiritual truth A spiritual perception that comes through “dwelling” in Christ, we know and have “believed” As a believer we believe, at present we believe and will continue to be a believer Knowledge that is now present, that is still there will continue to be there But there will be a fresh experience of knowledge each day as we “abide” in Christ But this knowledge and this belief is centered into one subject the love that God hath to us. The love that God has for us is “in us,” in us is where the love of God operates When you accept Jesus as your Savior you come to know that God loves you From the beginning of your salvation experience you learn that God loves you But as you “abide” in Christ you learn so much more about the love of God You are continually learning that God is love through a continual experience with God Because God is continually bestowing His love upon us and sharing His love with us We know that God is love; This is what John said in verse 8 where he taught us of the origin of love Here the main thought of God’s love is the purpose, which is that we “dwell” in His love and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him. As we “dwell” in the love of God, we are living proof that we “dwell in God” We have a permanent home “in God” and we have a promise of His love If you have God in you, you have God’s love working in you To have God in us is to have God’s love living in us His love cannot be in us without His personal presence in us You cannot “dwell” in God without God’s love “dwelling” in you CONCLUSION John has presented to us “God’s Abiding Love” The first time that John uses the word translated “abide” in 1 John is, 1Jn 2:6 He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked. If you claim that you are “abiding” in Christ, then you need to know what you are saying You need to know what you are telling others and you need to know what you are talking about You need to learn the truth of “abiding” in Christ To “abide” in Christ is to walk even as He walked, “Abiding” is living like Christ lived “Dwelling” in Christ is living like God wants you to live 1 John 4:16 is the last time that John uses the word “abide” in this letter, 1Jn 4:16 And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him. John uses the word translated “abideth” or “dwelleth” 23 times in the letter If you begin to “abide” in Christ with 1 John 2:6 and continue to “abide” in Christ through 4:16 If you are living as John describes, then life is a much more meaningful experience Becoming more intimate than that which begins with 1 John 2:6 “Dwelling” is experiencing the living relationship that God has for us and wants us to live Living daily in “God’s Abiding Love” tells you what the song is going to tell you Listen to the song and “dwell” upon its truth Page 6 of 6