Enabled: A Particular Love - I John 4:7-12

A Particular Love

(proves that the True God is in us)

Thesis:

Every person must have this particular kind of love.

Points:

Don’t Confuse the Source of this Particular Love (I John 4:7)

1 John 4:7 KJV 1900

7 Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God.

There is a gentleness in this particular kind of love - Beloved, let us love one another

John models the “one another” love in his address and tones.

App:

The Source of this particular love is God Himself - for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God.

Why put both of these statements here? There may be some confusion. To be born of God certainly means that one has believed on Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, but we often overlook that to be born of God is to be in an ongoing relationship with God.

The new birth does not come separate from “knowing” God. For someone who knows God, they have been born again. For someone who has been born again, they know God in an ongoing way (knoweth - present, active, indicative…). This also means that anyone who actively knows God will actively be growing in love, not because they have experienced that love ONLY, buy because they ARE experiencing that love continuously.

App: This helps us to be skeptical of categories that we have created for people we interact with — people we love, people who have said they have been born of God).

They Never Knew God - He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love - I John 4:8

1 John 4:8 KJV 1900

8 He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.

The first verb “loveth” is present active showing a process, developing…etc but “knoweth” not God is in the aorist tense meaning that it is a snapshot of something done. This person has NEVER known God. Why? Because if they would have entered into relationship with God, they would have entered into relationship with Love.

The security we have when we are loved is as strong and enduring as the Lover. God is the Lover because God is Love.

Because he is the origin of this love, because he is eternal, He can offer a security that even a mother’s love cannot fully offer.

PERFECT LOVE COMES FROM GOD BECAUSE THAT IS WHO GOD IS.

Applications:

Do Consider the Sacrifice of this Particular Love - (I John 4:9-10)

How can we be sure that this love is real, true, and Sourced in God alone?

(a) This Sacrifice is REAL (I John 4:9)

1 John 4:9 KJV 1900

9 In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him.

v. 9 God’s love has been materially, physically manifested in that (1) he sent his only Son (unique) into the world. John 1:14, 18)

Contextually, this would fly in the face of the false teachers. The implication of John’s argument is that apart from the incarnation, we really don’t have reason to know God/know love or what it looks like perfectly. Left to ourselves, we might describe perfect love in many different ways - connected to this thought is that the reason God sent his son was so that we might love through him.

App: there is no life apart from Jesus, and this also hints at the substitution of Jesus. Through the death of Jesus we have life. [esp. for the one wondering what does God have to offer that I cannot find anywhere else?)

(b) The Sacrifice is Remarkably Sufficient (I John 4:10)

1 John 4:10 KJV 1900

10 Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

V. 10 is further elaboration on the sending of God’s Son. John makes clear that this is not about our love for God, but rather how God made his love clear. Jesus was sent as the ATONEMENT for our sins. Several truths are packed into this one statement:

The atonement is the work Christ did in his life and death to earn our salvation. - Grudem

Grudem, W. A. (2004). Systematic theology: an introduction to biblical doctrine (p. 568). Leicester, England; Grand Rapids, MI: Inter-Varsity Press; Zondervan Pub. House.

v. 10 The love of God is seen as the cause for the Atonement. Romans 3:25

Romans 3:25 KJV 1900

25 Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;

In this section we consider two aspects of Christ’s work: (1) Christ’s obedience for us, in which he obeyed the requirements of the law in our place and was perfectly obedient to the will of God the Father as our representative, and (2) Christ’s sufferings for us, in which he took the penalty due for our sins and as a result died for our sins.

Grudem, W. A. (2004). Systematic theology: an introduction to biblical doctrine (p. 570). Leicester, England; Grand Rapids, MI: Inter-Varsity Press; Zondervan Pub. House.

Likewise, Tim Keller reminds us, The gospel is that Jesus lived the life you should have lived and died the death you should have died, in your place, so God can receive you not for your record and sake but for his record and sake. (“Keller on Preaching to a Post-Modern City II”)

- Akin, Dr. Daniel L.. Exalting Jesus in 1,2,3 John (Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary) . B&H Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.

App:

Only one love is enough to give to us eternal life. It is the love of God in Jesus Christ.

The life and death of Jesus prove that God is love. [Blues Clues, Jesus and Children, Cross]

Duty is Commanded by this Particular Love (I John 4:11-12)

(a) This Love Demands Action (I John 4:11)

1 John 4:11 KJV 1900

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

If we have been loved, we must love. v. 11 is the moral consequence upon believers because of this great work of God

(b) Action proves Relationship (I John 4:12)

1 John 4:12 KJV 1900

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.

The way people see God manifested is as we love as we have been loved.

The great and challenging application to these commands is that we must go to those who don’t want us there. We must share a gospel they don’t want to hear. We must love those who may hate and even kill us in return. - Akin, Dr. Daniel L.. Exalting Jesus in 1,2,3 John (Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary) . B&H Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.

If we love, we manifest that God abides in us.

People who have received God’s love in Jesus, love others like God has loved them.

App:

Conclusion:

God loves us because of who he is, has proven his love in the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, and has equipped us to love others as we have been loved as proof that we really know Him.