1 John 5:1-6

God’s Imputed Love

Introduction

The thesis that lies before us is three fold:

Believing Jesus is the Christ equates to being born of God

Those born again by the Father will love the Father & the Son

Those who love the Father will love the Father’s children

1) The Key To A Living Love (v1)

A. Resting your faith on THE CHRIST

“Whosoever” - John is in no an “open theist” (meaning everyone will be saved). John is saying what he has always said, “ONLY those who BELIEVE will be born-again.

Here is the KEY: BELIEVING Jesus is the CHRIST

“believing” = to personally accept as true for one’s self

“Christ” = Messiah; Anointed One; God’s special choice.

John 1:13 “13 Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.”

John 20:31 “31 But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.”

B. Resolving your love for Christ

As was Jesus the object of your faith, so He must be the object of your love; the Son of God; “begotten of him”

There is a “determined” reciprocated love toward the Father and the Son.

Illustration: Henry was born with an innate nature to love his mommy and daddy (a natural disposition to love and desire his parents)

A lack of loving God within you is evident of a lack of God’s life in you.

I’m not talking about the “working it out,” but the presence of it within you.

God is Sovereign to what He has imputed within in, but you are responsible to what you flesh out of you.

Col. 3:14 “14 And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness.”

LISTEN, there has never been not will there ever be a child of the Father who has an honest reason to suppress the love Jesus has provided you with.

Suppress = negligent to commune with Him, detached from giving Him fully HIS DAY, refraining from giving, conducting family worship, etc...

Before you can ever consider loving ALL those whom the Father has birthed, you MUST LOVE THE FIRST BEGOTTEN; Jesus Christ!

2) The Evidence Of A Living Love (vv2-3)

A. John’s desire for the believer is to establish in their heart unquestionable discernment of how to love those who are in the family of God.

There is a status of fellowship that God’s heart desires; a righteous love between His children.

The proper question to now ask is this: What is the foundation to having a consistent Christ-like love for my spiritual siblings?

Answer = LOVING GOD (v2)

Illustration: Have you ever experienced someone “loving you” for ulterior motives?

When “pleasing the Father” alone motivates you to love other Christians, there will nothing short of genuine love practiced.

Question: Why would anyone ever want to attend a church when nobody values loving them based solely upon the fact they are God’s child?

B. Discernment of how to love God

You might say, “Oh boy, here goes the pastor again! Getting an opportunity to get on a soap box about us serving.”

Well, I am not going to dilute this for you. John is speaking about far more than your body in a motion of service!

“keep” = to conform one’s actions and practice to.

The focus is not fixed upon the mere action of obedience, but rather the motivation behind the obedience.

For you to be “joyful” about obeying your Father is equal to outwardly obeying Him.

FACT: everything in creation (except man) obeys the will of God.

Quote: Disobedience to God’s will is a tragedy—but so is reluctant, grudging obedience. God does not want us to disobey Him, but neither does He want us to obey out of fear or necessity. [Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 2, p. 523). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.]

Illustration: A woman visited a newspaper editor’s office, hoping to sell him some poems she had written.

“What are your poems about?” the editor asked.

“They’re about love!” gushed the poetess.

The editor settled back in his chair and said, “Well, read me a poem. The world could certainly use a lot more love!”

The poem she read was filled with moons and Junes and other sticky sentiments, and it was more than the editor could take.

“I’m sorry,” he said, “but you just don’t know what love is all about! It’s not moonlight and roses. It’s sitting up all night at a sickbed, or working extra hours so the kids can have new shoes. The world doesn’t need your brand of poetical love. It needs some good old-fashioned practical love.” [Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 2, pp. 523–524). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.]

Only for a child of God are His commandments not grievous.

Quote: D.L. Moody often said, “Every Bible should be bound in shoe leather.”

Quote: We show our love to God, not by empty words but by willing works. We are not slaves obeying a master; we are children obeying a Father. And our sin is a family affair. [Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 2, p. 524). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.]

Illustration: Kids at the table frowning at what is put in front of them.

Those with God’s love in them NEVER view the Bible as a text book they have to read for the upcoming exam. But rather reading more like a love letter to them.

Psalm 119:54 “54 Thy statutes have been my songs In the house of my pilgrimage.”

3) The Victory Of Our Faith (vv4-5)

It stands very clear that only those whom are “born of God” OVERCOME the WORLD.

What exactly lifts the believer to the status of “overcomer?”

Answer = HIS FAITH

Quote: Faith is the cause of victory, the means, the instrument, the spiritual armour and artillery by which we overcome [Henry, M. (1994). Matthew Henry’s commentary on the whole Bible: complete and unabridged in one volume (p. 2452). Peabody: Hendrickson.]

What does John mean by being someone who “overcomes the world” by faith?

Remember the assault on the truth regarding Jesus Christ and His deity by the Gnostics.

John is speaking of an intellectual spiritual victory they have over the world’s anti-Christ message.

What does our faith actually do for us that brings us victory over such intellectual spiritual battles?

We cling to Christ

We withdraw from the love of the world

Faith sanctifies and purifies the heart

We derive strength from it’s object

We can fix our hearts of the “unseen” world that lies ahead

You are never satisfied with this world. You look beyond it.

2Cor. 5:2 “2 For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven:”

Conclusion

If you are truly born-again, there will be a fleshing out of God’s love He has placed within you through your trusting faith in Jesus Christ.