28/02/21 – 1 John 4:11-16
Note that all references to “love” in this passage today (“Beloved”, “loved”, “love”) refer to God’s agape love, a love which is manifested in Jesus Christ’s sacrifice to the whole world, yet only manifested in genuine Christians. This passage, therefore, cannot be applied to pseudo-Christians or non-Christians.
1 John 4:11 – Beloved (agapetos), if God so loved (agapao) us, we ought
also to love (agapao) one another.
Beloved – John is talking to only genuine Christians here.
if God so loved us – While John is applying this to those he is writing to, it must be kept in mind that God’s love was shown to the whole world (John 3:16) and to sinners opposed to God (Romans 5:8). If all have sinned, then Christ died for all.
However, John’s context clearly can only apply to genuine Christians here, for only such can agapao love anyone else, either God or man. Christians are to love God because of His love for us (1 John 4:19) and we are to love our Christian brethren (1 John 3:14). However, Christians are to demonstrate this agape love not only to their brethren, but to all whom they might call their neighbour.
Romans 13:10 – Love (agape) worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love (agape) [is] the fulfilling of the law.
And who is my neighbour? In answer to this question, “And who is my neighbour?” (Luke 10:29), Jesus taught the parable of the good Samaritan (Luke 10:30-37). Here your neighbour is anyone who has need of your love!
John does, though, appear to be referring particularly to loving one another of the Christian brethren (see 1 John 2:10-11).
one another – allelon (one
another; mutually) This term refers to a love that is returned by the other person. Only
Christians may agape love another, so in order to return that love, the
other person would have to also be a genuine Christian.
John 13:34-35 – 34A
new commandment I give unto you, That ye love (agapao) one
another; as I have loved (agapao) you, that ye also love (agapao) one
another (allelon). 35By
this shall all [men] know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love (agape) one to another (en allelon – with or among one another).
1 John 4:12 – No man hath
seen God at any time. If we love (agapao) one another, God
dwelleth in us, and his love (agape) is perfected in us.
hath seen – theaomai (to
behold; look upon; view contemplatively) Perfect tense, thus “No man has up to this
point in time ever beheld God face to face.” That is, we might behold God in
the future, but as of this time no-one has ever looked upon God. God told Moses
that no-one could see His face and live.
Exodus 33:20 – And
he said, Thou canst not see my face: for there shall
no man see me, and live.
Jesus, not the Father, was the visible
form of the Trinity.
John 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].
Therefore we are talking here of the Father who has never been
seen, because the Son has already been seen by many people by the time John
wrote 1 John.
perfected – teleioo (make
perfect; complete; accomplish; finish)
Perfect tense, thus “has already been perfected in us”. This would refer
to when we were saved / born again as per Romans 10:13, because “love” here has already
been perfected (as a completed action) in the past. Therefore “his
love”
here does not refer to our loving of one another which should be an ongoing
action, but rather that our love for one another is the consequence of God’s
love already having been perfected in us. If loving one another demonstrates
God’s love being accomplished in us, then it makes more sense, because
our love for one another would be the end result of God loving us. However, it
could also be seen as us doing what God requires of us in loving one another,
thus demonstrating our love for God.
John 14:15 – If
ye love me, keep my commandments.
Therefore obeying God’s
commandment to love one another is what God’s love should be accomplishing in
us.
Note the following.
1 John 2:5 – But
whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of
God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him.
Note the similar term epiteleo (bring
to an end; accomplish; perfect; complete) translated “will perform” in Philippians 1:6 – Being
confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will
perform [it] until the day of Jesus Christ:
That is, the work that was began in us when we were saved will be
brought to perfection one day.
If we agape love one another (mutually) then it demonstrates that
God must be dwelling in us, for only genuine Christians may demonstrate agape
love (John 13:34-35).
Also John 14:23 – Jesus
answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my
Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.
When others see this love for one another demonstrated in us, they
should be observing the love of God in us. This is the evidence of God dwelling
in us.
We are ambassadors for Christ; those who see us should be also seeing
Christ in us (2 Corinthians
5:20).
Likewise, those who saw Jesus also “saw” the Father. Jesus told Thomas
that those who saw (horao – see with the eyes)
Him had also seen the Father.
John 14:7-11 – 7If
ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also:
and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him. 8Philip saith
unto him, Lord, shew us the Father, and it sufficeth us. 9Jesus 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? 10Believest 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. 11Believe me that I [am] in the Father,
and the Father in me: or else believe me for the very works’ sake.
This has to do with Adam and Eve being created in
God’s image. They must have resembled God in some discernible way. But when man
sinned, this image was corrupted so badly that by the time of the 10th
generation of man (Noah’s time), man was so corrupt that God destroyed all
mankind except for Noah and his family. (Genesis 6) Even Noah wasn’t perfect.
In fact, since the fall of Adam, all mankind has been corrupted by sin. No-one
would have been able to behold any man as the image of God as he had been
created. It was only when Jesus came as a man, God in the flesh, that those on
earth at that time could have seen the image of God in the man Jesus. Thus,
those who had seen Jesus had seen the Father. Man as the image of God had been
corrupted, and Jesus came to restore that broken image.
But all genuine Christians have been declared (by
God’s foreknowledge) to be His elect, His chosen ones, predestinated
to be conformed to the image of Christ …..
Romans 8:29 – For whom he did
foreknow, he also did predestinate [to be] conformed
to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many
brethren.
….. who is the express (exact in every way) image
of the Father.
Hebrews 1:2-3 – 2Hath in these last days spoken unto us by [his] Son, whom
he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; 3Who
being the brightness of [his] glory, and the express image of his
person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by
himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;
And if we are being restored back to that image that man was originally created in, we will be like Him.
1 John 3:2 – Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.
If we are becoming more like Jesus, then our will will become more like His, just as Jesus’ will was that of His Father of whom He was the “express image”.
John 4:34 – Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish
his work.
Our will should
not be our own.
Luke 22:42 – Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done.
1 Timothy 6:16 – Who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto; whom no man hath seen, nor can see: to whom [be] honour and power everlasting.
1 John 4:13 – Hereby know we
that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit.
1 John 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.
hath given – Perfect tense, thus “has already given as an accomplished fact in the past”. It occurred when we called upon the name of the Lord to be saved.
It is in this way (through our love for one another) that we can know that we dwell in God and He in us, because only those who demonstrate agape love to one another can be of God. Or, put another way, the only way we can agape love one another is if God dwells in us and we in Him because otherwise we would not be able to agape love anyone, let alone our brethren.
It is because of the Holy Spirit indwelling us from the time of our new birth (being born again) that we are able to dwell in God and He in us (1 Corinthians 3:16 & 6:19). Also note the following.
John 14:23-26 – 23Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him. 24He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings: and the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father’s which sent me. 25These things have I spoken unto you, being [yet] present with you. 26But the Comforter, [which is] the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.
John 3:34 – For he whom God hath sent speaketh the words of God: for God giveth not the Spirit by measure [unto him].
1 John 4:14 – And we have
seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son [to
be] the Saviour of the world.
have seen – Perfect tense, therefore a fully
accomplished or completed action in the past. So much of our evidence as
Christians goes back to the time when we were saved according to Romans 10:13. Thus “And we have beheld”. On the
other hand, “do testify” is a present ongoing action that will continue.
do testify – bear witness to as one would in a
court of law.
Thus “And we
have beheld and bear witness (because of that beholding) that it was the Father’s will to send the Son to be the Saviour of the world
(kosmos).”
sent – apostello (to
order one to go to an appointed place; send away) It has the idea of being sent forth with
orders. It is derived from apostolos (apostle;
one sent forth with orders). It is another perfect tense verb; therefore the sending of the Saviour is an
already completed action in the past. Once for all time! Thus “the Father has already sent the Son (as a completed action in
the past) with orders or instructions to be the Saviour of the world.”
Hebrews 9:24-26 – 24For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with
hands, [which are] the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now
to appear in the presence of God for us: 25Nor yet that he should
offer himself often, as the high priest entereth into
the holy place every year with blood of others; 26For then must he
often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end
of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.
Those orders
given by the Father to the Son sent Him to the cross.
Luke 22:42 – Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done.
Note that the
Son was sent with orders to be the Saviour of the
world (kosmos), and not just a select few
chosen from out of the world. Keep in mind that in 1 John, kosmos
represents either the world of mankind, or the world of wickedness that opposes
God’s people. In a way, Jesus therefore died for both groups, the world of
mankind, and the world of wickedness (because all without exception have
sinned – Romans 3:23). It is
impossible to interpret kosmos here as just
some of those who have sinned!
Scriptural
consistency also demonstrates that Jesus is the Saviour of all men, but
particularly of those who believe.
1 Timothy 4:10b – we trust in the living God, who is
the Saviour of all men, specially of those that believe.
Those who
believe are the genuine Christians which means that Jesus is the Saviour of a
larger group of people, many of whom do not believe.
It is worth
noting that Jesus was sent into the world of all mankind (kosmos)
so that the whole world of mankind (kosmos)
might be able to be saved through Him.
John 3:17 – For God sent not his Son into the
world (kosmos) to
condemn the world (kosmos); but that
the world (kosmos) through
him might be saved.
It is
impossible to interpret this in any way so that it can only mean those elect whom God has chosen out of that kosmos.
John himself
testified that Jesus was the Christ the Son of God.
John 20:31 – 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.
John was one
of those qualified to bear witness of the Son. Therefore “we”
in 1 John 4:14 would
have to refer to those who had been with Jesus as His disciples or apostles.
John 15:27 – And ye also shall bear witness,
because ye have been with me from the beginning.
Note that “we”
in 1 John 1:1-3 would
also refer to those who had been with Jesus.
1 John 4:15 – Whosoever shall
confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God.
shall confess – homologeo (to
say the same thing as another; to agree with; assent; concede; confess;
profess; declare) It has the idea of speaking the same word together, or agreeing with
another’s view of things. Translated “confess” in 1 John 1:9.
John 20:31 – 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.
Whosoever (Anyone who) confesses that Jesus is the Son of God demonstrates that God abides in him and he abides in God. Thus no unsaved person may truly confess that Jesus is the Son of God. Note “every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God” (1 John 4:3)
Not only is our love for one another an evidence that demonstrates that we dwell in God and He in us, but confessing (without malice or deception) that Jesus is the Son of God is another evidence of that God and us mutually indwelling.
1 John 4:16 – And we have
known and believed the love
(agape) that God hath to us. God is love (agape); and he that
dwelleth in love (agape) dwelleth in
God, and God in him.
1 John 4:8 – He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.
have
known – ginosko (to know) Perfect tense,
thus our knowing is an already completed action in the past, and therefore can
be associated with us being saved.
believed – pisteuo (think
to be true; be persuaded of; place confidence in) Derived from pistis
(faith)
pisteuo is also perfect
tense, thus, like “have known”, our believing is also a completed action in the
past, therefore can also be associated with us being saved. “And we have come
to know and have believed already.”
Cambridge says: “Literally, And
we have come to know and have believed.”
We have known and have believed (already) to love that God has shown
toward us (by sending Jesus to be the Saviour of the world, particularly
ourselves). Therefore (we may confess or testify) that God is agape love
and he who abides in that agape love abides in God and God in him. That
is, because we already have knowledge of and believe in God’s agape love
toward us, we may be assured that because God is agape love, then we
have to be abiding in God to partake of that agape love and God (through
His Holy Spirit) also has to be abiding in (indwelling) us.
John 6:68-69 – 68Then
Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of
eternal life. 69And we believe and are sure that thou art that
Christ, the Son of the living God.
Finally, John makes it clear that it is that agape love of God that we have been made a part of that underlies this mutual indwelling.
It is no wonder that Paul wrote his love chapter of 1 Corinthians 13 emphasising the absolute necessity of agape love to be able to live our Christian lives. If we do not have agape love, then we are literally nothing (1 Corinthians 13:1-3).
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