Love in 1st John 4:7-18

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16 1st John 4.7-18
July 10th 2016
Meat

Okay last week we read (in verses 1-6) of 1st John:

1John 4:1 Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.
2 Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God:
3 And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.
4 Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.
5 They are of the world: therefore speak they of the world, and the world heareth them.
6 We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error.

Agape Love

Now, at verse 7 John returns to the central theme of this epistle – agape love. And he returns to it with a vengeance. I say this because the biblical chapter known as the “chapter on Christian love” – 1st Corinthians 13 – mentions agape love 6 times in its thirteen verses. Of course it’s all about it but the term is only used six times. Here, in 15 verses John appeals to “agape” or “agapao” 16 times (or nearly three times as much).

Now we could approach our subject didactically and I could reiterate over and over how important it is to love others. But I think by this time most of us here (if not all) understand this. I’m therefore going to approach the subject from another angle.

John's Writings on Love

So let’s read what John has to say (or add) to the subject of love beginning at verse 7:

7 Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God.
8 He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.
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.
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.
11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.

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.
13 Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit.
14 And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Savior of the world.
15 Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God.
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.

17 Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world.
18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.

Questions on Love

Okay, back to verse 7.

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

From what John has been saying in the first verse of this chapter this is a new topic. But in light of what he has been saying in the epistle itself this is a repetition. Because we have covered much of the content here in previous verses I want to open our study up with some questions:

First,
Are all forms of love – brotherly, erotic and romantic, family, and obviously agape – evidence of the presence of God? Is He the author of all forms of love in other words?

Secondly,
Is possessing and expressing any kind of love for another an expression that originates from God and like the first question, is evidence of His presence in others?

Third, and going a bit deeper . . .
Can only Christians love with agape love? (this

Understanding Love in Christian and Non-Christian Contexts

Fourth,
What is the difference between the love a Christian expresses toward others (as a believer in Jesus Christ) and the unconditional love a non-believer expresses toward others – if any?

Fifth,
…if there is no difference between the way a Christian and a nonbeliever loves how are we to understand this?

I’ve really been wracking the topic over and over in my head because I have long taught and believed things in one way but now I can’t help but wonder about it. What way was it? I have long believed that non-Christians cannot fully love (in the manner that God loves) because they are incapable of overcoming self-interest without the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. I don’t know about this anymore because there are plenty of stories of selfless unconditional acts of love that occur in the lives of many non-Christians – people who give their lives for others – even strangers – selflessly and we would be myopic to suggest otherwise. So maybe the question shouldn’t be, “Can a non-Christian love (with Godly love) without the Holy Spirit” but should instead be:

Exploring Agape Love

What is the difference between a Christian who loves and a non-Christian who loves? Let me step back. There are non-believers who love their children – some of them better than Christians. There are non-believers who love their spouses devoutly – again, better than some Christians. There are non-believers who love their families – even to the point of GREAT sacrifice. I would suggest that agape love is possible in the lives and hearts of non-believers. How is this possible? What is the origin of this love that they possess? Are they rewarded for it, or is possessing or operating by it a reward in and of itself?

According to John, agape love is evidence of six things which he presents to us in these passages. It’s evidence…

1. That we are born of God.
   (as vs. 7 says) Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. This passage presents us with a tremendous conundrum. Either non-believers are not loving others with agape love, or they are. Here John plainly says that “everyone that loveth is born of God, and Knoweth God!”

So we have a few options on how to understand this:

• Option One: The only people who love others are Christians because only Christians know God.
• Option Two: People who love are of God; they even know God, whether they are admitted Christians or not.
• Option Three: John is speaking to an audience of believers here, and his words must be taken in light of His audience. In other words, if He was writing to an audience of non-believers, he would NEVER say this to them but would instead say things like: All who believe in Jesus as the Author and Finisher of their faith are saved. Get it?

The second thing John says is the presence of love is evidence…

2. That we know God.
   (as Vs 7 and 8 say) “Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and everyone that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. 8 He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.

Again, some options:

• Option One: We could say that all who love others know God – as the passage suggests – but this could not be true because we know that people can love others but NOT know God! (The only qualifier to this could be that they really aren’t loving, or they really aren’t capable of any true agape love, but I’m not so sure about that)
• Option Two: says that this is written to people who profess God and not to those who deny Him, so we do not need to worry about the content to non-believers. It doesn’t apply.

Evidence of God's Presence

The third evidence that love for others provides us is

3. “That God dwells in us and we dwell in Him.”
   (Vs. 12-13 and 16) “No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us. Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit.” And verse 16 (Vs. 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.

So

Understanding Love and Fear

to our Options once again.

ONE: All who love are dwelling in God and God is dwelling in them and when we love we ALL know that we dwell in Him. This option is untenable with other passages so we have to discount its application to all people.

OPTION TWO: There is a built-in caveat to this verse by the catch phrase, “he that dwelleth in love,” because we could say that John is only talking to or describing those who “truly dwell in love” and not those who simple express it at times.

Love as Evidence of God Within Us

Our fourth evidence provided by love says that when we love . . . “we also know the love God has for us.” (as it says in verse 16)

By this time I think our text makes it pretty clear that in context of the rest of the New Testament writings that these passages can only be speaking to those who have God in them and they that are in God by faith.

At this point (#5) John specifically provides an evidence or benefit of the presence of agape love in us and says that His love is perfected in us to the point that we do not fear (as verse 17 says “Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment:”)

Contextually speaking, John, who has told them that the last hour is at hand, at this point gives them a wonderful re-assurance and plainly says the presence of love for others will eliminate fear. Before continuing on with this amazing principle on overcoming fear through love John sneaks a line in that serves as our sixth evidence from having love for others and says:

“Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment:”and that we become as He is while in this world

Becoming Like Him

Now we’re really getting down to some amazing stuff – that by and through our love for others

READY?

“WE BECOME AS HE IS WHILE IN THE WORLD”

Love others and we will become as He IS while we are in the world.

Here is the goal, reiterated in 1st John 2:6 Where we read:

“He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked.”

And . . .

1st John 3:3 And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.

1st John 3:7 Little children, let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous.

1st John 3:16 Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.

In other words the evidence our love for others presents us is that we are like Him in this world.

Perfected Love and Fear

And finally, and back to the benefits of love relative to fear we learn

That perfected love casts out fear because fear has torment assigned to its presence but again, there is no fear in perfected love. We discover this in verse 18 which says:

18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.

Let’s read 17 and 18 together again as they are important to our understanding of fear and love:

17 Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world. 18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.

John has been writing to prepare his readers for the end time warfare and challenges surrounding them which included all sorts of warfare and threats of warfare, infighting, anti-Christian sentiments and doctrines and material suffering.

He has repeatedly instructed his readers to love but here in verse 17 and 18 he gives some super interesting insights to the value of loving others – and he begins with saying:

17 Herein (in this) is our love made perfect, (not perfect in the sense that it is without flaw but more in the sense that it is fulfilled) “Herein is our LOVE complete – that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because . . . as he is, so are we in this world.

Think about this a minute. When we have love for others, true unconditional abiding longsuffering love for others we will have BOLDNESS In the day of our judgement BECAUSE

Love and Boldness in Judgment

As Jesus is, so are we in this world. Remember, John is preparing them for the day of judgment for they are at the last hour, or as Peter said in his epistle: The end of all things is at hand. And he tells them that the love they have for others will become fulfilled, perfect, and complete as they have boldness in the day of judgment (in their case the coming judgment of Jerusalem and in our case the coming judgment that occurs at the end of our lives) “BECAUSE AS JESUS IS so are we in the world.”

In other words, would Jesus have fear at all in the coming judgment or would He be bold in the face of it? He would be bold, right? But why? Because He was without sin of omission or commission. So we too are without sin of commission (by virtue of His shed blood) and of omission because we have loved as He loved. In this our love is made whole and we, as a result of it, become bold (which is the opposite of fear here) BECAUSE we are in our lives IN THIS WORLD as He is above. Radical.

Perfect Love Casts Out Fear

Then John adds, in reference to the boldness they will have at the judgment on Jerusalem (by and through being loving) and the boldness we will have at our own judgment because we have been loving,

18 There is no fear in love; but perfect (fulfilled complete) love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.

IOW, IF WE TRUST AND KNOW THAT GOD LOVES US WE HAVE ZERO REASON TO FEAR – FOR WE KNOW THAT HE IS ON OUR SIDE AND WE WILL BE DELIVERED. Therefore genuine love is not an affection that can produce fear. What I take this to mean is that in its purest, most guileless form, love just is without fear because fear is based in repercussions to the self. Since love is selfless, there is no fear in the expressions of agape love.

Think of it this way, when we truly deeply love a child with utter unconditional love we do not fear that they will not love us back – we simply and with complete adoration love them despite the outcome. So it is with pure love for God and for others. If or since the love is an expression of utter selflessness there is no fear for the self to experience loss or pain or anything else along the way. The love is devoted. It’s like Goethe once quipped: “If I love you what business is it of yours?” Because true love is defined in scripture as being all things outside of the realms of the self and self-gratification then the existence of it removes all fear – Fear of disappointment, fear of retribution, fear of rejection, fear of loss, fear of pain or suffering. Why? Because in our love for another or for God there is a willingness to receive all that the beloved chooses to heap upon us – the love is so devoted.

No Fear in Loving God

When that is the case there is absolutely no need to fear. None. In love there is NO fear. So when it comes to loving God the believer has no fear of His second coming, nor of judgment, nor of death – because we love Him so much we trust that whatever will come He is worthy, He is good, He is love. Taking verse 7 again let’s read:

17 Herein (in this) is our love made perfect, (not perfect in the sense that it is without flaw but more in the sense that it is fulfilled) “Herein is our LOVE complete – that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because . . . as he is, so are we in this world. 18 There is no fear in love; but perfect (fulfilled complete) love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.

There are a few important allusions being made here. When we are as He is in this world (which was loving) there is no fear in such an approach to living because when we operate by the element that is God we are safe from all things and zero need to fear. From this we can perfectly equate genuine agape love to righteousness, holiness, and purity.

In other words where there the “real love of God” there is no sin and where there is no …

Perfect Love and Fearlessness

Sin there is no guilt and where there is no guilt there is no fear. “Perfect love casteth out fear.” Why? Because John says, “Fear has torments.” So you are a believer in John’s day and you have not been loving to others and the end is being prophesied as just around the corner your imperfect love would produce fear of His coming, which is the antithesis of boldness. Or if you are a believer today who is seeing signs of His eminent return (or you are laying on your death bed and are getting ready to die) and you have no basis is living a loving life, there may also be fear – fear to face God. But perfect love casts our fear and “torments” vanish.

It’s really an interesting paradox because it is the presence and acknowledgment of our abundant sin that allows a person to realize that great love and forgiveness has been extended to them through Christ, right? This broken humble state then opens the door for such believers to openly love others greatly – which creates a boldness of total peace within the forgiven who too has chosen to love. This is the most radical system created by God to redeem human-kind and have them become His Sons and Daughters. I say this because He – in and through the corrupting influences of sin – uses our allegiance to it to get us to love more.

An Example from Luke

We read in Luke 7:

36 And one of the Pharisees desired him that he would eat with him. And he went into the Pharisee's house, and sat down to meat.
37 And, behold, a woman in the city, which was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at meat in the Pharisee's house, brought an alabaster box of ointment,
38 And stood at his feet behind him weeping, and began to wash his feet with tears, and did wipe them with the hairs of her head, and kissed his feet, and anointed them with the ointment.
39 Now when the Pharisee which had bidden him saw it, he spake within himself, saying, This man, if he were a prophet, would have known who and what manner of woman this is that toucheth him: for she is a sinner.
40 And Jesus answering said unto him, Simon, I have somewhat to say unto thee. And he saith, Master, say on.
41 There was a certain creditor which had two debtors: the one owed five hundred pence, and the other fifty.
42 And when they had nothing to pay, he frankly forgave them both. Tell me therefore, which of them will love him most?
43 Simon answered and said, I suppose that he, to whom he forgave most. And he said unto him, Thou hast rightly judged.
44 And he turned to the woman, and said unto Simon, Seest thou this woman? I entered into thine house, thou gavest me no water for my feet: but she hath washed my feet with tears, and wiped them with the hairs of her head.
45 Thou gavest me no kiss: but this woman since the time I came in hath not ceased to kiss my feet.
46 My head with oil thou didst not anoint: but this woman hath anointed my feet with ointment.
47 Wherefore I say unto thee, Her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much: but to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little.

Upon the pardon of our sin, a pardon that is based on the most amazing love, our hearts are filled with the love of God and there is less and less dread in this world and world to come.

The Power of Love

So the lesson is error on the side of love. Choose love in as many cases as humanly possible – and remember that love is defined by scripture and not by Man. John adds this final thought and says: “He that feareth, is not made perfect in love.” A reciprocal passage is found back in verse 12 where he writes:

1st John 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.”

We can therefore conclude that those who find themselves fearful are somehow failing to love others and therefore His love is NOT being perfected in them. If it was they would not fear. So, in review, we know that those who truly love others, according to John’s words and promises here, can know that

“They are born of God.”

“That they know God.”

“That God dwells in them and that they

Perfected Love and God's Manifestation

“That they also know the love that God has for them. And they know that His love is perfected in them to the point that they do not fear that they become as He is while they are in this world.”

And they realize that perfected love casts out fear (because fear has torment assigned to its presence) but again, do they come to know that there is no fear in perfected love.

The Message in 1 John

All that being said let’s work through our passages now (at a brisk pace) and touch on some of the things mentioned around his central message:

Verse 7 (slowly)

7 Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. 8 He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love. 9 In this (meaning what is to come) 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.

It is an interesting insight that John gives us here. Of all the things he could have evinced as proof of God’s love he chose to name one – that fact that “God sent His only begotten Son into the world that we (believers) might live through Him.” People who wonder about God and His love often miss this gift, this ultimate proof of God’s love for the whole world – His only begotten Son who did not come to only save a small part of the world – but God loved us so much He sent Him to save the whole world.

Also note that John says “that God loved us, sending His son into the world THAT WE MIGHT LIVE THROUGH HIM,” reiterating that we no longer live lives through the flesh but through Christ Jesus, giving us the ability to love as He loved while here on earth.

Understanding Propitiation

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.

Of course this passage points out that God’s love for us was NOT predicated on our first loving Him, and therefore earning His love in return but that while we were yet sinners, full of self and sin God sent His Son to be a (what the King James says) . . . a “propitiation for our sins.”

The Greek term for propitiation is “hil-as-mos” (as we discovered when we covered 1st John 2:2, the only other place the term is used in the entire New Testament. A corresponding word “hilasterion” occurs in Romans 3:25 where it is also translated in English to propitiation and in Hebrews 9:5 where it is translated Mercy Seat.

The verb hilaskomai occurs in Luke 18:3– "God be merciful to me a sinner;" and then again in Hebrews 2:17 where it is translated “reconciliation for the sins of the people." The proper meaning of the word is that of reconciling, appeasing, turning away anger, rendering propitious or making something favorable. The idea is that there was anger or wrath and something has been done to mercifully turn that wrath away.

Love and the Nature of God

Verse 11

Then John gets back to it, saying:

11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another (a message repeated often in this epistle) then verse 12:

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.

Back in the Gospel of John 1:18 Jesus said:

“No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.”

Is this true. It has to be. When John wrote this Jesus had ascended into the bosom of God (which he admits here) and then adds that Jesus declared Him.

John probably said this to place Jesus at the pinnacle of revelation – neither Moses nor David nor Abraham had EVER seen God at any time – so look to Jesus because He not only has seen God, He came from God, was with God, and declares the nature of the invisible God.

His intimate knowledge of God could be trusted and the life He lived to follow the invisible God could be trusted as well. Of course all through scripture men and women have seen manifestations of Him but none of them ever revealed God to man – if they had Jesus wouldn’t have said this and John wouldn’t be repeating it here in.

God's Presence Evidenced by Love

Nevertheless there is a method by which people can be assured that they have a true knowledge of him and it is evidenced by the love they have for one another AND by the presence of his Spirit in our hearts. In other words we cannot become acquainted with God by sight, but we may by love. In other words our love for each other is the proper exponent of Him reigning in our hearts.

Big love big God. Small love, small amount of God.

Assurance of His Spirit

And then the reiterated passages to wrap the day up:

13 Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit. 14 And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Savior of the world.

Confession and Love

15 Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God. 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. 17 Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world.

Let’s end there.

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