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1 John Chapter
Four
I.
Content of the Chapter
Differentiate the Spirit of Truth and the
Spirit of Error
A. Do not believe every spirit (v.1);
B. Confess that Jesus Christ has come in the
flesh or not (v.2-3);
C. Hear the words of the apostles or not
(v.4-6);
Fellowship in the Love of Life
A. The love of God that begets us makes us love
one another (v.7-11).
B. He who abides in love abides in God and God
in him so that the love of God is perfected (v.12-16).
C. Love has been perfected among us that we may
have boldness (v.17-18).
D. He who loves God shall also love brothers
(v.19-21).
II.
Verse by Verse Commentary
1John. 4:1
“Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are
of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world.”
YLT: “Beloved, every spirit
believe not, but prove the spirits, if of God they are, because many false
prophets have gone forth to the world;”
Meaning of Words:
“spirit”: wind,
breath; “believe”: trust,
rely on; “test”: try; “false prophets”: lying prophets;
Literal Meaning:
“beloved, do not believe every spirit”, “every
spirit”: the spirit that inspires men to speak; generally, it is the spirit of
truth (see v.6), namely, the Spirit (see John 14:16, 17, 26; 16:13), that works
in the prophets in the church who speak for God and enables them to understand
the truth and then teach to all believers. “Do not believe”, because there are
many spirits of error in the world (see v.6), namely, the spirit of the
Antichrist (see v.3; 2:22), who pretends to be the Spirit to speak to the
children of God and entices them by false teachings (see 2:21-23, 26-27) to
errors (see Jude v.11).
“But test the spirits whether they are
of God”, “test”: to distinguish truth from falsehood by means of testing;
“whether they are of God”: whether they are of the Spirit;
“Because many false prophets have gone
out into the world”, “false prophets”: who are driven by the spirit of error,
namely, the spirit of the Antichrist, to preach the word of God falsely, “have
gone out into the world”, false prophets have emerged in an endless stream ever
since to deceive the children of God.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) Today, many Christians are deceived by
supernatural miracles, thinking that only can God work miracles. However, the
evil spirit can also do supernatural things.
2) To whatever who claim them to speak for God,
let us neither believe nor despise them and prove all their words (see 1Thess.
5:20-21).
3) The device of the devil is to make
unbelievers not believe the truth at all and make believers believe truth and
falsehood. And finally both of them are cheated.
1John. 4:2 “By this you know the
Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the
flesh is of God,”
YLT:
“in this know ye the Spirit of God; every spirit that doth confess Jesus Christ
in the flesh having come, of God it is,”
Meaning
of Words: “confess”: assent; “Christ”: the anointed; “know”: understand,
be aware of;
Literal
Meaning: “by this you know the Spirit of God”, “know”: discern; “the Spirit of God”: the
prophetic spirit that confesses Jesus is Christ openly is the Spirit of God,
namely, the Holy Spirit.
“Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in
the flesh is of God”, “confesses”:
declare openly; “Jesus Christ”, Jesus emphasizes His humanity, and Christ
emphasizes His deity ---- He is a perfect man and a perfect God. Therefore,
through Him only man can approach to God (see John 14:6). “Has come in the
flesh”, the Lord Jesus was incarnated and came to the world (see John 1:14,
18).
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1) The center of the faith of Christianity is
the confession of “the divine incarnation” ---- Jesus Christ, who is the only
one qualified to be our Savior to bear all men’s sins.
2) The heresy Gnostic denies the humanity of
Christ. And the Social Gospel does not confess the deity of Jesus. It is known
from this verse that their spirits are not of God.
3) The great theologian Augustine said, “except
for Incarnation of the Word, all theories of the philosophers have not gone
against the New Testament”. Therefore, “Incarnation of the Word” is the focal
point Satan attacks.
4) Sometimes, the heretical teachers claim that
they confess Jesus is Christ and is both divine and human, but the evil spirit
in them denies the Lord. Therefore, we may not only hear their words but also
observe their conversation ---- whether they have truly magnified the Lord.
1John. 4:3 “and every spirit that
does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And
this is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard was coming, and is
now already in the world.”
YLT:
“and every spirit that doth not confess Jesus Christ in the flesh having come,
of God it is not; and this is that of the antichrist, which ye heard that it
doth come, and now in the world it is already.”
Meaning
of Words: “the Antichrist”:
the opponent of Christ; “world”: system;
Literal
Meaning: “and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ
has come in the flesh is not of God”,
“does not
confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh”, deny that Jesus is the Son of God and is Christ;
“is not of God”: is not of the Spirit, for the Spirit has been sent by God to
the world to bear witness to Jesus Christ (see John 15:26).
“And this is the spirit of the Antichrist”, “the Antichrist” is not false Christ, but the one opposes
against Christ; “the spirit of the Antichrist”, the Antichrist will finally
appear in the last period during the Lord’s coming (see 2Thess. 2:3-10).
However, its mystery of lawlessness already works, and its spirit is working in
the false teachers of heresies.
“Which you have heard was coming, and is now already in the
world”, “have heard…”:
when the apostle were still on the earth in the early church time; “have heard
was coming”: the church had heard the teachings of the apostles that the
Antichrist will appear in the last days (see 2Thess. 2:3); “now”: when the
apostle John was still on the earth;
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1) Many heresies confess that Jesus was a
historical character but deny he was incarnated. And some heresies proclaim
that the Lord Jesus was not a real man, but a ghost who appeared before the
Jews for a short period two thousand years ago ---- that is to say, there was
not so-called suffering or death or resurrection.
2) The main works of the evil spirit is
deceiving believers to be corrupted from simplicity as to the Christ (see 2Cor.
11:3).
1John. 4:4 “You are of God, little
children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he
who is in the world.”
YLT:
“Ye -- of God ye are, little children, and ye have overcome them; because
greater is He who in you, than he who is in the world.”
Meaning
of Words: “overcome”: conquer; “greater”: more
excellent, higher, stronger;
Literal
Meaning: “you are of God, little children, and have overcome them”, “you are of God”: who are begotten by God (see v.7),
namely, believers of Jesus Christ (see 5:1); “have overcome them”: overcome the
evil one (see 2:13-14) and the evil spirits under him;
“Because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the
world”, “He who is in
you”, “He who is in you”: the holy Trinity (see 3:24, 4:12-13, 15-16); “he who
is in the world”: the devil and those who are under him; “greater”: greater in
person and in power;
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1) The whole world lies under the sway of the
evil one (see 5:19). Before we are saved, we were also under its power (Acts
26:18). However, we are enabled to overcome by Him in the Lord (see 1Cor.
15:57; 2Cor. 2:14; Col. 2:15; Rev. 12:11).
2) None of the spiritual giants can overcome
the enemies by his own power or talent, but by the Spirit in believers (see
Zech. 4:6).
1John. 4:5 “They are of the world.
Therefore they speak as of the world, and the world hears them.”
YLT:
“They -- of the world they are; because of this from the world they speak, and
the world doth hear them;”
Meaning
of Words: “of the world”: out
of the world; “speak”:
talk about;
Literal
Meaning: “they are of the world. Therefore they speak as of the
world”, “of the world”: things or the people that are
controlled by Satan, namely, things or the people that are of the evil system
of the world; “…as of the world”: the heresies speak and perform according the
evil system.
“And the world hears them”, “the world”: unbelievers, who were of the evil
system before they were saved; “hears them”: be willing to hear and receive and
follow;
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1) Man’s nature decides the nature of things he
speaks of. Man’s words may often unconsciously expose his inner nature.
2) Men in the world seem to be independent
creature. However, they can also not help being influenced by the people or
things around. Satan manipulates men by taking advantaging of men’s corruption
and weakness so that men will hear him and his evil spirits rather than God.
3) The heretical teachers are popular because
they only speak the words pleasant to the world. The servants of Christ shall
speak faithfully what they ought to say as God as inspired and revealed rather
than please men (see Gal. 1:10).
1John. 4:6 “We are of God. He who
knows God hears us; he who is not of God does not hear us. By this we know the
spirit of truth and the spirit of error.”
YLT:
“we -- of God we are; he who is knowing God doth hear us; he who is not of God,
doth not hear us; from this we know the spirit of the truth, and the spirit of
the error.”
Meaning
of Words: “know”: understand,
be aware of; “error”: deception, falsehood;
Literal
Meaning: “we are of God. He who knows God hears us”, “we”: the workers of God like the
apostles; “are of God”: who are begotten by God (see v.9) and have been sent by
God to bear witness to Him (see 1:1-3); “know”: seek to know God ceaselessly;
“know God”: believers who are simple and love God; “hears us”: hear the
teachings of the apostles, including all the teachings of the truth;
“He who is not of God does not hear us”, “is not of God”: is of the world (see
v.5); “does not hear us”: do not receive the teachings in the Bible;
“By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of
error”, “by this”: by the
above-mentioned six verses (see v.1-6); “the spirit of truth” refers to the Spirit, whose main work is
to lead men into the truth (see John 16:13); “the
spirit of error” refers to the evil
spirit, whose main work is to deceive men away from the truth (see Eph. 2:2).
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1) The nature of a man decides the nature of
the words he is inclined to hear. One’s interest in some sort of words reveals
his inner inclination. For example, a proud man likes to hear flattery words.
2) The fundamental principle of discerning the
spirit of truth and the spirit of error is: a) the former confesses openly the
right person of Jesus including His words and works, but the latter denies Him;
b) the former likes to hear biblical teachings of the truth including the words
and works, but the latter denies them.
3) Truth is opposite to error. One can only
please the living and true God and obtain ever growing spiritual reality by
receiving and practicing the truth. However, if one is deceived by the spirit
of error, he will fall into falsehood and vanity.
1John. 4:7 “Beloved, let us love one
another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows
God.”
YLT:
“Beloved, may we love one another, because the love is of God, and every one
who is loving, of God he hath been begotten, and doth know God;”
Meaning
of Words: “love one another”:
love each other (agapao); “is
born of God”: is begotten by God; “know”: understand, be aware of;
Literal
Meaning: “beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God”, the love that makes
us love one another is not out of us, but “of God”. God is the origin of love,
who grants us this love so that we are inspired and urged and motivated to love
one another.
“And everyone who loves is born of God and knows God”, “love”: love divinely; “is born of God”,
the love we love brothers is of the life of God. The life of God with the
divine love abides in believers. “Knows God”, there is the power of know God in
the life of God. The more we love with the love in life, the more will we know
God’s love and Himself.
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1) Once we have the life of God, we will have
the love of God. No life of God, no love of God. Since believers have the
relation of life with God, the origin of love, it will be revealed in our
disposition.
2) The love of God, and the life of God and the
knowledge of God are closely linked: a) the more we love, the more we grow and
the more we know God; b) the more we grow, the more can we love selflessly and
the more we will know God; c) the more we know God, the more will we reveal
love and the more mature we will be.
1John. 4:8 “He who does not love does
not know God, for God is love.”
YLT:
“he who is not loving did not know God, because God is love.”
Meaning
of Words: “love”: agapao;
Literal
Meaning: “he who does not love does not know God”,
“love”: the divine love; “does not know God”: he who does not know God will not
believe God. This verse explains the relation of God with the divine love. An
unbeliever in the world has neither nor God’s life, so he has no love of God
abiding in him.
“For God is love”, love is the nature of God, and is the bridge between
God and men. Man’s condition cannot satisfy God’s holiness and righteousness.
The love of God makes God send His Son to be propitiation for our sins ----
this is love (see v.10).
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1) The secret of knowing God for us is to love
God and men and experience God who is love in the life of love.
2) God is love. Anyone disobeys the nature of
love does not know God at all. On the contrary, he who obeys the nature of love
and experiences the love personally will know God.
1John. 4:9 “In this the love of God
was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the
world, that we might live through Him.”
YLT:
“In this was manifested the love of God in us, because His Son -- the only
begotten -- hath God sent to the world, that we may live through him;”
Meaning
of Words: “sent”: dispatch; “through”: by; “live”: be alive;
“manifest”: reveal;
Literal
Meaning: “in this the love of God was manifested
toward us”, “was manifested”: the invisible love can be revealed by visible
case.
“That God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might
live through Him”, “His only begotten Son” refers to Jesus Christ, who is the
only begotten Son in the bosom of the Father (see John 1:17-18); “into the
world”: the Lord Jesus came to the world (see Phil. 2:7-8); “through Him”:
receive the eternal life by His name (see 5:13; John 3:14-16);
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1) He who denies the deity of Christ has
abandoned the chance of obtaining the divine life as well as the graciousness
of the love of God.
2) God commends His love to us in that while we
were sinners, Christ died for us (
3) “The love of God in us”, many times, we will
clearly know the great love of God toward us when we see the internal works of
His love in us without seeing any external work.
4) The great love of God forgives our sins and
grants us the eternal life. The purpose of remission of sins is to make us a clean
vessel for the divine life that we will abide in God and He in us (see v.13,
16).
1John. 4:10 “In this is love, not that
we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for
our sins.”
YLT:
“in this is the love, not that we loved God, but that He did love us, and did
send His Son a propitiation for our sins.”
Meaning
of Words: “propitiation”: appeasement, make atonement;
Literal
Meaning: “not that we loved God, but that He loved us”, here it points that what love is (see 3:16).
Note that all the word “love” in this epistle in the original is the divine
love. We had no such love in ourselves. What we have is human love, selfish
love. Therefore, it is not “that we loved God”, for we have no such divine
love, but “that God loved us”. That is to say, God has given the divine love to
believers who are saved.
“In this is love
… and sent His
Son to be the propitiation for our sins”, “our sins”, sins hinder our fellowship with God
(see 1:6-10), so they should be taken away. “Propitiation”: the wrath of God
toward our sins are appeased through the blood of the Lord Jesus so that we are
reconciled with God; “this is love”, that God sent His Son to bear sins on the
cross revealed that nature of love ---- it is the sacrificial and active and
selfless love.
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1) True love is not out of man, for the love
out of man is characterized by human affection, sense of heroes, and vanities
of all forms and self-boasting.
2) The love of God is perfectly thinking for
others. Even though one is not love, God still loves him and even sacrifices
himself.
3) Love needs to pay cost, and the cost
concerns oneself ---- time, money, interest, dignity, status, etc. And love is
efficacious, and the effect concerns fellowship with others ---- the
elimination of misunderstandings, estrangements, hostility, gaps, etc.
4) The Modern Theology divides the love of God
and the redemption, emphasizing the love of God only. Here, it is mentioned
that the great redemption is the love of God.
1John. 4:11 “Beloved, if God so loved
us, we also ought to love one another.”
YLT:
“Beloved, if thus did God love us, we also ought one another to love;”
Meaning
of Words: “ought to”: have
to;
Literal
Meaning: “beloved, if God so loved us”,
“so” it shows the causal relationship
between this clause and the next clause. “So loved”, God sent His only begotten
Son to fulfill the salvation (see v.9-10).
“We also ought to love one another”, “we also ought to”: the necessary response of us
to the love of God; “love one another”, we shall love brothers and sisters with
the divine love, as God loves us.
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1) God pours His love upon our heart by the
Spirit (see
2) Whoever has enjoyed the love of God cannot
help responding to it. And the most proper response is to let the love of God
flow out of us unto others. This is to love one another.
3) Whoever is really led by the Lord to see His
love of crucifixion can in no wise return to his self-centered life, because he
must be seized by the unspeakable love of the Lord.
1John. 4:12 “No one has seen God at
any time. If we love one another, God abides in us, and His love has been
perfected in us.”
YLT:
“God no one hath ever seen; if we may love one another, God in us doth remain,
and His love is having been perfected in us;”
Meaning
of Words: “seen”: gaze at;
“perfect”: fulfill;
Literal
Meaning: “no one has seen God at any time”, the nature of God is spirit (see John 4:24) whom
cannot seen by men (see 1Tim. 1:17; 6:16). In the times of the Old Testament,
man saw only the angel of God (see Gen. 18:1-2), not the substance of God.
“If we love one another, God abides in us”, if we love one
another, the nature of God will be manifested on us (see John 13:35). Thus, God
will be pleased to abide in us instead of hiding Him from us.
“And His love has been perfected in us”, “been perfected”, the love of God is
perfect and full. However, our experience of God’s love is insufficient.
Therefore, our knowledge of God’s love shall be increased by loving one another
(see Eph. 3:17-18) and be practiced and finally perfected.
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1) If we love one another, we will abide in God
(see v.13). And if we abide in Him, He abides in us (see v.13; John 15:4).
Therefore, if believers love one another, God will abide in us.
2) Christ manifests God the Father through His
Incarnation (John 1:18). And believers experience the indwelling God through
loving one another (see John 14:21) and manifest God before men (see John 13:35).
3) The love of God must be perfected so that
such perfect love will be revealed on man. And believers’ loving one another is
the best way of perfecting the love of God.
4) The blessings and love of God do not linger
on us only, but will be distributed out by us. Therefore, more people will
enjoy the blessings and love and thus the love of God will be perfected in us.
1John. 4:13 “By this we know that we
abide in Him, and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit.”
YLT:
“in this we know that in Him we do remain, and He in us, because of His Spirit
He hath given us.”
Meaning
of Words: “Spirit”: breath,
wind; “abide”: dwell;
Literal
Meaning: “by this we know that we abide in Him”, “by this”: by the
fact that God gives the Spirit to us; “know that we abide in Him”: know that we keep the fellowship with God
in life; believers receive all their spiritual knowledge and experience by the
teaching and guidance of the Spirit (see John 16:13).
“And He in us”, in our fellowship with God in life, we feel that
God is true and living in us (see 1Thess. 1:9).
“Because He has given us of His Spirit”, “has given us”, the Spirit has been given
to us when we were just saved (see Acts 2:38). And the indwelling Spirit
enables us to receive the pouring out of God’s love (see
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1) When believers love one another, God abides
in us (see v.12). And we know He abides in us for we have the guidance and
inspiration of the Spirit.
2) The experience of God’s presence is built
upon the foundation of the objective faith (see v.14-15) and subjective
experience ---- know (v.13, 16).
1John. 4:14 “And we have seen and
testify that the Father has sent the Son as Savior of the world.”
YLT:
“And we -- we have seen and do testify, that the Father hath sent the Son --
Saviour of the world;”
Meaning
of Words: “Savior”: deliverer; “seen”: beheld; “testify”: prove;
Literal
Meaning: “and we have seen and testify”,
“we”: the apostles and their fellow workers;
“have seen”: to the disciples of the first generations had seen the Lord in the
flesh (see 1:1-3); to we believers of the later generations, they have seen the
Lord spiritually (see 2Cor. 4:4-6); “testify”: preach and prove what we have
seen to all;
“That the Father has sent the Son as Savior of the world”, “the Father has sent the Son”, it is mentioned again (see v.9-10); “Savior of the world”, there is no salvation in any other, and
the world can be saved by Him only (see Acts 4:12).
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1) The love of God is practical (the Father
sent His Son), and the works of Christ reaches far (all over the world) and the
power of the Spirit is abundant (Savior).
2) The works of Christ are given to the whole
world. Only those who stubbornly refuse to repent and believe shut themselves
off from the divine works.
1John. 4:15 “Whoever confesses that
Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God.”
YLT:
“whoever may confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God in him doth remain, and
he in God;”
Meaning
of Words: “confess”: admit; “abide”: dwell, live;
Literal
Meaning: “whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God”,
“confess”: it is not intellectual identification, but whole-hearted believing and trust; “Jesus is the Son of God”, Jesus is the only
begotten Son Sent by God (see v.9-10, 14) and is of God (see v.2-3) and is
divine.
“God abides in him, and he in God”, such bidirectional dwelling has mentioned thrice
in this chapter (v. 13, 15, 16), and this is the second one. Nevertheless, the
order here is contrary. In other two verses, it is first mentioned that we
abide in God and then God abides in us (see v.13, 16; 3:24), because here it
emphasizes that no one can say Jesus is Lord but in Holy Spirit (see 1Cor.
12:3).
1John. 4:16 “And we have known and
believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love
abides in God, and God in him.”
YLT:
“and we -- we have known and believed the love, that God hath in us; God is
love, and he who is remaining in the love, in God he doth remain, and God in
him.”
Meaning
of Words: “know”: have
known;
Literal
Meaning: “and we have known and believed the love that God has for
us”, “the love that God has for us”, it
indicates that we have experienced the love of God in our life. “We” refer to
Christ’s believers. “We have known and believed”: we have already known and
believed and are still knowing and believing the love;
“God is love”, “God is love” (see v.8), in believers’ fellowship
with God, believers have stronger and deeper feeling toward God’s love than
other dispositions of God. Whenever we meet God, we have met love. Therefore,
definitely, God is love.
“And he who abides in love abides in God”, when believers are
immersed in the love of God, they take God as their life and all, for only God
is the source of this love.
“And God in him”,
this verse is the last time of mentioning that we abide in God and God in us.
And different conditions or elements are mentioned in each verse: a) keep the
commandments of God (see 3:24); b) know by the Spirit of God; c) by the faith
that Jesus is the Son of God;
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1) Faith and love are closely related. Whoever
has no faith in the holy Trinity has no love of God. Whoever knows the love of
God will have faith in God.
2) He who really knows and believes the love of
God will not leave the love of God, but remain in this divine love and enjoy
the abundant love.
3) Whoever has known and enjoyed the love of
God will regard God as all of his life. Whoever has received God as his life
will manifest the love of God in his daily life.
1John. 4:17 “Love has been perfected
among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as
He is, so are we in this world.”
YLT:
“In this made perfect hath been the love with us, that boldness we may have in
the day of the judgment, because even as He is, we -- we also are in this
world;”
Meaning
of Words: “perfect”: fulfill; “judgment”: condemnation; “boldness”: confidence;
Literal
Meaning: “love has been perfected among us in this”,
“in this”: in love (see v.16); “love”, it is not human love, but the divine
love; “has been perfected”, it does not mean the love of God is not perfect,
but our experience and appropriation of love are not perfect. Therefore, we
have to “abide” in love so that the love of God will be perfected in us.
“That we may have boldness in the day of judgment”, “the day of
judgment” refers to the day of Christ’s second coming (see 2Thess. 1:10), who
will judge according to righteousness (see 1Pet. 2:23). And the judgment begins
from the house of God (see 1Pet. 4:17). “Have boldness”, believers in whom the
love of God is perfected do not fear the judgment of Christ.
“Because as He is, so we are in this world”, “as He is”, here it does
not mention His perfect power but His perfect love. “We are in this world”:
when we are in the world; “so we are…”, the love of God in us will be fulfilled
as perfect as the Lord (see Matt. 5:48).
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1) If we are bold in the normal fellowship with
God (see 3:21), when the Lord comes again, we will also be bold before the
judgment seat of Christ.
2) It is cruelly difficult for believers to
seek to be perfect in “works”. However, if we seek to be perfected in “the love
of God”, we need only to “abide” in love (see v.16). The divine love will help
us to live a perfect life.
3) Loving brothers is like loving God. The one
who most has love is the one who likes God most. As God is filled with love, so
are we. He who treats with men by the love of God will surely have boldness
toward God.
1John. 4:18 “There is no fear in love;
but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who
fears has not been made perfect in love.”
YLT:
“fear is not in the love, but the perfect love doth cast out the fear, because
the fear hath punishment, and he who is fearing hath not been made perfect in
the love;”
Meaning
of Words: “fear”: terror, be
afraid; “perfect”:
fulfill, complete, accomplish; “cast
out”: throw out, thrust; “involve”:
get, obtain; “torment”:
infliction;
Literal
Meaning: “there is no fear in love”, “fear”: fear the wrath of God (see John 3:36;
“But perfect love casts out fear”,
“perfect love”, the love of God is perfected
in a man; “casts out fear”, love can eliminate fear in heart.
“Because fear involves torment”, “torment”: the punishment of the Lord when He
comes again (see Luke 12:46-47); “fear involves torment”: fear is a kind of torment both at present and in
future;
“But he who fears has not been made perfect in love”, “he who fears”, one who is often in fear
of torment; “has not been made perfect in love”, it means that one has not
abided in the love of God and the divine love has not been manifested in him.
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1) The love of God has not been perfected in
the life of whoever fears his future.
2) The perfect love dispels fear as the light
dispels darkness, for he who loves brothers abides in light (see 2:10).
3) He who fears predicts what he has done will
make him in torment.
4) As long as Christians shall live in fear now
(see Eph. 5:21; 1Pet. 1:17), they will not fear the coming judgment of God.
1John. 4:19 “We love Him because He
first loved us.”
YLT:
“we -- we love him, because He -- He first loved us;”
Meaning
of Words: “first”:
beginning;
Literal
Meaning: “we love Him”, our love to God (see v.10-12;
Mark, 12:30-31);
“Because He first loved us”, it does not mean that we love God to reward
His love, for we cannot reward the divine and gracious love. This verse tells
us that it is God that has first poured out His love into us (see
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1) Our love is the natural manifestation of the
divine love in us. The more we enjoy the love of God, the more will we love God
and men.
2) Though God loves us, He does not force us.
If man’s love is not active or voluntary, it is not love.
1John. 4:20 “If someone says, "I
love God," and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love
his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen?”
YLT:
“if any one may say -- `I love God,' and his brother he may hate, a liar he is;
for he who is not loving his brother whom he hath seen, God -- whom he hath not
seen -- how is he able to love?”
Meaning
of Words: “hate”: detest;
“see”: behold;
Literal
Meaning: “if someone says, "I love God"”, many in the church
confess they love God, especially, the heretical teachers with ulterior
motives.
“And hates his brother”,
“hate”: “not love”; positively, it is
“hate”. And passively, it is “not love”. Hatred includes the lack of kindness
toward brothers, and the ignorance of brothers’ profits in dealing with things
and betraying brothers.
“He is a liar”, it means that he deceives himself.
“For he who does not love his brother whom he has seen”, “does not love”:
care naught for others, “his brother whom he has seen”, it has two meanings: a)
the common people; b) brothers around us;
“How can he love God whom he has not seen”, “love God whom he has not seen”, for no
one has seen God (see v.12).
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1) God is love (see v.8, 16). There must be
objects of this love. The love of God is especially toward those who are born
again in the house of God. If we desire to have fellowship with God, we have to
love those whom He loves.
2) The practice of love should be started from
loving brothers. Loving brothers is the truest practice and learning. The love
of God shall be manifested from the vivid work of “loving brothers”.
3) To love brothers shall be done from the
brothers whom we have seen. Many people do not love the brothers whom they have
seen, but love those who are afar off.
1John. 4:21 “And this commandment we
have from Him: that he who loves God must love his brother also.”
YLT:
“and this the command we have from Him, that he who is loving God, may also
love his brother.”
Meaning
of Words: “commandment”:
precept;
Literal
Meaning: “and this commandment we have from Him”, “commandment”: that we have to keep; let us not love in word or
in tongue, but in deed and in truth
(see 3:18).
“That he who loves God must love his brother also”, “he who loves God”: he who thinks that he
loves God (see v.20); “love his brother”: love the brother around him (see
v.20);
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1) He who desires to love God shall also love
brothers. This is the commandment of God, not our own choice.
2) It is not to love loveable brothers, but
just all “brother” ---- every brother born of God.
III.
Outlines of the Spiritual Lessons
Know the Spirit of Error
A. Whose tool ---- false prophets (v.1);
B. Whose strategy ---- deny that Jesus Christ
has come in the flesh (v.2
C. Whose source ---- be not of God, but of the
Antichrist (v.3b);
D. Whose location ---- be now already in the
world (v.3b);
E. Whose power ---- be smaller than He who is
in believers (v.4);
F. Whose nature ---- be of the world (v
G. Whose work ---- be of the world (v.5b);
H. Whose influence ---- the world hears it (v
Know the Spirit of Truth
A. Whose insistence ---- confess that Jesus
Christ has come in the flesh (v
B. Whose source ---- be of God (v.2b);
C. Whose location ---- abide in believers (v
D. Whose power ---- be greater than he who is
in the world (v.4b);
Reasons Why Believers Shall Love One Another
A. For love is of God ---- be born of God and love is in the divine life
(v.7);
B. For God is love----
know God by love (v.7-8);
C. For God loved ---- the love is manifested
(v.9-11);
D. For God abides in us ---- such love renders
God abide in us (v
E. For love is perfected in us ---- we are
enabled to abide in God, and God in us (v.12b-16);
F. For there is no fear in love ---- have
boldness in the day of judgment (v.17-18);
G. For he who loves God must love his brother
also ---- he who does not love whom he has seen can not love God whom he has
not seen (v.19-21);
Enjoyment of God’s Love
A. Share the love of God (v.7-11) ---- it is
God that first loved us, so such love shall be shared with others;
B. Partake of the love of God (v.12-16) ---- if
we love one another, we have been partakers of the love of God together;
C. Fully enjoy the love of God (v.17-21) ----
God’s love is perfect, so man’s love shall also be perfected;
Love of the Trinity
A. Love of God the Father ---- who sent His
only begotten Son to the world (v.9);
B. Love of God the Son ---- who had become the
propitiation for our sins (v.10);
C. Love of God the Spirit---- who is given to
us and abides in us (v.13);
Works Done by God’s Love
A. In the past ---- we were remitted and born
again (v.9-10);
B. At presence ---- we are enabled to love one
another (v.11-16);
C. In the future ---- we are enabled to be bold
in the day of judgment (v.17-18);
Two Aspects of Love
A. Know love by love (v.19, see v.8);
B. Manifest love by love (v.20);
──
Caleb Huang《Christian Digest Bible
Commentary Series》
Translated by Mary Zhou