Hello everyone. I hope you’ll go get your Bible and let’s follow through together as we finish up the book of 1 John. We’ve been going through a Bible Study of this wonderful book that God inspired through the apostle John, and so we’re going to resume this Bible Study now by turning to Chapter 3.
1 John – Chapter 3
And we’ll begin in verse 1.
1 Behold, what manner of love the Father has bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knows us not, because it knew him not.
We’re actually the begotten children of Almighty God through Jesus Christ. And of course the world rejected Jesus Christ because He did the right thing. So it also rejects us when we do the right thing. Now, not everybody in the world is mean or hateful or persecutes those who do the right thing. But in terms of living life the way God says to and in terms of letting our light shine as Christians, it is going to bring persecution sooner or later, and from one direction or the other—just like it did on Jesus Christ. And when that happens, that should not be a strange thing to us.
We should be living our lives in a way that is so contrary to the way the world is, that it will bring attention and that it will bring persecution. Not that we go out of our way to have that happen. But because of the fact that it is in such a contrast to the way the world is, that it is noticeable to people who are keen observers. And sometimes that means then that they won’t like it and they will ignore us, reject us, and even persecute us from time to time. It’s happened through history to Christians and it happened to Jesus Christ. That’s what he’s saying here in 1 John 3:1.
Now notice verse 2.
2 Beloved, now are we the sons of God, —
Begotten children, begotten sons.
2 — and it does not yet appear what we shall be: —
It hasn’t happened yet.
2 — but we know that, when he shall appear, —
Jesus Christ.
2 — we will be like him; for we shall see him as he is.
This means that Almighty God in heaven is reproducing Himself. He’s building a family. You read over in Genesis 1:26 where God said “Let us make man in our image and after our likeness.” “Let us,” that’s plural.
So these two great eternal spirit beings decided that they would build a family to share everything with. And that’s what the plan of salvation is all about. And that’s what the central figure of that plan of salvation came to do and is still doing—Jesus Christ. It’s through Him that we are given the gift of eternal life and given access to the Father. It’s through Him that we will receive salvation. And we are co–heirs with Him, the Bible says. And we’re in the family of God with Him, and He is our brother. He’s not ashamed to call us brethren. He will always be in charge of us under the Father, and the Father will always be in charge of everything. But we will be glorified as He is glorified. And we will be given eternal life as He has eternal life. And we will have the power that He has, except subject to Him. We will be the family of God and we will be like Him. It says it right here.
2 — but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.
And that’s when we’re born again, born into the family of God—if we have endured all the way to the end in obeying God. And that’s when then we are changed into immortal spirit beings in the family of God—full sons and daughters and children of God in the family of God, to inherit all things. This is a big subject. We’ve covered it in other places and we’ll be covering it in the future. But this is one of the key scriptures in the Bible that explains the purpose in life, the plan of salvation that God is working out here below through Jesus Christ, and the full potential that God has built into the human family—that of becoming members of the God family through Jesus Christ, and that of becoming like Him in glory, in honor, in power, in majesty, and eternal life, but always subject to our Savior, to our King, to our elder brother, Jesus Christ, and always subject to the Father who is in charge overall.
Now, what does this understanding do to a person when they really grasp it. What impact does it have on an individual who really sees this truth? Look at 1 John 3:3.
3 And every man that has this hope in him purifies himself, even as he is pure.
It tremendously changes our lives. We become motivated. We become zealous. We become determined and focused. Now we know why we’re here, where we’re going, and how we’re going to get there. This changes everything when we understand fully the truth about God’s purpose and plan for humanity. And that then motivates us to overcome and grow, to get rid of bad habits and replace them with good habits, to obey God more and more and yield to Him in a fuller way with each passing day. It motivates us and it stimulates us and it inspires and encourages us to do that. That’s what verse 3 says.
3 — every man —
Every woman, everybody
3 — that has this hope in him purifies himself, even as he is pure.
Now verse 4. Here’s a key verse in the Bible. You know, people have this discussion on a regular basis. What is sin? Well, some say it’s missing the mark, and others say it’s doing bad, and others say it’s mistreating people, and others say “Well, it’s uh... coming up with wrong ideas and teaching error. Well, all of that might be a part of sin. But what is the pithy, succinct, cogent definition of sin from the Bible? Here it is in 1 John 3:4.
4 Whosoever commits sin transgresses also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.
And that’s what it is. Every sin that has ever been committed, every sin that is being committed now, and every sin that will be committed in the future is breaking the Ten Commandments to one degree or the other. It can happen in the mind. And it can happen through words and actions. But anytime and every time anybody sins, they have broken one or more of the Ten Commandments—because that’s what sin is. The law defines sin. Sin is the transgression of the law.
So as we keep those commandments and as we live within that law, we’re then learning how to replace sin with righteousness, not self righteousness, but with the righteousness that comes from God. And as we break that law, it doesn’t matter which one of the commandments or how many of them, we’ve broken the whole law and we have sinned before God. And we have to repent of that sin, be forgiven of that sin through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, and overcome and grow and quit practicing sin if we want to be in the Kingdom of God and if we want to be in the family of God.
Continuing, verse 5.
5 And you know that he was manifested to take away our sins; and in him is no sin.
Once we begin to live God’s way of life and follow Jesus Christ and try to become more like Him, and we’re in His church, in the body of Jesus Christ, and we are living his way, we no longer practice sin. We slip up, we make mistakes. But it is no longer a way of life with us. Rather we have rejected breaking the law. We have rejected the way of the world. We have rejected Satan the devil, and we’re overcoming our human nature. Through Jesus Christ we grow in grace and knowledge. That’s what that’s talking about here in verse 5.
Verse 6
And of course He never sinned once, never. In Him is no sin. No, never. And when He’s in us, we put sin out and replace it with doing the right thing. This is the way of life of Almighty God. This is what is called conversion and overcoming and growing.
6 Whosoever abides in him sins not: whosoever sins has not seen him, neither known him.
That’s talking about sin as a way of life. We know that we sin. I mean, we’ve already covered this.
Let’s turn back over here to 1 John 1:8. John is talking about Christians. He says “we,” so that includes him.
8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.
So, we do sin, we do make mistakes, we do slip up and we have to repent. We have to confess to Almighty God that we have sinned. We have to repent and we have to overcome those sins and then we go forward walking in newness of life. In other words, we don’t practice sin. Sin is not a way of life for us anymore. Obedience is a way of life for us now. Following Jesus Christ in every aspect of our lives is what we’re about now. That’s what it means when it says here in verse 6.
6 Whosoever abides in him sins not: whosoever sins has not seen him, neither known him.
It has to do with the practice of sin, the way of life of sin. We no longer live that way.
7 Little children, let no man deceive you: he that does righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous.
Well now, what is righteousness? What is righteousness? Let’s turn over here to Psalms 119:172.
Notice Psalms 119:172.
172 My tongue shall speak of your word: for all your commandments are righteousness.
So there’s the biblical definition of righteousness. You know, the Bible interprets the Bible and so the Bible clearly says:
172 — all your commandments are righteousness.
So it has to do with the law, once again, when you talk about being righteous.
8 He that commits —
Or other translation says “He that practices...”
8 — sin is of the devil; for the devil sins from the beginning.—
Now, Satan used to be an archangel called Lucifer. He was a glorious archangel serving God right at His throne. And then he rebelled and became Satan the devil. And from the beginning he lived a life of sin. He is the personification of sin. He has no righteousness about him at all. His sum total and substance is sin in every way, shape, and form. And the devil sinned from the beginning. It says that right here in verse 8.
8 — For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.
Which he will do. Let’s just notice verse 9.
9 Whosoever is born of God does not commit sin; for his seed remains in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.
As we have explained before, when you read the word “born” in books like the first book of John (1 John), when you read the word “born,” it is from a Greek word which can mean either born or begotten, “gennao.” And you have to let the context interpret the meaning of the word “born” when you read it in these verses. And when you put it in context, you can tell whether or not it’s talking about being begotten of God’s Holy Spirit or being born again into the family of God. Now, that does not occur until we are changed from mortal to immortal, that does not occur until the resurrection.
John Chapter 3 makes this plain. So now we are reading in John 3:1. And this is the same John that wrote this book 1 John, and he says:
1 There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews:
2 The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that you do, except God be with him.
3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.
If the church is the kingdom, you can see that as a human being, as a mortal.
4 Nicodemus said unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born?
5 Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
Well, if the church is the Kingdom of God, you can enter the church as a mortal. But He says here when you’re born again, you can see the kingdom. But unless you’re born again, you can’t. So how could the church be the Kingdom of God?
6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
We’re all born to the flesh. We all are flesh. We’re not born of the spirit yet. We’re begotten of the spirit if we’ve repented and been baptized and had the laying on of hands. Well, what’s it like when we’re born again?
7 Marvel not that I said unto you, You must be born again.
8 The wind blows where it listeth, —
Or where it wishes.
8 — and you hear the sound thereof, but you cannot tell where it came from and where it’s going: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.
In other words, when you are a spirit being, you’re invisible like the wind. You have power like the wind. But you are immortal, you are invisible when you’re born again. So that only occurs at the resurrection when Jesus Christ comes back to this earth.
Now let’s turn back over here to 1 John.
1 John 3:9, and hopefully that will clear that up.
9 Whosoever is born of God does not commit sin; for his seed remains in him: —
The Holy Spirit. Now he is composed of the Holy Spirit.
9 — and he cannot sin, —
Why? Because he is a spirit being and he is in the family of God, and God cannot sin because his has willed not to. Jesus Christ cannot sin. And when we’re born into the family of God, we cannot sin. Why?
9 — because he is born of God.
So you have to let the context interpret the meaning of the word “born” when you come across it in scripture. Sometimes it means begotten—you’re still a human being but you’re begotten with God’s Holy Spirit. And sometimes it means you are born again—you are now a spirit being in the God family. And when that happens, you can never sin ever again for all eternity over and over and over and over and over again. Throughout all the ages, all the ages, all the ages, you will never be able to sin. Over and over again you will do nothing but the right thing. That’s what it’s talking about here.
10 In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever does not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loves not his brother.
10 — whosoever does not righteousness, —
He that does not keep the commandments.
10 — is not of God, neither he that loves not his brother.
You know, one of the commandments, in fact the whole Ten Commandments have to do with love, and one of them says “You shall not kill.” And then Jesus Christ elevated it to the spiritual plane and said “You can’t even hate.” So if you don’t hate, that means you love. The first four of the Ten Commandments have to do with loving God, and the last six of the Ten Commandments have to do with loving neighbor. And so if we really are God’s begotten children, we are going to obey Him and we’re going to love Him and we’re going to love our neighbor.
11 For this is the message that you heard from the beginning, that we should love one another.
12 Not as Cain, who was of that wicked one, and murdered his brother. And wherefore slew he him? Because his own works were evil, and his brother's righteous.
And here were two sons born to Adam and Eve. One grew up to be evil and one grew up to be righteous. And the one that grew up to be evil did not keep the law, did not obey God, murdered his brother who did obey God and who did keep the law. And there’s the difference—one served Satan and the other served God. And one is in big trouble with God and the other is going to be blessed of God with eternal life, righteous Abel who obeyed God.
Verse 13I mean, we’re not the final judge on that, but that’s the indication in scripture.
13 Marvel not, my brethren, if the world hate you.
14 We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loves not his brother abides in death.
Well, the proper translation would mean that we are passing from death unto life because we are coming out of sin and into righteousness. We’re coming out of the world and into God’s way of life and therefore we’re on our way toward eternal life, and we are moving away from eternal death. Because through the power of the Holy Spirit of God, we’re now obeying God as a way of life, and we are now loving others and loving God.
15 Whosoever hates his brother is a murderer: and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.
That keeps the law in the spirit as well as in the letter. Now, do you know of anyone today who hates anybody else? Do you hate anyone else? I’ve heard people say “I just hate them and I hate them and I hate them.” You know what God says. He says that when we feel that way toward others, we’re breaking the sixth commandment, and we are murdering them—in terms of intent and in terms of thought. And now we are held responsible for the way we think as well as for what we do in regard to the Ten Commandments.
So if you hate someone, no matter who they are, you better expunge that from your character and from your thinking. And God can help you do that. You might hate what they do, you might hate what they’ve become, but you cannot hate them. They’re made in the image of God, and God wants them in His kingdom as well. They’ll have to repent and change, and they’ll have a chance and opportunity to do that.
But in the meantime, we’d better not hate them. We had better not be carrying grudges toward them. We can hate what they’ve done and do, and we can hate what they’ve become. But we must not hate them. That’s very clear in 1 John 3:15.
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.
That’s right. We ought to be able to serve others and give to others and be there for others. Not to the point to where we just get worn down, but in a balanced, common sense way. Our attitude is not one of selfishness, but it’s one of outgoing concern toward others—because we have become converted. We are now walking in newness of life. We’re trying to live life God’s way and according to His word and according to His law. And so we have to lay down our lives for others, like Christ laid down His life for us, all based on love. And of course our lives are made up of time, and so part of laying down our lives for others is giving them some of our time and concern and helping them wherever we can when it’s right and good for them and within God’s law.
17 But whoso has this world's goods, and sees his brother having need, and shuts up his heart of compassion from him, how dwells the love of God in him?
It doesn’t mean now that we just dole out everything to any and everybody. That’s not good for them. But when there is a legitimate need and you are able to give them some legitimate help, like priming the pump and they then will take that help and build on it, that’s showing love toward them. That’s doing good toward them, and that’s what it’s talking about here.
18 My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.
Now, of course, we should love in word, we should love in tongue, but that’s not the only thing. We should love in deed and truth. It’s a total package. When we love others, we love them by doing things for them. We love them by saying things that are good and right and truthful and encouraging. We love them by setting the example for them.
19 And hereby we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before him.
20 For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knows all things.
21 Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God.
See, our conscience is not our guide. The Bible is our guide. God’s Holy Spirit is our guide. Jesus Christ leads us, and our conscience comes in line with God’s word and comes in line with Jesus Christ. And that’s when our conscience is not going to condemn us, that’s when our conscience is not going to bother us. Because through God’s Holy Spirit and through the leadership and example of Jesus Christ, we’re living our lives in a way that’s in line with God’s way, and so we have a clear conscience. But if we go against that way and our conscience pricks us, that’s a good thing because that will sound the alarm. And we can examine ourselves and get straightened out on the area where we are living in error.
But what this is saying here in verse 19 and 20 and 21 is that as we walk God’s way and as we live God’s truth, we’re going to have a clear conscience. And that’s a beautiful, wonderful thing. And if we go against that truth and our conscience then bothers us, based on God’s word, we then can take a look and get worked out in the right way whatever the problem might be. A clear conscience because we’re living God’s way gives us the right kind of confidence. It is not self confidence, it is the confidence that comes from God; because through Jesus Christ, we’re doing the right thing and we’re living by faith and so we are confident. But it’s not arrogance and it’s not conceit and it’s not strutting. It’s actually being clothed in humility with a clear conscience. Therefore we have confidence to just step out in faith boldly and do what God says.
Verse 22, John says under inspiration of God.
22 And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight.
23 And this is his commandment, That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave us commandment.
24 And he that keeps his commandments dwells in him, and he in him. And hereby we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit which he has given us.
Those are very important verses there. All the verses of the Bible are important, but when you put together verse 22, 23, 24, it gives you the answer to receiving blessings from God and to receiving answers for our prayers. It has to do with obedience to God.
22 — whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight.
You want to know how to get your prayers answered? You want to know how to have your needs met? You want to know how to live the abundant life, worry–free? Well, here’s how to do it. You yield to God and I yield to God and we obey God. We keep His commandments. We do those things that are pleasing in His sight. And then He pours blessings out on us and He answers our prayers. But if we are rebelling and if we’re wallowing in sin and if we’re soaking up this world and we’re giving in to our human nature and then we run and get on our knees and ask Him for something, why should He give us what we’re asking for? All that would do is validate the way we are and what we’re doing. And therefore we would stay the way we are and keep doing what we’re doing. No, He sends us penalties and punishments when we’re disobeying Him and when we are wallowing in this world to help us wake up so we will repent and start doing what He says and come out of this world and overcome our human nature. Then we’re going to start doing things that please Him and we’re going to keep His commandments. And then He will pour out blessings on us and answer our prayers.
Please consider verse 22 very carefully. It is a key to living life the way God intends us to live life. Verse 22, please read it. And now let’s notice verse 23.
23 And this is his commandment, That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave us commandment.
We must believe Jesus Christ and we must believe on Him. And we must look to God in faith. But when you really believe on Jesus Christ, then you’re going to do what He says. You can’t just say, “Okay, I believe on Him,” and that’s it. That leads to then changing, that leads to then following Him and obeying Him. It stimulates and generates action.
Continuing, verse 24.
24 — he that keeps his commandments —
That’s action.
24 — dwells in him, and he in him. And hereby we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit which he has given us.
So when you read 1 John Chapter 3, there is so much meat there. It tells us why we’re here, where we’re going, and how we’re going to get there—the purpose in life. And it tells us how to achieve that purpose. Through the strength that God gives us, we keep His commandments. They’re not done away. Not only are they enforced, they have been magnified, and now they require more. Now they require the spirit of the law as well as the letter of the law. But we have extra help from God to keep the spirit of the law as well as the letter. And now the blessings come in the form of spiritual blessings as well as physical blessings. That’s what the old and new covenants are all about.
Let’s continue now.
1 John – Chapter 4
1 Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try —
Or test
1 — the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.
You know, there are spirits called demons. Satan the devil rebelled. Well, Lucifer rebelled and became Satan the devil. And one–third of the angels rebelled with him and they became demons. He is now the god of this world, and his kingdom is on the earth and this is his society. When you look around and see the institutions of this world and the values and standards and way of life in this world, that’s from Satan. It’s a mixture of good and evil, ending up being evil. And so you don’t want to tinker with that spirit world. You don’t want to be intrigued and mystified by it. You’re asking for trouble. You don’t need to fear Satan or his demons. You just need to be aware so that you won’t be taken in by them. But you need to focus on God and Jesus Christ and His word and His way of life. All of us do. Just be aware not to be taken in by Satan, his demons, the world and the way of life that they teach and that they uphold and that they advocate—the way of this world. So that’s what it’s talking about here when it says “Be careful.” Don’t just automatically think, “Oh well, you know, that’s from God,” when something happens or when a thought comes or when you’re told something by somebody.
We must prove all things. Hold fast to that which is good. That’s what the scriptures say. And right here it says “Well, test the spirits.” Be careful about false prophets. Check everything out according to God’s word and reject evil.
2 Hereby know you the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God:
Now, once again, that’s true if you connect it with what the Bible connects it with. For instance, let’s notice over here in Romans 10:9.
Romans 10:9
9 That if you shall confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and shall believe in your heart —
So then you have to believe what He says and who He was and what He wants you to do.
9 — and shall believe in your heart that God has raised him from the dead, you shall be saved.
So, yes, confessing Jesus Christ as who He is also requires believing that He existed and that He was raised from the dead, and doing what He says. I mean, He’s the one who said “Why call you me Lord, Lord and you don’t do what I say?”
Now let’s continue in verse 3.
3 And every spirit that confesses not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof you have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.
We have to know that Jesus Christ did manifest Himself as a human being, and furthermore that He lives His life in us, enabling us to obey God and overcome and grow and one day become members of the God family. Otherwise we are antichrist—against Jesus Christ—because we don’t even believe He came to this earth as a human being and therefore then we don’t even believe that He lives His life over again in us (as it says in Colossians 1:27). That’s how we can overcome and grow and one day be in the family of God.
Let’s just turn to Colossians 1:27.
27 To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:
Christ in you, the hope of glory. And so that’s part of confessing that Jesus came in the flesh. And people who don’t understand that and don’t believe that are labeled antichrist.
Now verse 4.
4 You 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 hears them.
6 We are of God: he that knows God hears us; he that is not of God hears not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error.
And that’s who God uses His church and His ministers to serve—those that will hear God and hear the words of God. We are to preach the gospel of the Kingdom of God to the whole world as a witness. If nobody responds, we’ve still done our job if we preached it to the whole world as a witness. Now, God will call some out of this world. And when He calls them and opens their mind, they will hear what we have to say. And they will understand it because it’s all based on God’s word, and it’s inspired by God through His Holy Spirit. It will make sense to them. And they will respond and they will begin living this way and obeying God. And they will become a new creature in Christ because they’re living His way of life and not the way of this world. If God calls them and if they respond to that call, then that separates those who follow the spirit of truth and those who follow the spirit of error.
Most of the world will continue to follow the spirit of error because God is not calling most of the world now. That comes later. He is calling a few now, and on those few He lays a lot of responsibility and He gives them a lot of help to fulfill those responsibilities. But it is a sobering thing when you realize all that the calling from God carries with it in terms of carrying out God’s work, in overcoming and growing and becoming begotten children of God, who later will become born of God at the first resurrection.
7 Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loves is born of God, and knows God.
8 He that loves not knows not God; for God is love.
And that does away with all the hatred, all the malice, all the meanness, all the vengeance, all the grudges, all the get–even approaches that this world is full of. And it all comes from Satan.
But when we start obeying God, then love comes from God. I’m not talking about being a doormat, and I’m not talking about being a mushy wimp. You can and should be very strong, very powerful, very dedicated, very committed and full of drive and zeal and full of the sense of a mission when God calls you and fills you with His Holy Spirit and lays out the path He wants you to follow. Still all of that is wrapped in love. It all comes from the motive of love. Love toward God and love toward your fellowman.
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.
And that’s the only way to really live, through Him—both in this life now and later on for all eternity. It all comes through Jesus Christ and then to the Father. And it all comes from the Father through Jesus Christ back to us—everything He does that’s worthwhile and lasting.
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.
The atonement for our sins. He took all our sins on Himself, and therefore we can have all of our sins forgiven. And then through Him we can overcome our sins and grow more like Him.
11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.
12 No man has seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwells in us, and his love is perfected in us.
That’s right. No man has ever seen God. Jesus Christ has, of course. And so when you read in the Old Testament about Moses talking face to face with God, that was Jesus Christ. He was the God of the Old Testament, the Rock. But no man has ever seen God the Father except the one who came from the Father, Jesus Christ. And so in the New Testament, when you see the apostles talking to God in the flesh, that was Jesus Christ.
Let’s notice verse 12.
12 No man has seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwells in us, and his love is perfected in us.
Through Jesus Christ who is a member of the God family.
13 Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he has 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.
You see, John, the author of this book, the apostle John, he did see Jesus Christ. He was with Him. He had personal time with Him. Hundreds and hundreds and thousands of hours and days, many weeks and months spent right with Jesus Christ, day in and day out, seeing everything He said and did and taught. Or I should say as much as possible seeing everything He did and said and taught. And so here is someone who had first–hand experience of being in the presence of Jesus Christ in the flesh, telling us about Jesus Christ. And Jesus Christ said “If you’ve seen me, you’ve seen the Father”. Because He and the Father are alike.
But you have not literally seen God the Father. But you’ve seen the Father in terms of His character, in terms of His attitude, in terms of His approach and actions when you’ve seen the Son. And John did see the Son, but not in His glorified state, but in His human form, Jesus Christ the Savior.
Notice what he says here in verse 14.
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 dwells in him, and he in God.
Once again, I want to turn to a particular verse to clarify that.
1 Corinthians 12:3. Notice what it says here in 1 Corinthians 12:3.
3 Wherefore I give you to understand, that no man speaking by the Spirit of God calls Jesus accursed: and that no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Spirit.
See, you cannot confess that Jesus Christ is the Son of God except through the Holy Spirit and the power that comes from having the Holy Spirit. In other words, we have to repent and be baptized and receive the Holy Spirit through the laying on of hands and have our minds opened so we can understand the truth about God and Jesus Christ and the plan of salvation. And then we can truly and legitimately and with veracity confess that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. That He came in the flesh and that He dwells in us.
We have to believe, as we’ve already read. We have to believe in Him. And we have to have the Holy Spirit to fully and legitimately say that. You can mouth the words, but you don’t do it with understanding and with truth and with depth unless it involves faith and receiving God’s Holy Spirit and obeying Him. You put all the scriptures together and the Bible makes it plain. It’s not just a matter of saying, “Okay, Jesus was the Son of God and you don’t have to do or say or be anything else. It’s not what this is saying. This is one thing that leads to other things that culminate in a way of life and in walking in newness of life as a new creature in Christ, when you actually can say “He was the Son of God and God dwells in Him and He in God and Christ in us. That involves a whole way of life as we’ve already shown by putting the various scriptures together.
16 And we have known and believed the love that God has to us. God is love; and he that dwells in love dwells in God, and God in him.
Love, outgoing concern. And as Mr. Armstrong has often said, “Love is of no value unless expressed. Love unexpressed is not love.” It involves action. It involves giving and serving. Giving to God, serving God, giving to others, serving others. It is outgoing love and concern and compassion and interest toward others, and serving the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and being.
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 casts out fear: because fear has torment. —
Or involves torment.
18 — He that fears is not made perfect in love.
I mean, this is not saying that you should not fear a mad dog out in your yard. This is not saying that you should not fear to go up a dark alley in a big city at night all by yourself. That’s a healthy fear. That’s just using precaution. That’s just using common sense and wisdom. Yes, we should fear danger. Yes, we should fear potentially hazardous situations. But that’s not talking about that when it says here there’s no fear in love. That’s talking about living God’s way of life where we have confidence in God, we have peace of mind.
We’re not walking through life worried and paranoid about what’s going to happen, what has happened, what’s in the future, and we’re all uptight and fretting and stewing and discouraged and depressed. No, we’re not that way because we’re filled with the love of God. And we love God and we know He loves us. And we love others and we don’t carry grudges toward other people. So we’re clear of all of that. So we have peace of mind. And now we live life based on love, not fear; based on peace, not turmoil; based on confidence, not worry. There is none of that when you are filled with the love that comes from God.
18 — perfect love casts out fear: because fear has torment. —
It’s a worrisome, fretting, and stewing kind of thing when we’re filled with that kind of doubt and that kind of fear about the future and fear about what could happen. Why? Well, we’re not obeying God, we’re not trusting God, we’re not serving God. Therefore we don’t have the peace that comes from God, and the confidence that comes from God, and the eagerness and anticipation that loving God brings in our lives.
18 — He that fears is not made perfect in love.
19 We love him, because he first loved us.
Think about that. He had to love us first before we could love Him. And He did love us, and he loved us while we were yet sinners. And He still does. But now we can love Him and love others with His help.
20 If a man say, I love God, and hates his brother, he is a liar: for he that loves not his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen?
21 And this commandment have we from him, That he who loves God love his brother also.
What a wonderful passage of scripture explaining what real love is all about. Not Hollywood kind of love and not selfish kind of love, but the love that comes from God—which is about serving others and serving God and submitting and surrendering and worshipping God and caring for and being interested in helping others in the right way for the right reasons and at the right time.
So we’ll stop there and pick it up at 1 John Chapter 5 next time.
This is Charles Bryce with the Enduring Church of God.