Recap of 1 John 4 and 5

Sunday July 2nd - 1 John 4:7 – 5:3

Obviously, the main theme of this passage is love. This is the third time John has taken time in his letter to address the importance of loving ‘the brothers’. While the central theme is enforced and reinforced each time, John also adds a new aspect each time to the teaching. In chapter 2, John presents love for other believers as obedience to God’s commands, and as evidence of knowing Him. In chapter 3 he adds that we love because Jesus loved us; and that as he laid down his life for us, we should lay down our lives for each other…loving in action and not just talk. Here in chapter 4 John focuses on love in three basic concepts.

1. Those who truly love God love their fellow Christians. In the span of 18 verses, this thought is stated about 10 times in one form or another.

2. We love, because God is love, and he loved us first by sending us Jesus. “God is love” is the new concept here and I think unique to 1 John, at least in terms of being explicitly stated. Three ways of understanding this passage as I said it aloud, putting stress on different words. First, it is only in god we find perfect love. The world desperately tries to find love in so many things and people, but it is found only in God. Secondly, God is love right now. We might be tempted at times to think of God as being loving when he sent Jesus, or when thinking of being in heaven with him in the future, but often forget to understand that God is love right now…and will be forever. And finally…everything that love truly is and should be…is found in God. The ultimate expression of love is what God is and came to us in the person of Jesus Christ.

3. Jesus and his life was/is God’s love for us in that he died for us. That death paid the price for our sins. That death brought us, who were in death, into eternal life. That death provides for us to be free from fear of judgment.

And this is why it is an imperative that we love, and one reason why John seemingly uses it as the prime example of obedience and knowledge of God…because God himself is love, and our relationship with him through Christ is solely due to an act of love. It is the basis of our relationship with God. And when John stresses the importance of believing the right things about Jesus (all God, all man, and the Christ), those are the things which underline and emphasize his act of love that saves us.

So as much as the idealists in our world hope for love without God…it is impossible. You can’t have one without the other.


Sunday July 9th - 1 John 5:4-21

In verses 4 and 5 John tells us that we have and will overcome the world. Defining the world as the systems and values of fallen humanity, we discussed what this really means. There are several levels I think this could be understood: 1) that ultimately one day God (and us) will triumph over evil decisively and eternally, 2) that by believing Jesus now we have already beat the world’s power over us, and 3) we are beating the world’s influence in our lives every day.

But this victory we have by our faith isn’t just by faith for faith’s sake, or positive thinking, it is because of the object of our faith…Jesus Christ. And the testimony of Jesus (who came to us through blood and water as a man) is presented to us through his baptism (water), and his crucifixion (blood) and subsequent resurrection. And the Holy Spirit, as it descended on Christ at his baptism like a dove, testifies of him to us now and dwells in us, giving us eternal life. God’s children will live forever.

So we should approach God in prayer knowing he will hear and answer us according to his will. And what is more according to his will than that his children overcome their sin. So we should expectantly pray for each other when we sin. Now, sinning unto death is a phrase that is somewhat confusing to us, but I’m inclined to believe that is doesn’t refer to one particular sin, but more to the person that is in open rebellion against God according to what John has laid in this letter. This rebellion would be characterized by: refusing to believe the truth of who Jesus is and what he did, refusing to love other Christians, and giving no heed to obeying God’s commands. Those who are described as thus are in death, even as we are in life.

God has promised to keep those safe from sin and death those who are his children…and apparently he uses our love and prayers for each other’s sin to do this.
With such a God…how can we entertain thoughts of putting anything else before him (idols)?

I’ve really loved digging deep in 1 John and teaching it, and I look forward to continue to understand and teach the word of God in this class. But before we move on, Caleb will teach on these same passages the next couple of weeks with an emphasis on how we apply these truths to our everyday lives.