E-Mail Bible Class
The Letters of John
BC Weekly Digest Monday, September 7 1998 In this issue: 1 John 4:11-13 1 John 4:11-13 1 John 4:13 1 John 4:13 1 John 4:9 1 John 4:13 1 John 4:11-13 1 John 4:11-13 1 John 4:11 "Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another" (OPV). The discussion has come full-circle once again. It is indeed a true summation that if God has shown such unfeigned love to us, then we have no other choice but to love one another because we are of God. Christians must act like Christ toward each other. This demands that there be no strife, bitterness, envy, jealousy, etc. among brethren. If there is, then they are out of harmony with the will of God and will be lost unless they repent (1 Cor 12:20). 1 John 4:12 "No one has ever seen God. If we love one another, God abides in us and His love is perfected in us"(OPV). No mortal man has ever seen God. Of course angelic beings have seen God, as well as His Son and Satan (Job 1:6). What is meant here is that no mortal man has seen God. But, if we love each other we can be sure that God abides in each one of us and that His love, of which He alone is the author, shall abide and be "perfected" in us. The verb "perfected" here simply means to have brought about a great degree of maturity within us. This will have come through a realization that because we love God, we also love our brethren whom He has redeemed just like each one of us. As we begin to accept this more fully, we will continue to grow in His grace and knowledge (2 Peter 3:18). 1 John 4:13 "By this we know that we abide in Him, and He in us, because He has given us [a portion] of His Spirit."(OPV) This is a parallel passage to Romans 8:15,16 where Paul states: "For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God." What a wonderful concept that we are the children of God. But there is far more to this verse than first meets the eye. It is because we are of Him that we are His children and to confirm this, He has given us a portion or a small token of His Holy Spirit to guide us and to give us the confidence that we are of Him. Many religionists of today teach that God's children can have that same outpouring or indwelling of the miraculous powers that those of the first century had. Such, however, is not the case. It is worth noting that most of those on whom the apostles laid their hands had a very limited use of these powers. In the 12th, 13th and 14th chapters of 1 Corinthians we see those brethren having jealous disputes among themselves because they had different powers from others of the same congregation. There was a jealous tumult because of it. In the middle of that discussion, Paul tells them that there is something far greater than those seemingly wonderful powers. It is Love. In the 13th chapter he teaches them that above everything else, what they needed most was love. Not the "philo" love that they had for each other, but the "agape" love that God had for them. Those special works of the Holy Spirit were for confirmation of the message. In John 20:30-31 John tells us: "And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book: But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name." Our neopentacostal friends have just absolutely missed the reason why these gifts were given in the first place. It was to confirm the gospel message and the messenger. Now that the New Testament is complete and the message has been confirmed, the special gifts are no longer required. It is the gospel, His word , His bond itself that God has given us to instruct us about His character and how we are to pattern ourselves after Him. Howard B. Justice ------------------------------ 1 John 4:11-13 1 John 4:11-13 (OPV) 11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 12 No one has ever seen God. If we love one another, God abides in us and His love is perfected in us. 13 By this we know that we abide in Him, and He in us, because He has given us [a portion] of His Spirit. === 4:11 "If God so loved us, we also ought to love one another" God's love encourages us to love one another. Jesus showed us what it means to love. "A new commandment I give unto you, that ye love one another; even as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another" (John 13:34,35 ASV). "This is my commandment, that ye love one another, even as I have loved you" (John 15:12 ASV). "These things I command you, that ye may love one another" (John 15:17 ASV). It is not easy to learn to love. We need help from God. "And the Lord make you to increase and abound in love one toward another, and toward all men, even as we also [do] toward you; to the end he may establish your hearts unblameable in holiness before our God and Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his saints" (1 Thes 3:12,13 ASV). "But concerning love of the brethren ye have no need that one write unto you: for ye yourselves are taught of God to love one another" (1 Thes 4:9 ASV). 4:12 "No one has ever seen God" A man said with a sneer: "Little girl, I'll give you a nickel if you can show me where God is." She replied with a smile: "Well, Mister, I'll give you five dollars if you can show me where God isn't!" God is not visible because He is not of a visible nature. He is Spirit. Materialistic people want a materialistic god. So they buy an image, set it in a corner, and bow down before it. Men of faith know God in the spiritual realm of eternal realities. Of Moses it is said: "By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king: for he endured, as seeing him who is invisible" (Heb 11:27 ASV). God's reign is also in this realm: "And being asked by the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God cometh, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation: neither shall they say, Lo, here! or, There! for lo, the kingdom of God is within you" (Luke 17:20 ASV). 4:12 "If we love one another, God abides in us" Although invisible, God is present and active. He abides in those who share His love. John develops this further in verse 16: "And we have known and have believed the love which God has in us. God is love, and he who abides in love, abides in God, and God abides in him" (1 John 4:16 OPV). 4:12 "His love is perfected in us" The love of God comes to fruition in our lives only when we love others. 4:13 "By this we know that we abide in Him, and He in us, because He has given us [a portion] of His Spirit" Paul explains this more fully in his letters: "But ye are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you. But if any man hath not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the spirit is life because of righteousness. But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwelleth in you, he that raised up Christ Jesus from the dead shall give life also to your mortal bodies through his Spirit that dwelleth in you. So then, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh: for if ye live after the flesh, ye must die; but if by the Spirit ye put to death the deeds of the body, ye shall live. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God" (Rom 8:9-14 ASV). "For God called us not for uncleanness, but in sanctification. Therefore he that rejecteth, rejecteth not man, but God, who giveth his Holy Spirit unto you" (1 Thes 4:7,8 ASV). Notice that the Holy Spirit is given in connection with the sanctification of those who accept the call of God. As Jesus promised: "If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall [your] heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?" (Luke 11:13 ASV). Peter explains how one can receive the gift of the Spirit: "And Peter [said] unto them, Repent ye, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ unto the remission of your sins; and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit" (Acts 2:38 ASV). "Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, [be] honor and glory forever and ever. Amen" (1 Tim 1:17 ASV). Roy Davison ------------------------------ 1 John 4:13 1 John 4:13 The question has been asked: What does it really mean to 'abide' in God? == The word 'abide' is the rendering of the Greek word 'meno' and means, quite simply, 'to remain'. Thus, to 'abide in God', assumes, first, that one is in a relationship with God, since one cannot remain where one is not! This being the case, to 'abide' in Him, means to stay where we are, allowing nothing to interfere with our relationship. Compare John 15:1-8, where the Lord Jesus uses the same word. and says 'abide in me'. 'Abiding' in God, and in Christ means to be in contact with the source of life, and thus to fruitfulness in the Christian life. As those who have been baptized into Christ, we should have the good sense to stay where we are. Frank Worgan. ------------------------------ 1 John 4:13 1 John 4:13 The question has been asked: What does it really mean to 'abide' in God? == The King James translation uses the word "dwell" instead of abide. It makes no difference which word is used but it is a little plainer in the KJV. To "dwell" means to live in or inhabit a place or a locality. In this manner, we are to "live in" Jesus, in that we are to be living examples of His character and nature in our everyday lives. It means to "inhabit" a station or nature of life where there will be no doubt to others as to where our hearts are. In Matthew 6:19-21, Jesus tells us ."Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also." Notice the last sentence. If we lay our treasures up on this earth, it will be evident that our aims and goals are here, but if we lay our treasures up in Heaven, by living and dwelling in Him, then others can see where we are trying to go eternally. Unfortunately, many people of today pay little attention to the priorities of living the life of a Christian. Just like people who live in Berlin are called Berliners, people who live, remain, abide or dwell in Christ are known by all to be Christians. In comparison to the people of this world, Christians are not true dwellers of this corruptible earth. Rather they are like the Jews of old who were taught that they were sojourners in the land of promise. "For we are strangers before thee, and sojourners, as all our fathers were: our days on the earth are as a shadow, and there is no abiding" (1 Chronicles 29:15). Peter also addresses his fellow believers as "sojourners and pilgrims" (1 Peter 2:11). There is no real abiding on the earth for Christians as we dwell in God and Christ. Our true home is not this earth but rather Heaven. Howard Justice ------------------------------ 1 John 4:9 1 John 4:9 Relative to I John 4:9, the question has been asked: Since Jesus was the only begotten Son of God, did that mean he had a better chance than we do? === In Hebrews 4:14-15, we read, "Having then a great high priest, who hath passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we have not a high priest that cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but one that hath been in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin" (ASV). In Hebrews 5:7-10, we read, "Who -[that is, Christ]-in the days of his flesh, having offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from death, and having been heard for his godly fear, though he was a Son, yet learned obedience by the things which he suffered; and having been made perfect, he became unto all them that obey him the author of eternal salvation; named of God a high priest after the order of Melchizedek" (ASV). Matthew, Mark and Luke all tell the story of Jesus' temptation by the devil before he began his public ministry. Luke 4:13 says, "And when the devil had completed every temptation, he departed from him for a season" (ASV). It is obvious from these scriptures that Jesus, in His humanity, suffered every temptation that mankind is subjected to. The accounts of His temptation recorded by the gospel writers make it plain that He withstood the devil alone. Luke's comment that the devil left Him "for a season," indicates that the devil watched Him all through His ministry and continued to tempt Him to sin in every way that he could. The Hebrew writer says it was partly by virtue of the fact that He had suffered just like all mankind suffers that He was qualified to become our high priest. Certainly, He was ever conscious of who He was and what His mission was. That consciousness no doubt strengthened His resolve to do what the Father had sent Him to do, but the decision was ever His to continue or to give up. The very fact that He sought the Father's presence in prayer so often supports the idea that He was constantly under pressure from Satan to renounce His mission. His agonizing prayers in the Garden of Gethsemane make it plain that the temptation was there right up to the last minute. As children of God, we can claim for ourselves the same support from the Father that He called upon. The Holy Spirit, through Paul, says to us, "There hath no temptation taken you but such as man can bear: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation make also the way of escape, that ye may be able to endure it" (1 Corinthians 10:13 ASV). In fact, it seems to me that we have a better chance of overcoming temptation than Jesus did. He was bearing the sins of all mankind. I only have to bear my own temptations, and that with the knowledge that Jesus has already been there and a divine guarantee that He will provide a way of escape from every temptation that besets me. James Willett ------------------------------ 1 John 4:13 Remaining in God Walking in the light, the child of God will reflect the character of his Heavenly Father in all his behavior, and will remain in fellowship with Him by the blood of Christ, which is constantly accessible for his cleansing (1 John 1:7). In his gospel John declares that we can prove to others that we are true disciples by remaining in Christ and by bearing spiritul fruit. John compares it to being attached to a vine and being fruitful. Separated from the vine we can do nothing. To stay attached, we must abide in His love and keep His instructions ( John 15:1-10 ). When we practice what Jesus taught us from the beginning, we will remain both in the Father and in the Son, and will hold on to the eternal life He promised ( 1 John 2:24,25 ). The apostle Paul explains that we walk in His light when we reject the influence of darkness, and instead follow the Spirit's lead into a holy lifestyle in fellowship with God ( Romans 8:9-15; Ephesians 5:1-18 ). We thus abide in God when we clothe ourselves in the teaching and example of Christ Jesus, walking in love and in submission to the Father's will, through the help given us by His indwelling Spirit. "And this is the commandment, that we should believe in the name of His Son, Jesus Christ, and love one another according to the commandment He gave us. And he who keeps His commandments remains in Him, and He in him. And by this we know that He remains in us, by the Spirit whom He gave us ( 1 John 3:23,24 OPV ). J.Lee Roberts