E-Mail Bible Class
The Letters of John
BC Weekly Digest Monday, September 14 1998 In this issue: 1 John 4:14 1 John 4:14,15 1 John 4:15 1 John 4:16 1 John 4:16 1 John 4:14 1 John 4:17 1 John 4:17 1 John 4:18 1 John 4:14 1 John 4:14 (OPV) 14 And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son [as] the Savior of the world. === 4:14 "We have seen and testify" Our faith in Jesus is based on the testimony of eye- witnesses (1 John 1:1-3). John will discuss this testimony more fully in chapter five. 4:14 "The Father has sent the Son" It was foretold that the Father would send His Spirit and a Savior: "I, even I, have spoken; yea, I have called him; I have brought him, and he shall make his way prosperous. Come ye near unto me, hear ye this; from the beginning I have not spoken in secret; from the time that it was, there am I: and now the Lord Jehovah hath sent me, and his Spirit" (Isaiah 48:15,16 ASV). "The Spirit of the Lord Jehovah is upon me; because Jehovah hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the broken-hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening [of the prison] to them that are bound; to proclaim the year of Jehovah's favor, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn; to appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them a garland for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they may be called trees of righteousness, the planting of Jehovah, that he may be glorified" (Isaiah 61:1-3 ASV). "Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion; for, lo, I come, and I will dwell in the midst of thee, saith Jehovah. And many nations shall join themselves to Jehovah in that day, and shall be my people; and I will dwell in the midst of thee, and thou shalt know that Jehovah of hosts has sent me unto thee" (Zech 2:10,11 ASV). Jesus affirmed that He had been sent by the Father: "Say ye of him, whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world, Thou blasphemest; because I said, I am [the] Son of God?" (John 10:36 ASV). "For neither doth the Father judge any man, but he hath given all judgment unto the Son; that all may honor the Son, even as they honor the Father. He that honoreth not the Son honoreth not the Father that sent him. Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth him that sent me, hath eternal life, and cometh not into judgment, but hath passed out of death into life" (John 5:22 ASV). In the following passages also Jesus mentions being sent by God: Matthew 10:40; Mark 9:37; Luke 4:18; Luke 9:48; Luke 10:16; John 4:34; 5:24,30,36,37; 6:38,39,44,57; 7:16,28,29,33; 8:16,18,26,29,42; 9:4; 12:44,45,49; 13:20; 14:24; 15:21; 16:5; 20:21. 4:14 "The Savior of the world" As the people of Samaria told the woman who met Jesus at the well after they heard Him preach for two days: "Now we believe, not because of thy speaking: for we have heard for ourselves, and know that this is indeed the Savior of the world" (John 4:42 ASV). He is also called "the light of the world" (Matt 5:14; John 8:12; 9:5). He is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29) because He gave his flesh for the life of the world (John 6:51). Roy Davison ------------------------------ 1 John 4:14,15 1 John 4:14,15 4:14 "And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son [as] the Savior of the world" (OPV). Certainly John had seen Jesus for three years prior to His crucifixion and for the forty days that He remained with the twelve after His resurrection. John was the beloved apostle to whom Jesus had entrusted the care of His mother as He hung between heaven and earth. It was this same apostle who stood, gazing upward into the sky as Jesus ascended to His rightful place with His Father and it was this same John who was allowed to view the heavenly shores and to write the final portion of this great book, the Bible. It was this same John who seemed to always be a part of the ever-present three (Peter, James and John) who were allowed to accompany Jesus onto the mount of transfiguration. No other apostle seems to have found the same favor as John. It may have been because of his pleasant nature, or it may have been because of his trustworthy character that Jesus favored him and entrusted him with so much. Yes, it was evident to John that Jesus was the Son of God and that He bled and died for the sins of the world. 4:15 "Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in Him and he in God" (OPV). As we have reiterated before, those of the world who do not love God are unwilling to confess that Jesus is the Son of God. Those people who want to serve God based upon their own agenda are certainly not worthy to have God. In Romans 1:28, the apostle Paul tells us that the people of the world (the carnally minded) who, because they did not like to think about God, just put Him out of their minds. Such is the case of everyone who does not love God with a pure and fervent heart. In James 2:19, James says, "Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble . ." Such is the case with anyone who says he believes in God but is not willing to do His will. Howard Justice ------------------------------ 1 John 4:15 1 John 4:15 (OPV) 15 Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. === 4:15 "Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God" The confession of faith of the first Christians was: "I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God" (Acts 8:37). After Jesus asked His disciples: "Who do you say that I am?" Peter responded: "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God" (Matthew 16:16). Many times in Scripture, Jesus is called the Son of God: Psalm 2:7 (Matthew 3:17; Mark 1:11; Luke 3:22; Acts 13:33; Hebrews 1:5; 5:5); Psalm 89:27,28; Matthew 2:15; 3:17 (Mark 1:11; Luke 3:22); Matthew 4:3,6 (Luke 4:3,9); Matthew 8:29; 11:27 (Luke 10:22); Matthew 14:33; 16:16; 17:5 (Mark 9:7; Luke 9:35; 2 Peter 1:17); Matthew 21:37 (Luke 20:13); Matthew 26:63 (Mark 14:61,62; Luke 22:29); Matthew 27:40,43; 27:54 (Mark 15:39); Mark 3:11; 5:7 (Luke 8:28); Luke 1:32,35; 4:41; 22:70; John 1:34,50; 3:16-18 (John 1:14-18; 1 John 4:9); John 3:34-36; 5:18-23, 26, 27, 30, 32, 36, 37; 6:69; 10:30,36; 11:4,27; 14:7,9,28; 19:7; 20:31; Acts 3:13; 8:37; 9:20; 13:33; Romans 1:3,4,9; 5:10; 8:3,29,32; 1 Corinthians 1:9; 15:24,27,28; 2 Corinthians 1:19; Galatians 1:16; 2:20; 4:4,6; Ephesians 1:3; 3:14; 4:13; 1 Thessalonians 1:10; Hebrews 1:1-5; 4:14; 5:5,8; 6:6; 7:3; 10:29; 1 John 1:3,7; 2:22-24; 3:8,23; 4:9,10,14,15; 5:5, 9-13, 20; 2 John 3; Revelation 2:18. He is also called the "only begotten" or "one-and-only" Son of God (John 1:14,18; 3:16). This expression indicates that no one else is 'Son of God' in the same sense that He is. At His baptism the Father declared to Him: "You are My beloved Son, in you I am well pleased" (Mark 1:11). When He was transfigured, the Father declared to His disciples: "This is My beloved Son. Hear Him!" (Mark 9:7). For the first Christians, their confession that Jesus was the Son of God was a recognition of His deity. In Matthew 14:33, after Jesus had calmed the wind, we read: "And they that were in the boat worshipped him, saying, Of a truth thou art the Son of God" (ASV). When Jesus called God His Father, He made himself equal with God according to John 5:18. The enemies of Christ also understood this. They told Pilate: "We have a law, and according to our law He ought to die, because He made Himself the Son of God." (See also Luke 22:66-71.) Of course when we read that Jesus is the Son of God, the word 'God' is being used with the specific meaning of "God the Father" (1 Peter 1:2). The word 'God' is used in reference to the Father (John 6:27) and the Son (John 20:28) and the Holy Spirit (Acts 5:3,4). 4:15 "God abides in him, and he in God" This relationship with God is for those who confess Christ and is therefore dependent on one's relationship with Him. Jesus said: "He that eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood hath eternal life: and I will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. He that eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood abideth in me, and I in him" (John 6:54- 56 ASV). See also prior comments on 1 John 2:27,28. Roy Davison ------------------------------ 1 John 4:16 1 John 4:16 (OPV) 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. === 4:16 "And we have known and have believed the love which God has in us" God's love can be experienced and trusted. God loves everyone, but most people do not comprehend this. Christians help others understand how much God loves them. Paul prayed that the brethren at Ephesus might know the love of Christ. Notice his explanation of the relationship between faith, love and being in Christ: "For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, that ye may be strengthened with power through his Spirit in the inward man; that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; to the end that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, may be strong to apprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which passeth knowledge, that ye may be filled unto all the fullness of God" (Eph 3:14-19 ASV). 4:16 "God is love, and he who abides in love, abides in God, and God abides in him" This statement has infinite dimensions. The better we understand the true nature of love, by contemplating the life and sacrifice of Christ, by pondering Paul's definition in 1 Corinthians 13, by growing in the knowledge of Christ, the more conscious we are of our room for growth in loving God and fellow man. We can all claim a measure of love. But to dwell in love, to remain in love, to abide in love, means that every thought, every action, every word is to be driven by love. This is a humbling challenge: "Let all that you do be done in love" (1 Cor 16:14 ASV). With Paul I can only say: "I press on toward the goal unto the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus" (Phil 3:14 ASV). Roy Davison ------------------------------ 1 John 4:16 1 John 4:16 "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 He in him." (1 John 4:16 OPV). Yes, John had known personally the love of Jesus. He had also tasted the love of God in that he had been redeemed by the blood of his Savior, with whom he had walked those three years. We also can experience the redeeming love of God by accepting Him in simple faith, by trusting that He will do what He has promised, if only we will do His will. In John 15:10 Jesus tells us, "If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love." "For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments; and His commandments are not grievous" (1 John 5:3 KJV). Howard Justice ------------------------------ 1 John 4:14 1 John 4:14 The Father has sent the Son as Savior of the World Scripture declares all mankind spiritually stained by sin and separated from God in spiritual slavery. When the Holy Spirit, working in God's inspired message, convicts us of our sins, we will seek deliverance from this condemnation as did the apostle Paul: "Wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me out of the body of this death?"( Romans 7:24 ASV ).We need deliverance that is spiritual - redemption from an ungodly system of self- serving values; greed, pride, lust, and all the impulses of an unregenerate heart - from a state of spiritual alienation from God! Struggling alone, we lose the inward spirtual warfare and find ourselves victimes of the 'law of sin and death' ( Romans 6:12-23; 7:13-25; 8:1,2 ). This 'law' states that the soul that sins shall die - and the only remedy being a life for a life. A life must be paid in my place! But only the life blood of a holy sacrifice will do - no animal's blood can redeem me! And the Father sends in my place His own Lamb, His own Son whose blood will pay my ransom and purchase for me an eternal inheritance. Jesus was sent by the Father to bear our sins, to be our sinoffering, our Redeemer, - our Savior! ( Isaiah chapter 53; 1 Peter 2:24; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Matthew 1:21; 1 Timothy 1:15 ). Thanks be to the Father! We have in Jesus a Savior available to people of all nations - for everyone, everywhere who will obey Him ( Hebrews 5:9; 1 Peter 1:2, 22-25). J.Lee Roberts ------------------------------ 1 John 4:17 1 John 4:17 (OPV) 17 This is how love has been perfected among us, that we may have confidence on the day of judgment, because as He is, so are we in this world. === 4:17 "This is how love has been perfected among us" This refers to what has been said in verses 12 through 16. If we love one another, God abides in us and His love is perfected in us (v. 12). We know this because He has given us [a portion] of His Spirit (v. 13). He has also sent His Son to save the world (v. 14). If we confess Christ, God abides in us and we in God (v. 15). We experience, believe and abide in God's love, which again confirms that God abides in us and we in God (v.16). This is how love has been perfected among us! 4:17 "That we may have confidence on the day of judgment" Many will be terrified. "And the heaven was removed as a scroll when it is rolled up; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places. And the kings of the earth, and the princes, and the chief captains, and the rich, and the strong, and every bondman and freeman, hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains; and they say to the mountains and to the rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: for the great day of their wrath is come; and who is able to stand?" (Rev 6:14-17 ASV). It is only "in Christ" the "we have boldness and access in confidence through our faith in him" (Eph 3:11,12 ASV). "Let us therefore draw near with boldness unto the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy, and may find grace to help [us] in time of need" (Heb 4:16 ASV). We can have this confidence on the day of judgment because God has promised to forgive our sins through Christ: "And their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more. Now where remission of these is, there is no more offering for sin. Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holy place by the blood of Jesus, by the way which he dedicated for us, a new and living way, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh; and [having] a great priest over the house of God; let us draw near with a true heart in fullness of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience: and having our body washed with pure water, let us hold fast the confession of our hope that it waver not; for he is faithful that promised" (Heb 10:17-23 ASV). "And now, little children, remain in Him, so when He is revealed we may have confidence and not be ashamed before Him at His coming" (1 John 2:28 OPV). "Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God" (1 John 3:21 OPV). 4:17 "Because as He is, so are we in this world" This is one of the themes running through First John. "But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, His Son, cleanses us from all sin" (1 John 1:7 OPV). "Beloved, now we are God's children, and what we shall be, is not yet revealed. We do know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. And everyone who has this hope [based] on Him purifies himself as He is pure" (1 John 3:2,3 OPV). "Little children, let no one deceive you. The one practicing righteousness is righteous, as He is righteous" (1 John 3:7 OPV). We become as He is, by becoming like Christ: "For whom he foreknew, he also foreordained [to be] conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren" (Rom 8:29 ASV) To become as He is, we must put on Christ through faith and baptism: "For ye are all sons of God, through faith, in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ did put on Christ" (Gal 3:26,27 ASV). By putting on Christ, we "put on the new man, that is being renewed unto knowledge after the image of him that created him" (Col 3:10 ASV). Roy Davison ------------------------------ 1 John 4:17 1 John 4:17 4:17 "This is how love has been perfected among us, that we have confidence on the day of judgment, because as He is, so are we in this world" (OPV). His love has made us so mature in our spiritual growth that we will not be doubtful in the day of final judgment. We can rest assured that He was tried in all points as we are, and that our trials will have been no more than His were on this earth. Because I am weak and sometimes become despondent, I tend to feel that God's way is just too hard to pursue and that I can't measure up to His standards. Then I remember that, "There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God [is] faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear [it]" (1 Cor. 10:13). But it is the grace of God that makes me righteous, even in the state that I am because I have trusted in Him, not because I am perfect in and of myself alone. I think about Lot and his troubles, yet God accounted him as righteous (2 Peter 2:7). Howard Justice ------------------------------ 1 John 4:18 1 John 4:18 (OPV) There is no fear in love, but perfect love expels fear, because fear has to do with punishment, and he who fears has not been perfected in love. === 4:18 "There is no fear in love" John does not refer to superficial love, but to love that follows Christ. Jesus tells His disciples: "If you love me, you will keep my commandments" (John 14:15). "If you keep my commandments, you shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love" (John 15:10). "He who has my commandments, and keeps them, he it is who loves me. And he who loves me shall be loved by my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him" (John 14:21). Such love has nothing to fear! "Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God" (1 John 3:21 OPV). 4:18 "But perfect love expels fear, because fear has to do with punishment" As we grow in love for God, fear diminishes. When our love is full-grown it is a vital force in our lives motivating us to follow and obey Christ. We are then confident before God with nothing to fear knowing that we are safe in the fold of the Shepherd sent by the Father to gather His sheep. "Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom" (Luke 12:32 ASV). "The LORD is my Shepherd. I shall not be in want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He guides me in the paths of righteousness for His name's sake. Yes, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I shall fear no evil because You are with me, Your rod and Your staff comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You have anointed my head with oil, my cup is running over. Goodness and mercy shall certainly follow me all the days of my life and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD for ever" (Psalm 23:1-6). 4:18 "And he who fears has not been perfected in love" "For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again unto fear, but you received the spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father" (Rom 8:14,15). Roy Davison