1 John 5:2

By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments. BY - `IN this.' As love to the brethren is the test of our love to God, so love to God (tested by 'keeping His commandments') is, conversely, the only basis of real love to our brother. WE KNOW. John means not the outward criteria of genuine brotherly love, but the inward criteria, consciousness of love to God, manifested in heartily keeping His commandments. When we have this inwardly-and-outwardly-confirmed love to God, we know that we truly love the children of God. 'Love to one's brother is prior in the order of nature (note, ); love to God is so in the order of grace (). At one time the former is more known, at another the latter, according as the mind is more occ...

2_By this we know _He briefly shows in these words what true love is, even that which is towards God. He has hitherto taught us that there is never a true love to God, except when our brethren are also loved; for this is ever its effect. But he now teaches us that men are rightly and duly loved, when God holds the primacy. And it is a necessary definition; for it often happens, that we love men apart from God, as unholy and carnal friendships regard only private advantages or some other vanishing objects. As, then, he had referred first to the effect, so he now refers to the cause; for his purpose is to shew that mutual love ought to be in such a way cultivated that God may be honored. To the love of God he joins the keeping of the law, and justly so; for when we love God as our Father and Lord, reverence must necessarily be connected with love. Besides, God cannot be separated from hims...

1-5 True love for the people of God, may be distinguished from natural kindness or party attachments, by its being united with the love of God, and obedience to his commands. The same Holy Spirit that taught the love, will have taught obedience also; and that man cannot truly love the children of God, who, by habit, commits sin or neglects known duty. As God's commands are holy, just, and good rules of liberty and happiness, so those who are born of God and love him, do not count them grievous, but lament that they cannot serve him more perfectly. Self-denial is required, but true Christians have a principle which carries them above all hinderances. Though the conflict often is sharp, and the regenerate may be cast down, yet he will rise up and renew his combat with resolution. But all, except believers in Christ, are enslaved in some respect or other, to the customs, opinions, or inter...

Verse 1 John 5:2. _BY THIS WE KNOW THAT WE LOVE THE CHILDREN OF GOD_] Our love of God's followers is a _proof_ that we love God. Our love to God is the _cause_ why we love his children, and our _keeping the_ _commandments of God_ is the _proof_ that we love _him_....

BY THIS WE KNOW THAT WE LOVE THE CHILDREN OF GOD ... - This is repeating the same truth in another form. “As it is universally true that if we love Him who has begotten us, we shall also love His children, or our Christian brethren, so it is true also that if we love His children it will follow that we love Him.” In other places, the apostle says that we may know that we love God if we love those who bear His image, 1 John 3:14. He here says, that there is another way of determining what we are. We may have undoubted evidence that we love God, and from that, as the basis of an argument, we may infer that we have true love to His children. Of the fact that we may have evidence that we love God, apart from that which we derive from our love to His children, there can be no doubt. We may be conscious of it; we may find pleasure in meditating on His perfections; we may

EXPOSITION 1 JOHN 5:1 Faith is the source of love. 1 JOHN 5:1 The verse is a sorites. To believe in the Incarnation involves birth from God. To be born of God involves loving God. To love God involves loving his children. Therefore to believe in the Incarnation involves loving God's children. Τὸν γεγεννημένον ἐχ αὐτοῦ_ _is not to be understood as meaning Christ to the exclusion of Christians; it means any son of God, as the next verse shows. 1 JOHN 5:2 Another mark by which we can test our love towards the brethren. In 1 John 5:1_ faith _in the

BY THIS WE KNOW THAT WE ARE THE CHILDREN GOD,.... The Ethiopic version reads, "by this know that we love God"; which, in connection with what follows, makes a tautology, and is a proving "idem per idem": whereas the apostle's view is to show when love to the saints is right; and that is, WHEN WE LOVE GOD, AND KEEP HIS COMMANDMENTS: love to the brethren may arise from such a cause, as may show that it is not brotherly love, or of a spiritual kind; it may arise from natural relation, or civil friendship, or from a benefit or favour received from them, and from some natural external excellency seen in them; and a man may do acts of love and kindness to the brethren, from what may be called good nature in himself, or with sinister views; but true love to the brethren springs from love to God: such who love the saints aright, and by which they may know they do so, they love them because they...

1 John 5:1. _Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God:_ These are very simple words, but they contain a great depth of meaning. The teaching conveyed by this Epistle is very profound, though the language is such as even a child can understand. There must be faith in Jesus Christ as the anointed Son of God; otherwise, there is no new birth, no regeneration of the Holy Spirit. 1 John 5:1. _And every one that loveth him that begat loveth him also that is begotten of him._ If we love the Father, we love the Son. If we love God, we love all his people; all who are born into the divine family are the objects of our affection. 1 John 5:2. By this we know that we love th

1 JOHN 5:2 poiw/men {B} The expression ta.j evntola.j auvtou/ poiw/men (B Y (33 poiou/men) 81 614 1739 itr vg syrp, h copsa, bo arm eth _al_) is extremely rare in the New Testament (elsewhere only in the inferior text of Revelation 22:14). In a K L P and most minuscules the verb is replaced by the much more usual thrw/men, thus harmonizing with ver. 1 John 5:3 and other passages in 1 John ...

V. HEREBY WE KNOW Chapter S 3:19-5:13 _ 1. Hereby we know that we are of the truth (1 John 3:19)_ 2. Hereby know ye the Spirit of God (1 John 4:1) 3. Hereby know we the Spirit of truth and of error (1 John 4:5) 4. The Love manifested toward us (1 John 4:7) 5. The final tests as to the possession of eternal life (1 John 4:20; 1 John 5:1) 1 John 3:19 .