‘Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but prove the spirits, whether they are of God, because many false prophets are gone out into the world.' ‘Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but prove the spirits, whether they are of God.' We are here faced with a problem of interpretation. What does he m... [ Continue Reading ]
Compare 1 Corinthians 14:29; 1 Corinthians 14:32 THE SPIRITS OF THE PROPHETS (1 JOHN 4:1). John here warns of the dangers of listening to prophets without testing their message, in the way that Paul commanded in 1 Corinthians 14:29; 1 Corinthians 14:32. Prophetic men arise and can seem inspired, bu... [ Continue Reading ]
‘By this you know the Spirit of God. Every spirit which confesses that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God, and every spirit which does not confess Jesus is not of God, and this is that of the antichrist, of which you have heard that it is coming. And now it is in the world already.' So the... [ Continue Reading ]
‘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. They are of the world, therefore speak they of the world, and the world hears them.' But he is confident that the true Christians will not be misled by false prophets because... [ Continue Reading ]
‘We are of God. He who knows God hears us. He who is not of God does not hear us. By this we know the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error.' The question here is who are ‘we'?' Does he mean ‘we Apostles' of whom he is now the representative, or does he mean ‘we churches', especially the duly ap... [ Continue Reading ]
GOD IS ESSENTIALLY LIGHT AND LOVE, HOLY LOVE, AND THEREFORE THOSE WHO ARE HIS AND KNOW HIM AND ABIDE IN HIM WILL REVEAL THAT LOVE TO ALL WHO ARE HIS (1 JOHN 4:7 TO 1 JOHN 5:3). ‘Beloved, let us love one another. For love is of God, and every one who loves is begotten of God, and knows God. He who d... [ Continue Reading ]
‘In this was the love of God manifested in us, that God has sent his only unique Son into the world that we might live through him.' God's love as in mind in this passage is a love revealed in sending ‘His only unique Son', (in other words the only One of the same essence and being as Himself. This... [ Continue Reading ]
‘In this is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.' This is the final definition and revelation of love. It is not found in any love that we have, but in God's great love in which He sent His own beloved Son to be the propitiation for... [ Continue Reading ]
‘Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.' The greatness of this love of God, so wonderfully revealed, can only move those who believe in it and respond to it to love one another. How can we know that love and not love those whom God has called through it? We are one in that... [ Continue Reading ]
‘No man has beheld God at any time. If we love one another, God abides in us, and his love is perfected in us. By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit, and we have beheld and bear witness that the Father has sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world... [ Continue Reading ]
‘Whoever will confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God.' God's salvation is only effective through His Son. Each one who truly confesses Jesus as God's Son, and as the Saviour of the world, believes in the fact that the only Son became flesh in the man Jesus and dwelt... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And we know 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.' John wants there to be no doubt about the love that God has for His own, and how it affects us. We who are His, know and believe the love that God has in us. No... [ Continue Reading ]
‘ Herein is love made perfect with us, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment, because as he is, even so are we in this world. There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear, because fear has punishment, and he who is afraid is not made perfect in love.' The one who knows the lo... [ Continue Reading ]
‘We love, because he first loved us.' ‘We'. That is, we who are His, who have come to believe in Jesus Christ as our Saviour and Lord, who come together with His people that we might learn more of Him, who know that Jesus Christ is true man and true God, who have received Him as our means of reconc... [ Continue Reading ]
‘If a man say, I love God, and hates his brother, he is a liar, for he who loves not his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen.' The result is that we will love all who are true brothers in Christ, those who are of and speak forth the truth. For they share the love that we... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And this commandment have we from him, that he who loves God love his brother also.' So God has made it a command. God commands us to love such brothers. So it is not only logically and spiritually necessary, it is commanded. We have no choice in the matter. We are to be as one (John 17:20), becau... [ Continue Reading ]