1 John 4 - Introduction

The main subject still continues, that God is Love; and that from this truth flows the moral obligation on Christians not only to love God but one another. But, as in Chap. 3, there are subdivisions, each of which has a unity in itself as well as intimate and subtle relations to the whole. These subdivisions are mainly two; The Spirit of Truth and the Spirit of Error(1 6); Love is the Mark of the Children of the God who is Love(7 21). If we are asked as to the relation which this chapter bears to the preceding one, the answer would seem to be something of this kind. Chap. 3 insists upon the necessity of deedsin order to prove our relationship to God (1Jn 3:3; 1 John 3:7; 1Jn 3:10; 1 John 3:16-18; 1 John 3:22); chap. 4 points out the certainty of our relationship to God as attested by our deeds (1 John 4:4; 1 John 4:6-7; 1 John 4:12-13; 1 John 4:15-17). The one gives us the evidenceof our sonship, viz. deeds of righteousness towards God (1 John 3:1-10) and deeds of love towards men (1 John 3:11-21): the other shews us the sourceof our sonship, viz. possession of the Spirit as shewn by confession of the Incarnation (1 John 4:1-6) and by love of the brethren (1 John 4:7-21).