1 John,  2011 - Through The New Testament

1 John 4

October 4, 2011

1 John 4

Bible Passage:  1 John 4

Love Has Been Perfected Among Us

As I read today’s chapter, I see the marvelous relationship between love and the Holy Spirit.

At first glance, it may seem as if elder John has changed the topic in this chapter; in the opening verses of 1 John 4, he tells us how to discern the spirits and that the Spirit of God will confess that Jesus has come in the flesh (v2).

In fact, this is related to the topic of love for, if the Holy Spirit dwells in us, He will show us and convince us of the love of God, which was manifested in “that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him” (1 John 4:9).

Indeed, it’s the Holy Spirit who helps us to understand God’s love…

Most of us have personally experienced God’s love at some point or other in our lives. Once we have tasted the sweetness of God’s love and have believed that this love is true, God’s love becomes our driving force in loving others, and thus obeying the greatest commandment.

Yet, loving others can be quite difficult sometimes. We may not know how to love that colleague who keeps giving us trouble, or the first-time truth seeker, or that brother/ sister who always comes for service but leaves very quickly afterwards.

However, I believe that the Holy Spirit Himself will teach us and give us wisdom to love others, if we ask him in prayer with a willing heart.

My absolute favorite verse in this chapter is 1 John 4:18:

There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment.
But he who fears has not been made perfect in love.

Personally I often “fear” when I’m unsure how to do a certain thing. In other words, I lack confidence because I’m afraid that I will make a mistake.

Isn’t that what we all are afraid of when we have to face a difficult person or when we want to make the first step to reach out to a stranger?

Yes, it can be quite daunting to love others, and we are still far from perfection.

But, the Bible tells us that “love has been perfected among us” (1 John 4:17), because Jesus has already died for us on the cross, thus making us God’s children … and as children of God we are able to overcome the coldness of the world to actively love others (1 John 4:3-4, 9).

With Jesus’ help we can do it. Therefore let us take heart. Let us rely on God and make an effort to love our family, our brethren, the newcomer, the stranger and even those who are unlovable. Amen.

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God is always first in everything. He takes the initiative. The only reason you can love God or anybody else is because God first loved you. And he showed that love by sending Jesus Christ to Earth to die for you. He showed that love by creating you. He showed that love by giving you everything you have in life. We love because God first loved us. If you want to learn how to love other people, you’ve got to first understand and feel how much God loves you. When you feel that unconditional love, you’re going to start cutting people a lot of slack. You’re not going to be as angry as you’ve been in the past. You’re going to be more patient. You’re going to be more forgiving. You’re going to be more merciful. You’re going to show other people grace. The reason why you see people who are judgmental, sarcastic, angry, self righteous, and always putting other people down is because they’re putting themselves down. They don’t feel good about themselves. They don’t feel loved. They don’t feel forgiven. They don’t feel grace. They feel guilty. They feel bad about themselves. And if they feel bad about themselves, they certainly don’t want you feeling good about you. Maybe you’re one of those people. Maybe you’ve been hurt by parents or peers or partners. Maybe you’ve been abused or misused or rejected or abandoned or betrayed. You’ve got some scars on your heart. You cannot give to others what you have not received yourself. Unlovely people are unloved people. Hurt people hurt people. If you’re filled with anger and impatience and you don’t feel loved, guess what? You’re not going to be able to love anybody else. You have to learn how much God loves you and let it heal your heart so his love can flow through you. It is impossible to love others until you really feel loved yourself. The Bible says, “We know and rely on the love God has for us” (1 John 4:16a). Do you know the love of God? Do you rely on the love of God for you? You will have a hard time loving other people until you have God’s love coming through you. Talk It Over Would you say that you love others with the love of God? How do you show that love to others? Why would understanding God’s love help you show grace to others? What hurt from your past is keeping you from accepting God’s love and showing it to others?
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One Comment

  • PS
    October 5, 2011 at 2:30 AM Reply

    Pr Zhang taught a class about Discernment in the Spiritual Realm in 2005.

    As the conclusion for his lessons, he showed a few slides: one ultra sound photo of a foetus and a few of the colourful galaxy.

    Pr Zhang didn’t make any further comment. He taught a powerful lesson with the pictures silently.

    God is the creator of heavens and earth. God is the giver of life to man, especially spiritual life to His children.

    1 John 4:4 You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.

    John 4:24 “God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”

    Yes, the Holy Spirit in us is greater than he who is in the world. Worship God in spirit and truth. He will definitely guide us to discern the spirit of truth and the spirit of error. (1 John 4:6)

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