January 19th 2025 1 John Chapter 4
V 1 The Existence of Lying Spirits.. The mention of the Holy Spirit in 3 v 24 leads to defining false spirits. This is another example of John's method of using contrast.
Beloved. The address of tenderness again reminds the reader that the subject matter is important.
Believe not. Evidently some of his readers were being carried away with Gnostic teaching.
Try the spirits. which means to put to the test for the purpose of approving if they come from God or not.
The reason for testing is simply that many false prophets are in the world. ..False prophets are false teachers (2 Pet 2 v 1) and wonder workers (Mathew 24 v 24; Acts 13 v 6; Revelation 19 v 20).
The test concerns their beginning, whether they are of God or not.
V 2. If a teacher confesses that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh, he is a true prophet. ..This involves the manner of his coming (in the flesh) and permanence of the incarnation. ..If he had not taken upon himself a human body, he could never have died and been the Saviour. From this verse we are not to suppose that this is the only test of Christianity, but it is a major one and it was the most necessary one for the errors of John's day.
V 3. If they confess Not. They are not of God, keep away from them
That spirit of antichrist. Such a false prophet is influenced by many forces and spirits, including demonic ones, and all of these reveal the action of antichrist. …Superhuman forces are behind these false teachers.
V 4. Ye are of God. In contrast to false teachers.
Ye have overcome them. The false prophets themselves, not the spirits behind them.
He that is in you. the mention of the Spirit in ch 3 v 24 would indicate that the indwelling of the Holy Spirit is referred to.
He that is in the world. Satan, the prince of the world and the energizing force behind all false spirits and prophets (John 12 v 31).
V 5. They are of the world. The false teachers.
Speak they of the world. The world is their source of speech, The world system headed by Satan is the source of all heresy.
V 6. We are of God. Anyone believing in God will hear us
Knoweth . , , heareth. He that is increasing in the knowledge of God continues to hear us. The apostles speak the truth because God's people hear them, while the false prophets speak error because the world hears them.
a) for Love is of God. V 7,8. This is the third section on love (see 2 v 7-11; 3 v 10-18).
Love is of God. He is the beginning and ending of love
Born of God. hath been begotten and remains His child."
V 8. He that Loveth not. Has no part of God at all…God is love,
The third of John's three great statements concerning the nature of God 1 John 4 v 24; I John 1 v 5).
love is not simply a quality which God possesses, but love is that which He is by his very nature.
because God is love, love which he shows is motivated by Himself only and not by any outside cause.
b) Love is of Christ. V 9,10.
V 9. The manifestation of God's love in our case was in the giving of his Son.
Only begotten, Not only did God send his Son, but it was his only begotten Son whom he sent.
Christ is the only born Son in the sense that he has no brothers ( Heb 11 v 17).
That we might live. The purpose of the sending of Christ.
V 10. Herein is love. the love which is the nature of God.
And such love is unrelated to anything human beings could do, but it is expressed in the gift of Christ.
Propitiation. Means God’s Satisfaction that our sin is dealt with.
V 11 If God so loved us to the extent of giving his only Son, we ought to love one another.
False teachers were not concerned with teaching any moral obligations.
V 12. God Since no one has ever seen God, the only way he who is love can be seen is by his children's loving one another and thus showing the family likeness. ..His love could refer to his love for us or to our love for him or to his nature ..If it is our love for him, this is made perfect as we love the brethren.
it is the love which is his nature, that has accomplished its full purpose as believers love one another.
V 13. Since we cannot see God, he has given us evidence of his presence with us through his Spirit, who dwells within.
V 15 Confess. Say the same thing; (agree with some authority outside of ourselves)
Son of God. This confession of the deity of Jesus Christ implies surrender and obedience also, not mere lip service"
V 16. Love that God hath to us. Love becomes a force working in us.
It causes us to have boldness in the day of judgment.
V 17.Our love. It is the love which God, who is love, has produced in us through begetting us and placing his spirit in us.
Boldness in the day of judgment. The believer who has perfected God's love in his earthly life will be able to approach the judgment seat of Christ without any shame. Such assurance is not presumption, because as he is, so are we in this world. ..The ground of boldness is our present likeness to Christ in this life, and particularly, according to this context, our likeness in love.
V 18 Love casts out fear.. The thought of boldness brings to mind its opposite,
fear. Since love seeks the highest good of another, fear, which is shrinking from another, cannot be a part of love. It brings Torment to your mind.
V 19. We love him. because he first loved us.
V 20, 21. Our love for our brethren, a visible thing, proves our love for God, an invisible being.
It is easy to say religiously, "I love God"; John says that real religiousness is shown in brotherly love.
Furthermore, he drives the point home by declaring in verse 21 that this is a commandment of Christ (John 13 v 34).
News from the Church New dates
5th February …..Friendship Group, (this covers all ages and the lonely people)
19th February….. Knit and natter is a time to finish old projects or learn new skills
ANSWERS TO 12th January QUESTIONS
1) The Woman at the well 2) Mary 3) Mary and Martha 4) Spoken to His mother while on the Cross
5) three 6) Mary Magdalene 7) Mary 8 ) Mary 9) Julias 10).Augustine 11) With some liberty
12) No 13) Stay in the ship 14) He wanted to save Paul 15) Captain of the Guard 16) The Chief of the Jews
Bible Quiz this week’s Quiz is a simple one
which are these people from the Old Testament, or the New Testament
1 Elijah?17. Esau?
2 Zaccheaus?18. Isaac?
3 Cornelius? 19. Benjamin?
4 Jonathan?20. Andrew ?
5 Eve?21. Mary?
6 Paul?22. David?
7 Noah?23. Dorcas?
8 Ahab?24. Boaz?
9 Rhoda?25. Abraham?
10 Goliath?26. Elisha?
11 Phillip?27. Cain?
12 Stephen?28. Lydia?
13 Jezabel?29. Hannah?
14 Ananias?30. Samson?
15 Moses?31. Thomas?
16 Barnabas?32. Naaman?
God Bless