1 John 4-5

Prove the spirits to know whether or not they are of God. We will be influenced by spirits other than God. Next, John stated how to know whether or not the spirit was from God or not...

Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ came in the flesh is of God. Every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ came in the flesh is not of God. This is the spirit of antichrist. John referred back to 1 John 2:18 and reminded us that the antichrist spirit had come in the world, working backwards through this proof.

We have overcome the spirit of antichrist because the Holy Spirit that is in us is greater than the spirit of antichrist. Remember, we saw in 2 Thessalonians 2:6 that the Antichrist would only be revealed once the One that restrains the spirit of antichrist is removed. Here, as we stated there, the One can only be the Holy Spirit. God the Father never leaves, while Jesus is already gone which is WHY we are waiting for His return.

Those of the world hear (understand) only the world. Those of God hear (understand) the things of God…because those of God understand the things of God; they know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error. This same Doctrine was presented by Jesus in John 8:47.

The next sentence initiated John's model for love. "God is love" was actually mentioned twice during this model: the beginning and the end. The definition for love was given within the model.

John modeled love:

• Love one another because love is of God, loving is done with understanding. Loving shows you know God.
• Everyone that loves is born of God and knows God. This meant you can only love if you know God, if God (Holy Spirit) is in you.

Model Summary:

• When you know God, you will love, because God is love. This did not mean God always loves. It meant that only God loves.

This model was analogous to the critical verse 1 John 1:5 that stated God is light, and in Him there is no darkness at all. That verse was used to prove whether a person was a believer or not by whether they had light, because the light can only be obtained from God via the Holy Spirit. Likewise, if you do not love you do not know God, because God (alone) is love.

What is love? Is it an emotion? Is it words? Is it an action? This was critical to verse 9.

Important Point: The correct interpretation of "God is love," which occurs twice because it is the beginning and proof of a logical argument, is "as to God's Nature, it is loving." It is an effect of the cause (God's Identity/Nature).

The ultimate (manifested) example of love was presented by John. Remember, John referenced "manifested" in 1 John 2:19...again, working backwards through his proof. God made His love known to us by sending His Son Jesus into the world so that we could live through Him (grace). This was the same Doctrine presented in the most quoted New Testament verse: John 3:16. Love is an action, not an emotion, not a say. God "sent." To define love as anything other than an action is to disagree with this passage from John, which people often reference because of the next verse…

God loved us first and provided Righteousness for our sins, this was an action! We can only love when we live through Him (grace). We can only do the Right action when we let God do it through us. If God loved us then we ought to love others because we are able to do it because God is doing it through us towards others and God wants to love others through us: the Second Command.

No man has seen/beheld God the Father. The proof that God exists and that we know Him is not going to happen by seeing Him. John immediately removed this option for proof. This was the same Doctrine as stated in John 1:18.

John then presented the proof: we love by His Spirit that God the Father has given to us and that lives in us. We know that we dwell in God (are believers) because His Spirit works through us (grace) to love others, which is the only way we can love.

Verse 15 was another verse that is often a victim of context abuse. This verse is used by some in "traditional" circles to say that all we have to do is confess that Jesus is God and we will be "saved." Think about the context of this whole epistle when reading this verse. What else had John said that we should remember when reading this verse?

One Example: 1 John 1:6 - "If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth:..." John was not specifically referencing this example but notice, from the beginning of this epistle, John's first measure of being a believer in God versus being a believer in Satan was "walking"...which was making progress...which was proven by actions, not what you say, not emotions. From the beginning, John focused on actions. Love is an action, it is giving. Next, John confirmed his model for love by working his way back to "God is love"...

The love that God hath to us was "sent" to us by God, which was Jesus. We know and believe the love that God hath in us (Jesus) when we love others. Believe meant "to be firmly convinced." We are convinced through understanding and experience. Understanding is the logic, this was what John was presenting. Experience is the actual action. People who SAY they love and believe, but do not actually love through their actions are not believers, no matter what they say!

Once again, an Important Point: The correct interpretation of "God is love," which occurs twice because it is the beginning and proof of a logical argument, is "as to God's Nature, it is loving." It is an effect of the cause (God's Identity/Nature).

Our love is made perfect in an action! That we have boldness in the day of judgment! Why? Because it is God's love through us, which means He abides in us, which means we are children of God, which means we will be treated like Jesus was by the world. 1 John 2:15 introduced this premise, which again showed John was working his way backwards through his proof. Next, John finished this portion of his proof concerning love...

Love removes fear. Fear has punishment. If we love, we will not fear punishment (loss of value). When we love, we give without expecting a return from the person we gave to. If we feared for a return on what we gave, it would not be love. John showed that not only were love and fear incompatible, love actually casteth out fear!

How? We know we will be repaid the value we give in love in the long term by God because He is Just. When we love, we will not fear loss of value because we know that we will be given a value back eventually.

This verse was loaded with Doctrine. If you do not understand love, Justice, and Reward you will not understand this verse. 1 Corinthians 13:3 had Paul stating that if he gave but did not do it by love, then it profiteth him nothing. Love is more than just the action of giving, it involves an action and an attitude that does not expect anything in return from the person you are giving to. It is not fearful of losing something. Jesus defined love as giving and not expecting anything in return from the person you gave to in Luke 6:34-35. This was the only definition that fit the words of Jesus, Paul, and John!

John wrapped up his Model on "God is love":

Loving God and loving your neighbor (the Greatest Command) is only possible if it is God's love through us.

We do not have the ability to love within ourselves. We could not do it first. God had to first love us in order for us to be able to love Him. Take some time to really state what you believe the definition of love is because it is the measure for determining if someone is a believer.

John stated point blank: How can someone who did not love his brother who he saw (did not take faith) SAY that he loved God?...who he had not seen (does take faith). If a person did not love believers in actions, then he was not a believer. These two verses were very similar to 1 John 1:6-7, however instead of love the attribute was light.

Theme of Chapter 4: John stated that loving believers was proof that God dwelled in us and that we had Righteousness, that we were making progress (action) in the light. Notice, John ended with two foundational principles: Righteousness (being a believer) and loving our brother. John then referenced the commands that he referenced earlier to show that he had proven them true. The two commands:

First Command - Love the Lord thy God

Second Command - Love your neighbor.

John went through an extremely powerful philosophical proof. Unlike Paul, John did not use the scriptures to prove his points. He did this completely logically, and it all checked out without contradiction. Next, John brought the entire proof to a powerful conclusion.

Everyone that loves God also loves those begotten of God (Jesus and everyone that is born of God: believers). Everyone who does the First Command will do the Second Command as an effect.

We know that we love other children of God when we love God and keep His commandments. The Second Command is confirmation we are doing the First Command.

Loving God is keeping His commandments (love God, love others), which is an action. God's commandments are not grievous (heaviness, weight, burden, trouble). John was drawing his final conclusions and working his way back through the model presented in this epistle. It cannot be stressed enough the importance of loving one another. John's conclusion was that we are believers if we keep God's commandments: to love one another. This is the measure!

God's commandments are not grievous because we have God dwelling in us and following the commandments is only possible by God flowing through us. Our faith in God brings victory over the world, over the spirit of antichrist.

John rhetorically asked who could overcome the world other than someone who believed in Jesus Christ?

John worked his way back to the first chapter of 1 John. Throughout this epistle, John introduced a "new commandment," a new aspect that the believers did not deal with before. This new aspect was referenced but not named until the later chapters. In verse 6 of 1 John 5, John said the Spirit (which was the new aspect) bears witness and is truth. John began this entire epistle stating his objective was to have our joy be made full by having fellowship with the aspects that bear witness to the truth. John began with two aspects (Father and Word). He finished by adding a third aspect: Spirit. John showed that all three bear witness to the truth. Next, he concluded his proof…

Doctrine: The Trinity. The point was that we have three witnesses in heaven (spiritual) and we have three witnesses in earth (physical). John used an if/then to make his final point...

God's witness is greater than man's witness. If we believe men, then we ought to much more believe God. Furthermore, when we are born of God (have the Holy Spirit in us) we have God's Witness in us. Those who do not believe God are saying God is a liar. God gave us eternal life. This life is Jesus, the ultimate ability to repair.

We ought to know that we have eternal life now! This is not something we have to wait to find out until Judgment Day. This Doctrine was also stated in John 20:31.

The reason WHY John wrote this epistle:

Cause: Knowing we have eternal life

Effect: Joy made full.

This is the most important topic in the world because it involves your eternal Salvation, so HOW do we know that we have eternal life and are going to heaven?:

1. how do you respond to your sin? Justify/Rationalize or Confess and Repent?

2. do you love one another?

John's proof was completed. He went full circle with a powerful and non-contradictory conclusion. The rest of 1 John 5 presented three implications from this proof; three things that were effects of this proof.

This Doctrine was also stated in John 14:14.

Implication #1: We ought to have boldness that when we ask anything according to God's Will He will hear us.

Implication #2: A "sin not unto death" was a sin against people. This affected Reward, not Salvation. The first implication involved us being able to ask God for things in His Will. John was saying this second implication was something we could ask for because it was in God's Will. John said we could ask for the ability to repair a brother who sinned against another person. Notice, this went in line with loving. We can get involved with a brother who sinned by helping him repair, not by condemning or judging him.

John also reiterated Doctrine about sin. All unrighteousness is sin, however, not all sin is unrighteous. Salvation depends on Righteousness. Reward depends on Justice. Unrighteousness results in loss of Salvation (death). Injustice results in loss of Reward (value). John was saying there were sins that do not result in loss of Salvation, sins against other people. Peter said love covers a multitude of sins: 1 Peter 4:8.

Love covers the sins we do to other people because those sins involve Reward (value) and love is giving of a value without expecting anything in return from the person you are giving to. So, if we sin against people (take value through being unjust), we can cover this sin by loving (giving a value). Therefore, there are three types of sins:

1. Blasphemy of the Holy Spirit - The unforgivable sin that affects Salvation: Matthew 12:31-32.

2. Sins against God - This affects Salvation and is forgivable.

3. Sins against people - This affects Reward and is able to be covered with love/repentance.

Implication #3: Those born of God guard themselves by God's Spirit in them and the wicked one (devil) will not touch them. The devil cannot take the Salvation of a person who is killing their own flesh and allowing God's Spirit to direct their actions, which is grace.

This Doctrine was also stated in John 17:2-3.

Idols do not have understanding, so suppressing your understanding would prevent you from knowing Him that is true and the way most people do this is chasing after idols (images, appearance). We ought to know that we are of God and the whole world lies in wickedness. We have been given understanding so that we may know Him that is true. Knowing Jesus Christ will lead to eternal life.

This epistle was written by John from Ephesus around 90 AD. Remember, John was the youngest Disciple and would have been around sixteen years old when Jesus was crucified. This would make him around seventy-three years old when this letter was written. There were many similarities between this letter and the Gospel of John which we will point out. This letter was from the third of the four authors in this mini-section of the New Testament which consisted of epistles written by four separate authors. This letter, like John's Gospel account, was filled with Doctrine from a completely logical perspective...to the point when we take the time to fill in the connection between the Doctrines John referenced it will require many more words than what John wrote. Chronologically, this was the latest of the epistles and contained the most comprehensive logical explanation of Christianity.