1st John Chapter 4 Part 8

4:14 And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world.

We would do well to pause and consider who John is referring to when he writes the little word “we.” “We” have seen and “we” testify; who is this we John mentions? He is clearly one among this number. It is the apostles of the Lord, who were with Him during His earthly ministry and to whom He appeared after His resurrection, Acts 1:21-22; 1st Corinthians 9:5; 15:5-8.

1st John Chapter 4 Part 7

4:12-13 No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us. Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit.

John is clearly referring to the Father at this point. Jesus said, “Not that anyone has seen the Father, except He who is from God; He has seen the Father,” John 6:46. The Son was incarnated and clearly visible to those who walked with Him, and through the Son we see the Father, John 14:9. It is said in the Scriptures that Jesus is the image of the invisible God, Colossians 1:15.

1st John Chapter 4 Part 6

4:10-11 Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.

The prior verse tells us that God’s love was manifested on the cross when Jesus Christ died for our sins. Though verse 9 does not distinctly say this John 3:16 and our present verses fill in the blanks. The crucifixion of our Lord was the act of God giving His Son to be sin for us; in this was love.

1st John Chapter 4 Part 5

4:9 In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him.

God wanted us to know beyond any shadow of a doubt that He loves us. Sending Jesus Christ to this earth so that through Him we might have eternal life was His method of choice. We find God practicing what He preaches. He commands that anyone who loves Him also love his brother in Christ, 1st John 4:21. To demonstrate the nature of love God gave Christ to us while we were His enemies, Romans 5:8. Paul agrees with John by writing “God demonstrates His own love toward us,” by sending Jesus while we were sinners and rebels.

1st John Chapter 4 part 4

4:7-8 Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.

John provides several tests so that we may know the nature and spirit of the teacher coming to us in Christ’s name. Such a teacher must have a biblical acceptance of the fact that God came in the flesh (1st John 4:2); they must be willing to hear the biblical admonitions of fellow Christians (1st John 4:6); and finally, those truly born of God love their Christian brothers, demonstrated by action, verses 7 and 18.