The Epistle of 1 John Verse by Verse
Fellowship with Him and One Another
1 John 1:1 That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of life—
1 John 1:2 the life was manifested, and we have seen, and bear witness, and declare to you that eternal life which was with the Father and was manifested to us—
SPS: Specific Purpose Statement
1 John 1:3 that which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ.
1 John 1:4 And these things we write to you that your joy may be full. [joyful]
John is writing that we may have the best possible relationship with God through His Son Jesus Christ. So, these things that he subsequently writes here are for that reason—it is to help us to continue in God, remain and endure in Him, that is to abide in this fellowship with the Father and the Son.
1 John 1:5 This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all.
We will see that this is a book or epistle of contrasts; I find that John has a way of being black and white as well as succinct. Of course, this doesn’t and shouldn’t take away from the depth and importance of the message.
John begins immediately with the conditional statements. You make a supposition and follow it with a conclusion. This is the if-then statement we have talked about in the past. For instance, “If you take a big sip of water from a cup, then there will be less water in the cup”
As we go through 1 John today we will see that He makes many of these statements in relation to knowledge that we have and how we are to act on it. By following what he lays out for us we can then not only have a better relationship with God but also with our fellow man.
So, let’s begin:
1 John 1:6 If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. [talk the talk and walk the walk; we can’t say one thing {that we believe one way; in God} and then act another {sinful and ungodly manner; see more of later}] [saying vs doing; doctrine of action; standing before God in the Judgment] 1 John 1:7 But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another
Hebrews 10:24 And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, Hebrews 10:25 not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.
Continuing in 1 John 1:7 and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin. [if we have walked in the light as Jesus does, this then is a way of showing that we have accepted Christ as our example and are following accordingly and in His footsteps; we are acting in accordance with our beliefs, the ones that we have adopted from the Bible; we are doing what we are saying and are not making the sacrifice of no effect].
The Blood of Christ Cleanses Us from Our Sins
1 Peter 2:21 For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps:
He left us an example in everything He did, in how we are to be.
1 Peter 2:22 “WHO COMMITTED NO SIN, NOR WAS DECEIT FOUND IN HIS MOUTH”;
This is what we are to try to achieve, but as we each know personally we do sin.
1 John 1:8 If we say that we have no sin [1 John 3:4], we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
To believe that we are now or were ever perfect and that we have not or do not break the law of God is not the truth, it is a lie and we are on the wrong path.
So, what do we do? The answer is confessing our sins
1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Psalms 51:2 Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, And cleanse me from my sin.
God can and will do that if we repent. Read that chapter if you want to know how to go about doing this.
1 John 1:10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.
This is repetitive, but this time he further expands on it and says that by virtue of the fact that we say this we make Him out to be a liar and John then equates the word with truth as he does in John 17:17 Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth.
John uses this device several times throughout the epistle.
1 John 2:1 My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.
1 John 2:2 And He Himself is the propitiation [atonement; became our sacrifice] for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world.
So, if we do say that we have not sinned then we make everything that Christ did of no effect. How He divested Himself of His Godhead and Divinity; How He lived a sinless life and went through the ignominy of the crucifixion and died that all may be fulfilled and that the entire Plan of God could go forward and come to fruition. This is what we are saying if we say, “we have no sin”.
Now in :3 John continues with the if/then conditional type statements (by this).
His focus and the point that we will concentrate on is that “spiritual knowledge is conditional”.
So, through these same time of statements John simply lays it out: This is how we “know” God. This is how we come to the knowledge of God and because we come to know what we know we can have a true fellowship with God.
1 John 2:3 Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments.
1 John 2:4 He who says, “I know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.
If you say that you don’t have to keep the commandments like many say today, then you are a liar and you don’t have the truth and obviously, you don’t KNOW Him.
John 14:15 “If you love Me, keep My commandments.
Knowledge of who and what God is escapes those that don’t keep the commandments of God
But if we do keep His commandments we can know that we know Him because not only does understanding come from obedience but we begin to see the character and of God and the way He thinks by what He says is righteous—by the way He tells us to act through these commandments
1 John 2:5 But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him. [and that we abide in Him and have fellowship with Him] 1 John 2:6 He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked.
If you are going to say you have fellowship with Christ, you have to walk just like Christ walked.
Ephesians 5:1 Therefore be imitators of God as dear children.
Ephesians 5:2 And walk in love [Love toward your fellow man and God], as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma.
Matthew 19:17 So He said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God. But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments.”
Matthew 19:18 He said to Him, “Which ones?” Jesus said, ” ‘YOU SHALL NOT MURDER,’ ‘YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT ADULTERY,’ ‘YOU SHALL NOT STEAL,’ ‘YOU SHALL NOT BEAR FALSE WITNESS,’
Matthew 19:19 ‘HONOR YOUR FATHER AND YOUR MOTHER,’ and, ‘YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.’ “
It wasn’t a complete list, but the young rich man knew what He was alluding to.
Matthew 22:36 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?”
Matthew 22:37 Jesus said to him, ‘YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND.’ Matthew 22:38 This is the first and great commandment.
Matthew 22:39 And the second is like it: ‘YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.’
Matthew 22:40 On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”
All the law comes from these two great commandments. Everything extends from that. We are to show love toward God, and toward our neighbor.
1 John 2:7 Brethren, I write no new commandment to you, but an old commandment which you have had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word which you heard from the beginning.
1 John 2:8 Again [on the other hand], a new commandment I write to you, which thing is true in Him and in you, because the darkness is passing away, and the true light is already shining.
New Commandment?
John 13:34 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another
John 13:35 By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”
Is it really a new commandment? No, we are just able to look at it from a different respect because the darkness is passing away, and the true light is already shining. Our eyes have been opened by the Holy Spirit and a veil has been lifted and now we are beginning to see things more clearly – even this aspect of the spirit of law as we call it.
Notice this as we continue in 1 John:
1 John 2:9 He who says he is in the light, and hates his brother, is in darkness until now.
1 John 2:10 He who loves his brother abides in the light, and there is no cause for stumbling in him.
1 John 2:11 But he who hates his brother [second part of the 10 commandments;] is in darkness and walks in darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes. [This is the darkness that is not of God]
How Jesus Put It
Matthew 5:17 “Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill.
Matthew 5:18 For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled. [How long is that? How long will the law and commandments that John has been talking about, how long will they be in effect?]
Matthew 5:19 Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven [that’s not saying they are going to be in the Kingdom of God, they will just be called the least from there]; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
Matthew 5:20 For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees [not hard to do since they did not have the righteousness of God and Christ in them], you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.
Matthew 5:21 “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘YOU SHALL NOT MURDER, and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment.’
Now we get to the fulfilling [making more full] part of the law; the magnifying of it.
Matthew 5:22 But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. And whoever says to his brother, ‘Raca!’ shall be in danger of the council. But whoever says, ‘You fool!’ shall be in danger of hell fire.
Matthew 5:23 Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you,
Matthew 5:24 leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift. [this is how important it is to God; can’t be reconciled to God if you are not reconciled to your brother; showing love; fulfilling the commandments]
Do Not Love the World; Overcome the World
1 John 2:15 Do not love the world or the things in the world. [Our citizenship and goal is the Kingdom of God;]
Matthew 6:32 For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. [The things of the world which are temporal] Matthew 6:33 But seek first the kingdom of God [which is eternal] and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.
If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. We can’t be like Lot’s wife longing for what she left behind.
1 John 2:16 For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world. [what the world has to offer]
1 John 2:17 And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; [if/then] but he who does the will of God abides forever.
1 John 2:18 Little children, it is the last hour; and as you have heard that the Antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come, by which we know that it is the last hour.
1 John 4:3 and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard was coming, and is now already in the world.
2 John 1:7 For many deceivers have gone out into the world who do not confess Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist.
1 John 2:22 Who is a liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist who denies the Father and the Son.
Deceptions of the Last Hour
1 John 2:19 They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us; but they went out that they might be made manifest, that none of them were of us.
1 John 2:20 But you have an anointing [the receiving of the Holy Spirit] from the Holy One, and you know all things. [that are revealed]
Let’s look a little more closely at how that works:
1 Corinthians 2:9 But as it is written: “EYE HAS NOT SEEN, NOR EAR HEARD, NOR HAVE ENTERED INTO THE HEART OF MAN THE THINGS WHICH GOD HAS PREPARED FOR THOSE WHO LOVE HIM.”
1 Corinthians 2:10 But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God.
1 Corinthians 2:11 For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God.
1 Corinthians 2:12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God.
1 John 2:21 I have not written to you because you do not know the truth, but because you know it, and that no lie is of the truth.
1 John 2:22 Who is a liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist who denies the Father and the Son.
1 John 2:23Whoever denies the Son does not have the Father either; he who acknowledges [admits that they know] the Son has the Father also.
John 14:9 Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?
John 14:10 Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works. [If you know the Son then you know the father]
Let Truth Abide in You
1 John 2:24 Therefore let that abide in you which you heard [all that you know and have learned] from the beginning. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, you also will abide in the Son and in the Father.
1 John 2:25 And this is the promise that He has promised us—eternal life.
1 John 2:26 These things I have written to you concerning those who try to deceive you.
Keep the things that you “know” in mind; trust and rely in God by the power of the Holy Spirit.
1 John 2:27 But the anointing which you have received from Him abides in you, and you do not need that anyone teach you; but as the same anointing teaches you concerning all things, and is true, and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you will abide in Him.
The Children of God
1 John 2:28 And now, little children, abide in Him, that when He appears, we may have confidence and not be ashamed before Him at His coming.
1 John 2:29 If you know that He is righteous, you know that everyone who practices righteousness is born of Him.
It’s a sure thing. If you know that He is righteous and you practice it, then you will have received that promise.
The promise of eternal life.
The epistle of 1 John is interesting in terms of encapsulating the basics of what we are to know and to understand as a Christian.
Begins immediately with the conditional statements. You make a supposition and follow it with a conclusion. This is the if-then statement we have talked about in the past.
Conditional Statements
Spiritual understanding and knowledge is conditional
Correlations: talk and walk; father and son; love and God;
Contrasts for clarity; uses opposites trying to make it black and white – so to speak: light and dark; lie and truth; sin and righteousness; good and evil; God and devil; truth and error; true and false
1 John 3:1 Behold [take notice of this] what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us [in other words how did God show love towards us] , that we should be called children of God[not just figuratively as we will see in the very next verse]! Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know Him.
Why does the world not know Him? [from the first 2 chapters]
- keep His commandments.
- keeps His word
- have love for one another
- practices righteousness
…and this is why it does not know us – because we do these things and are becoming like the God that they cannot know
1 John 3:2 Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.
We don’t know the full scope of what it is to be God, but we do know that we will be members of His Family and be spirit beings just like He is.
1 John 3:3 And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.
This is the walk of the Christian, to remove sin from our lives by walking in the commandments and replacing it with and practicing the righteous of God. By following the path God has laid out before us and wants us to walk down.
1 Peter 1:22 Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart
Now on the contrary we see what sin is:
Defining Sin [showing the contrast to :3]
1 John 3:4 Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness.
1 John 3:4 KJV Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.
1 John 3:5 And you know that He was manifested to take away our sins, and in Him there is no sin.
Jesus Crist did not sin because he didn’t break ANY of the laws of God [because that is what sin is].
John 3:6 Whoever abides in Him does not sin [won’t continue sinning willfully as they have done in the past; they won’t practice sinning any more]. Whoever [does this] sins [breaks the laws and commands of God] has neither seen Him nor known Him.
1 John 3:7 Little children, let no one deceive you. He who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous. [to be like God, which we are striving for, we have to be righteous]
What is Righteousness?
Psalm 119:172 My tongue shall speak of Your word, For all Your commandments are righteousness.
Romans 7:12 Therefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy and just and good.
Romans 7:14 For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am carnal, sold under sin.
1 John 3:8 He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil.
He is a liar and a murderer and has been that way from the beginning
Back to contrasting; making it black and white;
1 John 3:9 Whoever has been born of God does not sin, for His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God.
Some believe that we have already been born again yet: How did John start off this letter?
1 John 1:8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
Romans 3:23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
John 3:3 Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
John 3:4 Nicodemus said to Him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?”
John 3:5 Jesus answered, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.
John 3:6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
The Imperative of Love
1 John 3:10 In this the children of God and the children of the devil are manifest: Whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is he who does not love his brother.
Can make this an if-then statement. If you do not practice righteousness [keeping the law and the commandments as we just read] you are not of God.
He who practices righteousness is righteous; He who does not practice righteousness is not righteous or as it says here is not of God.
We just got finished reading in :7 He who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous.
So, in case it’s not clear to the reader John continues to spell it out for us.
1 John 3:11 For this is the message that you heard from the beginning, that we should love one another,
1 John 3:12 not as Cain who was of the wicked one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his works were evil and his brother’s righteous.
John continues to address this subject of the love that we are to have for our brother and how it defines whether we are of God or of the god of this world, Satan.
Cain, obviously, did not exemplify the love for his brother; rather his works were those of his influencer the Devil and was manifest by his actions of hate towards his brother, culminating in killing him.
2 Timothy 2:24 And a servant of the Lord must not quarrel but be gentle to all, able to teach, patient,
2 Timothy 2:25 in humility correcting those who are in opposition, if God perhaps will grant them repentance, so that they may know the truth,
2 Timothy 2:26 and that they may come to their senses and escape the snare of the devil, having been taken captive by him to do his will.
So, it should not come as any surprise what John says next:
1 John 3:13 Do not marvel, my brethren, if the world hates you.
if the world hates you – [then] do not be surprised
Romans 8:7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God. [An enemy toward God and the things of God – Because they do not have God abiding in them]
1 John 3:14 We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love his brother abides in death. [2nd death if you do not repent and change your ways he is saying] 1 John 3:15 Whoever hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.
John 13:35 John is continuing to echo Christs words “By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”
It’s easy to say this but [summarize 1 John 1:6-7] If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.
1 John 2:6 He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked
1 John 3:16 By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.
It is interesting that John 3:16 goes hand in hand with 1 John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son,” Christ laid down His life for us as an example. We should be willing to physically lay down our lives for our brother. But it is rare that we are asked to give up our life in this way, but we are called on to make living sacrifices, notice how:
1 John 3:17 But whoever has this world’s goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him?
1 John 3:18 My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth.
This is the real key, there is an action that goes with belief; there is a walk that goes with the talk.
As we have opportunity we are to do good to all, especially the brethren. We are to esteem them better than ourselves and not just look out for our own interests but theirs as well.
1 John 3:19 And by this we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before Him.
This is where we come to the doctrine of action, the necessity to act on what we believe. This is what makes it a living faith and as James 2 says in so many ways that faith without works is dead. If you do not have action and deeds, what you believe is worthless.
1 John 3:20 For if our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and knows all things.
1 John 3:21 Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence toward God.
We don’t need to doubt any of this and we should trust in God, His Word and what He says.
1 John 3:22 And whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do those things that are pleasing in His sight.
This is one of the prerequisites to answered prayer. This shouldn’t be big reach to understand this principle. It is one of the things that we see in the family relationship … as a father I am much more willing and ready to grant my children their petitions if they are following the rules around the house. It’s not the only basis for making that decision though. It has to be for their own good and fit in with my plans for everything else.
1 John 5:14 Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.
Of course, like a good Father, sometimes the answer is no even if we don’t understand why. But we have to trust in our loving Father that He does know what is best and is actively working in our lives.
1 John 3:23 And this is His commandment: that we should believe on the name of His Son Jesus Christ and love one another, as He gave us commandment.
So, if you want God to hear you, you need to believe and do as He said that we should
The Spirit of Truth and the Spirit of Error
1 John 3:24 Now he who keeps His commandments abides in Him, and He in him [or God in us]. And by this we know that He abides in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us.
I feel like I am belaboring the point here, yet John was inspired to say it this many times and in this many ways to make it clear and for us to get the point about the correlation between TRULY knowing who and what God is and keeping the commandments…they go hand in hand.
1 John 4:1 Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world.
1 John 4:2 By this you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God,
1 John 4:3 and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard was coming, and is now already in the world.
Apparently, this was one of the reasons that John had to write this epistle because there were others that were saying that Jesus had not come in the flesh. This is why he established some of his authority in the matter in the opening verses of the epistle. And it is why he uses this term antichrist.
He goes on to say:
1 John 4:4 You are of God, little children, and have overcome them [false prophets, false ministers; those that are anti-christ or against Christ and what He stands for], because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.
1 John 4:5 They are of the world. Therefore they speak as of the world, and the world hears them.
They speak of the things that can be gleaned carnally and not the deeper spiritual things of God
1 John 4:6 We are of God. He who knows God hears us; he who is not of God does not hear us. By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error.
John 10:4 And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice.
John 10:5 Yet they will by no means follow a stranger, but will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers.”
John 10:6 Jesus used this illustration, but they did not understand the things which He spoke to them.
The same is still true today — many think they know God, but do not
Knowing God Through Love; God in us; God’s Love in Us
1 John 4:7 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God.
1 John 4:8 He who does not love does not know God, for God is love.
A profound and powerful statement: God is Love!
This means that everything that flows comes from Him or out of Him has its basis in LOVE that would include He says and does; His Law and His actions.
The Great Commandment
Matthew 22:36 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?”
Matthew 22:37 Jesus said to him, ‘YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND.’
Matthew 22:38 This is the first and great commandment. Matthew 22:39 And the second is like it: ‘YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.’
Matthew 22:40 On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”
Are you beginning to see that in order to dwell with God and have fellowship with Him, we need to be on the same page?
God is Love…
1 John 4:9 In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him.
1 John 4:10 In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.
He showed love to us, first, in giving His son as the atoning sacrifice for our sins. By doing this He made the way possible for us to LOVE as He loves by the power of the Holy Spirit in us. We are to be of like mind. If we are to walk with God we need to be in agreement – living and acting in the same way as He tells us in the next verse.
1 John 4:11 Beloved, if God so loved us, [then] we also ought to love one another.
If God loves us, and we want to be like Him then we need show love to one another. John is making his point further and more completely.
1 John 4:12 No one has seen God at any time. [but even though this is the case] If we love one another, God abides in us, and His love has been [and is being] perfected in us.
1 John 4:13 By this we know that we abide in Him, and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit.
It is by the power of the Holy Spirit, God living in us, that we are able to accomplish all of this that we have been talking about. Loving our brother, keeping the commandments, having fellowship with God.
1 John 4:14 And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son as Savior of the world.
1 John 4:15 Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God.
Now we see that there is more to it than just confessing that Jesus came in the flesh. Now John is saying that we have profess, give our assent to; concede; and even has the connotation of covenant that Jesus is the Son of God; so what he is really saying is that whoever says and believes that Christ did and accomplished everything that He did indeed do. All the words of the Bible that attest to that fact.
1 John 4:16 And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him.
1 John 4:17 Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world.
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.
By doing all that we have been talking about we can with boldness and confidence in the day of judgement. We will not have to fear anything because we have been walking in the way of God.
In Following the Example of Love
1 John 4:19 We love Him because He first loved us.
Obedience by Faith
1 John 4:20 If someone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen?
1 John 4:21 And this commandment we have from Him: that he who loves God must love his brother also.
Because of this inextricable correlation – Do we see the how important it is that we do this? John is not leaving any doubt as to the correlation between the love for God and the love we have to have for our brother and how that defines us as being a Christian. Without it, we are not.
I’ve really come to appreciate 1 John for being a back to basics encapsulation of the word of God and what we are supposed to be doing as Christians.
1 John 5:1 Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves Him who begot also loves him who is begotten of Him.
1 John 5:2 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and keep His commandments.
WHY is that?
We can first take the statement at face value.
You cannot say that you love the children of God and not keep the commandments.
The reason is that the latter 6 of the commandments deal with our love toward the children of God or toward our fellow man.
This might help us now understand the next verse a bit better:
1 John 5:3 For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome.
Is it a burden for us not to lie cheat and steal?
1 John 5:4 For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.
We are no longer doing the things that we used to do; the sinning; the breaking the law of God.
1 John 5:5 Who is he who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?
Combatting one of the main issues at hand again. Saying that those who have overcome the world have to be and can only be those that believe Jesus came in the flesh, did all that He did, was crucified, buried, and rose after 3 days and 3 nights in the grave and now sits at the right hand of God the Father and now have the Power of God residing in them to enable them to “overcome the world”.
So, remember there were those that said He came as a ghostly form or as an illusion and He did not come as flesh and blood.
Now in the context of John continuing to drive the point home that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and did come in the flesh we read the next verses:
The Certainty of God’s Witness
1 John 5:6 This is He who came by water and blood—Jesus Christ; not only by water, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit [which] bears witness, because the Spirit is truth.
I will read them without the text that was added around 350AD
We will skip from the middle of :7 to the middle of verse :8 and you may have it already italicized in your bible indicating that it was not in the original Greek.
1 John 5:7 For there are three that bear witness in heaven: the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit; and these three are one.
1 John 5:8 And there are three that bear witness on earth: the Spirit, the water, and the blood; and these three agree as one.
They prove that Jesus Christ came in the flesh and was the Son of God – the point that John is trying to get across throughout this epistle.
So, he continues in :9 in this vein:
1 John 5:9 If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater; for this is the witness of God which He has testified of His Son.
1 John 5:10 He who believes in the Son of God has the witness in himself; he who does not believe God has made Him a liar, because he has not believed the testimony that God has given of His Son.
We have touched on some of the rest of the chapter before and we will go through rest a little later.
I want to begin now making some connections that John has been talking about. One of the main themes of 1 John by reciting a short yet deep and meaningful phrase that we’ve already read – it’s found 1 John 4:8 and 16
God is Love!
What does that really mean? It describes Who and What God is! It defines and expresses His character.
God is Good and all that He says and does is good and based on love.
It means that all that emanates from God is founded on His concern and care for us.
For instance: God so loved the world that He gave His only Son so that we could have something that we don’t even deserve – eternal life.
But before that, when God created the universe and all that was in it…including us, He put into motion a set of rules and laws to govern everything.
There was a set of laws or physics that regulate space and all that is in it and He also gave a set of laws for humans to live by…NOT because He had nothing else better to do but because He created us and knew what was best for us. He did it out of love!
For instance, an example that I have used a few times, is the SARS virus…eating Civet Cat
Who knew this would happen? No one did – except God and that’s why He gave us dietary laws – because He loves us!
Not to burden us. Who finds it a burden to be healthy?
God Who made us knows what we need in order to prosper and lead productive lives. That is why He gave us laws to live by.
Most won’t test the law of gravity or moan and complain about it but many see fit to complain about God’s laws which are given to us out of LOVE for us.
Let’s expand on this concept that the Law of God as spelled out in the Bible, is a Law of Love and that it does reflect the character of God of Who and What He is at His Core.
I have 12 points that show the correlation between God and His Law. Hopefully this will give us a better perspective on how to view the Law of God.
Righteous
1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
1 John 2:29 If you know that He is righteous, you know that everyone who practices righteousness is born of Him.
* God— Psalm 145:17 The LORD is righteous in all His ways….
I think we know this but we will verify it any way.
* Law—Psalm 119:172 “All Your commandments are righteousness”
Which we read before…so I won’t belabor the point
God is Righteous and His Law is Righteous
Truth
1 John 1:6 If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.
1 John 1:8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
* God—Psalm 31:5 Into Your hand I commit my spirit; You have redeemed me, O LORD God of truth.
* Law—Psalm 119:142 “Your law is truth”
Christ talking to God
John 17:17 Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth.
Everlasting
1 John 5:11 And this is the testimony: that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son.
You can only give eternal life if you have it.
1 John 5:12 He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. [a prerequisite: to have the Son] 1 John 5:13 These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God.
1 John 5:16 If anyone sees his brother sinning a sin which does not lead to death, he will ask, and He will give him life for those who commit sin not leading to death. There is sin leading to death. I do not say that he should pray about that.
1 John 5:17All unrighteousness is sin, and there is sin not leading to death.
1 John 5:18 We know that whoever is born of God does not sin; but he who has been born of God keeps himself, and the wicked one does not touch him.
1 John 5:20 And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us an understanding, that we may know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life.
* God— “Genesis 21:33 Then Abraham planted a tamarisk tree in Beersheba, and there called on the name of the LORD, the Everlasting God.
Deuteronomy 33:27 The eternal God is your refuge….
What about the Law?
Psalm 111:7 The works of His hands are verity and justice; All His precepts are sure.
Psalm 111:8 They stand fast forever and ever, And are done in truth and uprightness.
Precept: a general rule intended to regulate behavior or thought.
synonyms: rule, canon, doctrine, command, order, dictate, dictum, commandment;
Psalm 111:7 The works of his hands are verity and judgment; all his commandments are sure.
Psalm 111:8 They stand fast for ever and ever, and are done in truth and uprightness.
Combined the next 3 points:
Holy, Just, and Good
* Law—Romans 7:12 Therefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy and just and good.
HOLY
1 Peter 1:15 but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct,
1 Peter 1:16 because it is written, “BE HOLY, FOR I AM HOLY.”
JUST
1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Revelation 15:3 They sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying: “Great and marvelous are Your works, Lord God Almighty! Just and true are Your ways, O King of the saints!
Revelation 15:4 Who shall not fear You, O Lord, and glorify Your name? For You alone are holy. For all nations shall come and worship before You, For Your judgments have been manifested.”
Romans 2:1 Therefore you are inexcusable, O man, whoever you are who judge, for in whatever you judge another you condemn yourself; for you who judge practice the same things.
Romans 2:2 But we know that the judgment of God is according to truth against those who practice such things.
Romans 2:3 And do you think this, O man, you who judge those practicing such things, and doing the same, that you will escape the judgment of God?
Romans 2:4 Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance?
Romans 2:5 But in accordance with your hardness and your impenitent heart you are treasuring up for yourself wrath in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God,
Romans 2:6 who “WILL RENDER TO EACH ONE ACCORDING TO HIS DEEDS”:
Romans 2:7 eternal life to those who by patient continuance in doing good seek for glory, honor, and immortality;
Romans 2:8 but to those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness—indignation and wrath,
GOOD
Matthew 19:17 So He said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God. But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments.”
Matthew 19:18 He said to Him, “Which ones?” Jesus said, ” ‘YOU SHALL NOT MURDER,’ ‘YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT ADULTERY,’ ‘YOU SHALL NOT STEAL,’ ‘YOU SHALL NOT BEAR FALSE WITNESS,’
Matthew 19:19 ‘HONOR YOUR FATHER AND YOUR MOTHER,’ and, ‘YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.’ “
Psalm 25:8 Good and upright is the LORD; Therefore He teaches sinners in the way.
Perfection
* God— Matthew 5:48 “You shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect”
* Law— Psalm 19:7 “The law of the LORD is perfect, restoring the soul”
Spiritual
John 4:23 But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him.
John 4:24 God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”
Romans 7:14 For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am carnal, sold under sin.
Light
* God—1 John 1:5 “God is light and in Him is no darkness at all”
* Law—Proverbs 6:23 “The commandment is a lamp, and the law is light”
Unchanging
Hebrews 13:8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
Malachi 3:6 “For I am the LORD, I do not change; Therefore you are not consumed, O sons of Jacob.
James 1:17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.
Matthew 5:17 “Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill.
Matthew 5:18 For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled.
Matthew 5:19 Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
Matthew 5:20 For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.
Love
* God— 1 John 4:8 “God is love”
* Law—Romans 13: 10 “Love is the fulfillment of the law”
Romans 13:8 Owe no one anything except to love one another, for he who loves another has fulfilled the law.
Romans 13:9 For the commandments, “YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT ADULTERY,” “YOU SHALL NOT MURDER,” “YOU SHALL NOT STEAL,” “YOU SHALL NOT BEAR FALSE WITNESS,” “YOU SHALL NOT COVET,” and if there is any other commandment, are all summed up in this saying, namely, “YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.”
Romans 13:10 Love does no harm to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.
This is why the breaking of the law, sin, is such an affront to God – it flies in the face of who and what He is. God is love and sin is the opposite of what God is.
Romans 13:11 And do this, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed.
Romans 13:12 The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light.
Romans 13:13 Let us walk properly, as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in lewdness and lust, not in strife and envy.
Romans 13:14 But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts.
1 John 3:23 And this is His commandment: that we should believe on the name of His Son Jesus Christ and love one another, as He gave us commandment.
1 John 4:21 And this commandment we have from Him: that he who loves God must love his brother also.
1 John 5:2 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and keep His commandments.
1 John 5:3 For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome.
What did all these writers, those that wrote the scriptures we just read understand about the Law? They didn’t see it as burdensome that’s for sure! They saw it in the same way that they saw God as:
- Righteous
- Eternal and Everlasting
- Holy, Just and Good
- True
- Perfect
- Enlightening
- Spiritual
- Immutable
- And above all a Law of Love
God is defined by His actions. When we say that God is Good or that God is Love is because His actions are loving and good – that is what makes Him Good and Loving.
The Law is a reflection of God. It shows us His mind and thoughts and the direction He wants us to head. The carnal mind, the mind without the spirit of God working in it and with it is at odds with God.
Romans 8:5 For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit.
Romans 8:6 For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.
Romans 8:7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be.
Jeremiah 31:33 But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD: I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.
In the old testament, what law is he talking about that will be written in their hearts in the future when they have access to the Holy Spirit?
Paul quoted this in Hebrews 10
This is what we, those of us that are privileged to have God’s Holy Spirit now are to be DOING! We are to be writing God’s LAW into our minds and hearts. We are to be living by and obeying every WORD of the Bible because it reveals the God that we are to be striving to be like.