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We continue our journey through John’s letters with this wonderful passage.

‘Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have 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 also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us.

By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because as he is so also are we in this world. There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. We love because he first loved us. If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother.’ (1 John 4:7-21)

Love, love, love…

The first paragraph above is an incredible description showing that God is love. Love has become so twisted in modern society that we don’t really understand what it means, but God is true and perfect love. His love is filled with grace, it’s never-ending, it’s all sufficient, it’s life-giving, it’s peace-bringing – this is real love. There’s one complicated word in there, ‘propitiation’, but that’s pretty much the most important word in it. Propitiation is the word used to describe someone who takes the punishment on behalf of someone else, and it describes so well that God’s righteous wrath worked itself out in love on the cross of Christ! Some ridiculous authors and preachers will tell you that Jesus didn’t suffer on the cross, that God didn’t punish him – I would encourage you to receive the teaching of John as he wrote it in God’s book, the Bible! It’s only when we fully appreciate the full extent of Jesus’ suffering and God’s awesome wrath that we can realise what love truly is, and that should encourage us to obey John’s teaching and love one another. If God has the grace to punish even his own son in our place, surely we can simply swallow our pride, and forgive and love one another.

The Spirit

John continues by moving from an idea of love to the idea of ‘abiding’. To be ‘in Jesus’ means that when he was punished on the cross we were in him – our sin was fully dealt with. Likewise, for Jesus to be in us means that we are his righteousness as we’re told in 2 Corinthians 5:21. The question John addresses here is: ‘That sounds great, but how do I know that?’ John’s answer echoes Paul: the Spirit lives in us and ‘bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God’ (Romans 8:16). So we know intellectually by studying Jesus’ completed work on the cross, but we also know emotionally – our spirits are comforted and assured that our salvation is real!

Now, this has historically raised a bit of a problem. What if I know intellectually that Jesus is God and died for me, but I don’t feel it? Well, if you’re thinking that now and are feeling a bit worried about it I’d encourage you – you’re worried that you might not be, that’s the Holy Spirit impressing his importance on you! The only time you should be really worried is if your lack of salvation provides on worry whatsoever, in which case you wouldn’t be worried…

Fear

There’s nowhere near enough space here for me to start talking properly about fear but John mentions it here – he says that there’s no fear in love. If you’re afraid, then you’ve not properly received this love. Please, cast your anxieties onto Jesus – he cares for you (1 Peter 5:7)! Jesus is all-seeing, all-knowing, and all-powerful. He’s good, all the time. His love towards his people endures forever. He’ll honestly never let you down, so why are you worrying? I don’t say this to minimise your suffering – if something bad’s happening to you now I’m sure I can’t appreciate it, but I certainly can guarantee that Jesus is bigger than it! Placing your trust in his love will bring you peace.

"God's Words For US" from Cecelia Lester

Yahweh Shammah,