His Word Today

^15 “Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. ¹⁶ 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.” (I John 4:15-16)

Agape love, which is a self-sacrificial love of the will, is one of many evidences that believers in Christ are indwelt by the Holy Spirit. In fact, it may be the greatest evidence believers are indwelt by the Holy Spirit. The Scriptures indicate that this type of love supersedes all other activities of the believer (I Corinthians 13:1-8).

The apostle John sets forth the principle that whoever declares as truth that Jesus is the Son of God, this evidences that God abides in him and that he abides in God. Remember, we cannot truthfully confess that Jesus is the Son of God unless the Holy Spirit indwells us (Romans 10:1-9; I John 4:1-3).

The result of this confession is a life set apart to reflect the holiness of God. This reflection is best seen by agape love. When sinners are converted and become believers in Christ, the Holy Spirit, through the Word of God, gives them an understanding and knowledge about God’s love. Not only that, but they also trust in, commit to, depend upon and honor and worship the God of love and the love God has for believers.

John again makes the definitive statement, as in I John 4:7-11, that God continually exists as the source of and the originator of agape love. Who remains and continues in this type of love remains in God and God in them.

Dr. John Walvoord writes, “Under the circumstances just described, confession (cf. 1:9; 2:23; 4:3) that Jesus is the Son of God is a sign that the confessor enjoys a mutual abiding relationship with God. The section is rounded off by the assertion, We know and rely on (lit., “have come to believe”) the love God has for us. Living in the atmosphere of mutual Christian love produces a personal knowledge of God’s love and fresh experience of faith in that love. Since God is love (cf. v. 8), one who lives in love lives (menei, “abides”) in God and has God abiding with him. The last part of verse 16 ought to be taken as the conclusion of the paragraph, rather than the start of a new one. John again affirmed the reality of the abiding experience enjoyed by all Christians who love”

How may you display the Love of God today? Ask God to give you insight in how you may love others today with a self-sacrificial love of the will.

May the Lord’s truth and grace be found here.

Soli deo Gloria

¹³ By this we know that we abide in Him and He in us, because He has given us of his Spirit. ¹⁴ And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent His Son to be the Savior of the world.” (I John 4:13-14)

One of the ways believers in Christ know that they are believers in Christ and that their faith is genuine is the Holy Spirit’s work in and through their lives. For example, loving a fellow believer self-sacrificially does not come naturally for anyone, including a Christian. Rather, it is the Spirit’s work in and through the believer wherein self-sacrificial love is displayed.

Since God has given us His Spirit to indwell us (Romans 8:9), it is a foregone conclusion that the Spirit is going to display His holy character through us. The result is that God receives all the glory.

I Peter 4:10-11 says, ^10 “As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace: ¹¹ whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.”

 Dr. Roy Zuck comments that, “The statement in verse 13 is intimately related to the ideas just expressed (See I John 4:7-12). We know that we live (menomen, “we abide”) in Him and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit. The mutual abiding of a believer in God and God in that believer (cf. John 15:4–7) is indicated by that believer’s experience of the Spirit. The Greek for “of His Spirit” (ek tou pneumatos) suggests participation in the Spirit of God, literally, “He has given us out of His Spirit.” The same construction occurs in 1 John 3:24. When a believer loves, he is drawing that love from God’s Spirit (cf. Rom. 5:5).”

One of the most significant ways God communicates through us by the Holy Spirit is through the preaching, teaching and living out the Gospel of Jesus Christ. John again directs the church to the exclusive person and work of Jesus Christ, as he has throughout this epistle. In Jesus Christ, God the Father…

• Revealed the Word of Life (1:1).
• Brought eternal life (1:2).
• Cleansed us from all sin (1:7).
• Gave believers an Advocate (2:1).
• Expiates and Propitiates our sin (2:2; 4:10).
• Gives us an example to follow (2:6).
• Sen the Messiah (2:22-23).
• Makes the new birth possible (2:29).
• Sent the righteous and sinless One (2″29; 3:4).
• Took away our sin (3:5).
•  Destroys the work of the devil (3:8).
• Sacrificed His son (3:16).
• Gave us life (4:9).

Always remember that God is working through you by the Holy Spirit who is within you (Philippians 2:13). Ultimately, God is to receive all the glory for what we do in His name.

May the Lord’s truth and grace be found here.

Soli deo Gloria!

^“Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. ¹² No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us.” (I John 4:11-12)

The Apostle John continues to display the heart of a pastor. He once again refers to his readers as “beloved.” He conveys a tenderness, but also a firmness to being committed to right teaching and also right living.

In reference to what the apostle previously said in I John 4:7-10, since God has loved the church with a self-sacrificial love of the will, believers ought to show the same love towards fellow believers.

John then declares that no one has ever seen God. This must be the apostle’s reference to God the Father because John certainly saw God in the person of Jesus Christ: the God/Man or Emmanuel.

However, as believers in Christ love one another with a self-sacrificial love of the will, God divine nature is seen in their behavior. The word “perfected” means complete or genuine.

Dr. John Walvoord writes that, “In His divine nature and essence, God has never been seen by any living man (cf. John’s similar statement, John 1:18). Yet in the experience of mutual love among believers, this invisible God actually lives in us and His love is made complete in us. The term “lives” once again renders John’s characteristic word (menō) for the abiding life. As in 1 John 2:5, the idea of God’s love reaching completeness in a believer may suggest a deep and full experience of that love (cf. 4:17).”

Dr. John MacArthur writes, “Love is the heart of Christian witness. Nobody can see God loving since his love is invisible. Jesus no longer is in the world to manifest the love of God. The only demonstration of God’s love in this age is the church. That testimony is critical (John 13:35; 2 Cor. 5:18–20). John’s argument in 1 John 4:7–12can be summed up as: love originated in God, was manifested in his Son, and demonstrated in his people.”

How may you self-sacrificially love someone today? By phoning them to wish them well and to pray for them during the call. By helping someone who is in need. By wishing someone you know a Happy Birthday when they might not expect hearing from you.

May the Lord’s truth and grace be seen here.

Soli deo Gloria!

^“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.” (I John 4:10)

The Apostle John uses another example for God’s love. With the phase “in this is love” John is saying that here is another way in which we may understand God’s self-sacrificial love of the will.

John says that God’s love is not based on our love of God. God’s love is not His response due to our love for Him. Rather, God loved us even when we did not love Him (Romans 5:8-10). With His love in view, He sent His Son, with a particular purpose and a particular message. That message and purpose was that Jesus Christ would be the propitiation for our sins.

As with I John 2:1-2, which we examined in June of this year, the Apostle John reminds his readers of God’s ministry of propitiation. This is my favorite word in the Scriptures. It is often joined with another word: expiation. What do these two words mean and what do they have to do with us and our relationship with God and with the person and work of Jesus Christ?

Dr. R. C. Sproul explains that, “Let’s think about what these words mean, beginning with the word expiation. The prefix ex means “out of” or “from,” so expiation has to do with removing something or taking something away. In biblical terms, it has to do with taking away guilt through the payment of a penalty or the offering of an atonement. By contrast, propitiation has to do with the object of the expiation. The prefix pro means “for,” so propitiation brings about a change in God’s attitude, so that He moves from being at enmity with us to being for us. Through the process of propitiation, we are restored into fellowship and favor with Him.”

We observe that the same Greek word (ἱλασμὸν; hilasmon) is often translated by both the English words: expiation and propitiation. However, there is a slight distinction in the words. Expiation is the “act” that results in the change of God’s disposition toward sinners. Expiation is what Christ did on the cross, and the “result” of Christ’s work of expiation is propitiation—God’s anger is turned away. The distinction is the same as that between the ransom that is paid and the attitude of the one who receives the ransom.

Dr. Sproul states that, “When we talk about salvation biblically, we have to be careful to state that from which we ultimately are saved. The apostle Paul does just that for us in 1 Thessalonians 1:10, where he says Jesus “delivers us from the wrath to come.” Ultimately, Jesus died to save us from the wrath of God. We simply cannot understand the teaching and the preaching of Jesus of Nazareth apart from this, for He constantly warned people that the whole world someday would come under divine judgment.”

In speaking of Jesus Christ’s ministry of expiation and propitiation, the writer of Hebrews explains it this way. “¹⁴ Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, ¹⁵ and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery. ¹⁶ For surely it is not angels that he helps, but he helps the offspring of Abraham. ¹⁷ Therefore he had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. ¹⁸ For because he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.” (Hebrews 2:14-18)

Dr. Sproul concludes by saying, “Therefore, Christ’s supreme achievement on the cross is that He placated the wrath of God, which would burn against us were we not covered by the sacrifice of Christ. So if somebody argues against placation or the idea of Christ satisfying the wrath of God, be alert, because the gospel is at stake. This is about the essence of salvation—that as people who are covered by the atonement, we are redeemed from the supreme danger to which any person is exposed. It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of a holy God who’s wrathful. But there is no wrath for those whose sins have been paid. That is what salvation is all about.”

Thank you Lord that through the person and work of Jesus Christ, I am no longer under your righteous wrath. Rather, I am now your adopted child. Hallelujah! \

May the Lord’s truth and grace be found here.

Soli deo Gloria!  

^“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.” (I John 4:9)

God used specific and particular means to manifest His love to those who He would redeem, justify, reconcile and adopt as His children. The method by which God revealed His love to us was pure, holy and ordained by Him.

The phrase “in this” refers to the means by which God manifested His love. The love of God is His self-sacrificial love of the will which originates and is solely sourced in Him.

The word “manifested” (ἐφανερώθη; ephanerothe) means to make plain, to reveal clearly and in detail. God chose to make plain and to reveal to us His love. He did so in great detail. What is the specific way in which chose to reveal His love?

The text says “that God sent His only Son into the world.” The verb “sent” (ἀπέσταλκεν; apestalken) means to send someone out with a particular message and with a particular purpose. God the Father sent Jesus Christ the Son to come to this world for the expressed purpose of delivering sinners from the penalty, power and presence of sin.

The phrase “only Son (μονογενῆ υἱὸν; monogene huion) means to be unique and the only One in a particular class or classification. Dr. John MacArthur explains that, “John always uses it of Christ to picture his unique relationship to the Father, his pre-existence, and his distinctness from creation. The term emphasizes the uniqueness of Christ, as the only one of his kind. It was he whom the Father sent into the world as the greatest gift ever given (John 17:3; 2 Cor. 8:9) so that we might have life eternal (cf. John 3:14–15; 12:24).”

The word “world” (κόσμον; kosmon) is not just the inhabited earth but also a system of thought and behavior which is in opposition to and rebellious against the One, True God of the Bible. It is into this world, dominated by the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life (I John 2:15-17) that God sent His Son.

The purpose of this mission and sending was so that believing sinners would find life in the Son. To live means to be spiritually alive in Christ and joined to God the Father by the person and work of Christ through the work of the Holy Spirit.

Galatians 4:1-7 says, “I mean that the heir, as long as he is a child, is no different from a slave, though he is the owner of everything, ² but he is under guardians and managers until the date set by his father. ³ In the same way we also, when we were children, were enslaved to the elementary principles of the world. ⁴ But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, ⁵ to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. ⁶ And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” ⁷ So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.”

What a blessing to know that God sent Jesus Christ His Son to this world on your behalf. Take time today to thank for this indescribable gift.

May the Lord’s truth and grace be found here.

Soli deo Gloria!

“Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. ⁸ Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.” (I John 4:7-8)

God calls believers in Christ to presently, actively and self-sacrificially love one another. This is because self-sacrificial love of the will originates and is sourced from God. Therefore, it stands to reason that such a love from God should be seen in those who belong to God by grace alone, through faith alone in the person and work of Jesus Christ alone.

Conversely, it also stands to reason that those who do not love one another self-sacrificially are those who do not know God. This demonstration, or lack thereof, of love speaks louder and more evidently than words.

I Corinthians 13 is such a familiar passage in Scripture that we tend to overlook the daily and practical qualities of God’s love in our lives. We hear it read at weddings and perhaps even hear it sung. As a way of reminder, what are the particular qualities of love that God says believers in Christ are to demonstrate? I Corinthians 13:4-8a provides us with the answer.

Love is patient. Patience (μακροθυμεῖ; makrothymei) means to demonstrate internal and external control in difficult circumstances. It means to endure, tolerate, to persevere and to have emotional stamina in the midst of trying circumstances. Have you ever had to display patience with a fellow believer in Christ? Have fellow believers in Christ ever had to display patience with you? This is a demonstration of God’s love.

Love is kind. Kindness (χρηστεύεται; chresteuetai) is doing something beneficial for someone. It means to have compassion, sympathy, gentleness and helpfulness towards another individual. Kindness is demonstration of God’s love.

Love does not envy. Envy (ζηλοῖ; zeloi) is being jealous. It is wanting what someone else has and resenting those who have what you want. Envy is greed, and is often accompanied by the emotion of bitterness caused by unfulfilled desire. To not envy is a demonstration of God’s love.

Love does not boast. To boast (περπερεύεται; perpereuetai) means to brag or to praise oneself. To not boast is a demonstration of God’s love.

Love is not arrogant. Arrogance (φυσιοῦται; physioutai) is to have pride or to be puffed up with a perspective of one’s importance. Arrogance is conceit, egotism, overconfidence and lacking humility. To not be arrogant is a demonstration of God’s love.

Love is not rude. To be rude (ἀσχημονεῖ; aschemonei) means to not be disgraceful and embarrassing. It means to be impolite, discourteous, bad-mannered and insolent. To not be rude is a demonstration of God’s love.

Love does not insist on its own way. The Greek word ζητεῖ (zetei) means to be demanding. It means to demand what you want, often at the expense of others. To not insist on your demands is a demonstration of God’s love.

Love is not irritable. To be irritable (παροξύνεται; paroxynetai) means to be easily upset or provoked at someone or something. To not be irritable is a demonstration of God’s love.

Love is not resentful. Resentment (κακόν; kakon) means to harm or injure. It means to cause pain. To not be resentful is a demonstration of God’s love.

Love does not rejoice at wrongdoing. Love is not glad nor pleased with unrighteousness or injustice. Wrongdoing (ἀδικίᾳ; adikia) means to do what is unjust. To not be pleased with wrongdoing is a demonstration of God’s love.

Love rejoices with the truth. Truth (ἀληθείᾳ; aletheia) means that which is real. Too many individuals live in a fantasy world of make believe. They never interact with reality. “The truth” in mind here is the truth of the Gospel. The truth of the Gospel is the inseparable ally of love (Ephesians 4:15; 2 John 1:12). False love compromises “the truth” by glossing over “iniquity” or unrighteousness and is therefore condemned (Proverbs 17:15). To rejoice with the truth is a demonstration of God’s love.

God’s love endures. God’s love is trustworthy. God’s love is a love in which the believer in Christ may have confidence.

Do you have this type of love within the depths of your soul?

May the Lord’s truth and grace be found here

Soli deo Gloria!

“Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God.” (I John 4:7)

I really love this next section from I John. I John 4:7-11 is a paragraph of Scripture that I’ve committed to memory and quote frequently when I preach and teach on the love of God and the Gospel of Jesus Christ. In fact, this section contains my favorite word in the Bible: propitiation.

I John 4; 7 sets the scene and tone for what is to follow. It contains propositional truth along with personal promises from God.

The verse begins with the Apostle John’s frequent term of endearment to those to whom he is writing: “Beloved.” How fitting to write about the love of God to those who have received and who God has graced with His love.

Immediately following this term of endearment, John says, “let us love one another.” This is a present active plea from an apostle to a congregation of believers. It is not a command but rather a fervent request that from their hearts they would display a self-sacrificial love of the will towards fellow believers in Christ.

Why are believers to love in such a fashion? John gives us the reason when he writes, “for love is from God.” The reason John gives us for loving in such a way is because self-sacrificial love of the will originates from and is sourced solely in the Lord.

John then gives us two promises based upon the preceding premise of loving fellow believers with God’s love: “and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God.” Whoever loves in a self-sacrificial way gives testimony and evidence that God has regenerated their souls through the preaching of the Gospel and by the work of the Holy Spirit. Additionally, they give evidence that they personally know God.

Dr. Don Carson writes that, “John reinforces let us love one another with the reminder that love comes from God. Love, as Christians understand it, is not a human achievement; it is divine in origin, a gift from God. If anyone loves in this sense it shows that that person has been born of God and knows God.”

Do you love others in the way described in I John 4:7? If so, this is an evidence that you are a believer in Jesus Christ. If not, then examine whether you truly know the Lord Jesus as your Savior.

May the Lord’s truth and grace be found here.

Soli deo Gloria!

⁵ They are from the world; therefore they speak from the world, and the world listens to them. ⁶ We are from God. Whoever knows God listens to us; whoever is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know the Spirit of truth and the spirit of error.” (I John 4:5-6)

In reading the Bible, believers in Christ must read observantly. This means that the student of Scripture must be attentive, alert, watchful and perceptive to each word and how it is used in a particular text.

For example, in today’s text the word “world” (κόσμου; kosmou) occurs three times in vs. 5 alone. This is the same word which John used in 2:15-17. It refers to the fallen world system which is disobedient to and rebellious against God.

John says here that the many antichrists belong to and are from the fallen world system. Their state of being and existence is of the world. This is evidenced by the fact that they presently and actively communicate or speak the world’s values and philosophies because it is their values and philosophies. Therefore, the fallen world’s followers believe, positively responds to and accepts the speech of the antichrists. They are in sync with each other.

By contrast, the follower of Christ belongs to and is from God. Those who belong to God believes, positively responds to and accepts the speech of apostolic teaching and preaching. Those who do not belong to God reject biblical teaching and preaching.

There are those within the church, and the culture, who say they are followers of Christ but their speech and lifestyle says otherwise. Their foundational authority is not the Scriptures but rather their own belief system as to what is right and wrong. In short, they are Atheistic Humanists in their worldview.

John says that this is how one can evaluate those who belong to Christ and those who do not. In other words, those who belong to Christ and those who belong to the world.

Dr. Don Carson says, “Once again John repeats a word for emphasis; world is the last word in v 4 and it occurs three times in this verse. It is with the world that his opponents are associated: they are from it, they speak from its viewpoint, and it forms their audience. Christians should not be surprised if such people do not listen to them. They are of the wrong party. But Christians do have their hearers. We is emphatic and sets those who are from God in strong contrast with others. There is also a contrast in the hearers; those who are from God are set over against whoever is not from God. Since this is the way the Spirit of truth and the spirit of falsehood (Brown translates, ‘Spirit of Deceit’) are known it is a fair inference that these spirits live in the people previously indicated.”

These many spirits of antichrist which lived in John’s day live in our own. It is important to take note of them and to reject their teaching and philosophy.

May the Lord’s truth and grace be found here.

Soli deo Gloria!