Let’s continue into 1 John 4 to see what these next evidences are.
"Whoever keeps His commandments abides in God, and God in him. And by this we know that He abides in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us. 11. Particular Discernment (3:24-4:6)
John introduces a new topic here in this section of his letter – the work of the Holy Spirit in the believer. There are not many truths in Scripture that thrill me more than studying the work of the Holy Spirit in the life of a believer. Maybe it is because I have experienced that wonderful ministry of the Spirit in my own heart, but this passage reminds us that discernment about the working of the Spirit in the life of a believer is another evidence of genuine faith. John warns the beloved in verse 1 to discern between the Spirit and the spirits in this world. There are so many false ideas and spirits in this world that seek to deceive us. So how do we know the right from the wrong in this area? John tells us that the litmus test of the validity of the spirit is Jesus Christ! Those who deny Christ’s incarnation, death, burial, and resurrection are exposing themselves as spirits of antichrist (4:2-3). John encourages believers that we can and have overcome these false spirits because of the work of the One who is in us (4:4) who is greater than any spirit in this world. Relying on the Spirit of God working in you and me is the secret to having this discernment and ultimate victory over sin! John finishes this section by describing again these differing spirits and helping us to make particular discerning judgments about them. Friend, are you listening to the Spirit of God and letting Him lead you or are you being drawn in by the worldly spirits? Remember the blessed truth of 1 John 4:4 – “Greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world.”
12. Perfecting Love (4:7-21)
This long passage is not hard to follow and has some great points of truth for us in John’s return to a subject we visited last month – Godly Love! In fact, I have marked the word love or a form of it in this passage no less than twenty-nine times in fifteen verses! I think the Lord is trying to tell us something about this perfecting love. Perfecting love is evidence of genuine faith in God’s Son. This love is a characteristic of our God (4:8). Because God is love, those of us who live in Him and fellowship with Him should demonstrate this love. “The absence of love is evidence that a person does not know God.”[1] God’s love sent His Son to appease His own wrath (to be the propitiation) for our sins. What greater love has anyone ever shown? An intimate relationship with God will produce love and that love will extend to one another (4:9-11). Friend, how is your love for others when compared to God’s love for you?
John makes an interesting statement in verse 12 – “No man hath seen God at any time.” According to God’s revealed Word, no person ever saw God in all His glory and lived to tell about it. So, is this just a random fact inserted here? Not at all. See, the way that God’s wonderful nature of love is revealed to all mankind is through the mutual love of believers. God’s love “lives in us and His love is made complete in us.”[2] And John goes on to point out that the mutual dwelling of the believer in God and God in the believer is achieved through the ministry of the Holy Spirit (4:13). What a wonderful Gift we have in the Spirit of God! Verse 14 tells us that being a witness of all this perfecting love is a testimony of what Father did when He sent Christ to save the world. Those who confess these truths will enjoy the pleasure of abiding in Christ (4:15-16). These last few verses of this section really emphasize the boldness and confidence of the believer in his perfecting love when he stands before the Lord. This love will be complete and provide confidence for the believer on the judgment day. What a blessed thought that Christ wants us to come to Him with boldness and confidence! He is not trying to catch up doing wrong. He wants us to be complete before Him! There is no fear in going before the judge when we have done nothing wrong! Perfect love drives out fear. Christ loved us perfectly, and that love should drive us to love Him and others in the same way (4:18-19). John explains once again in the last verses of this section what this love should and shouldn’t look like (4:20-21). The question for us remains – how does my love stand up against God’s perfect love for me? Do you find strength and encouragement in knowing that God loves you perfectly? Do you dwell in the beauty of the ministry of the Spirit of God in your life? Or are you struggling in your relationship with Him because there are some areas of faith that aren’t so genuine? Friend, run to Christ in this moment and find His unchanging love for you and sweet fellowship with the precious Holy Spirit today.
One more chapter of this letter to finish this series. I hope you will take some time to test your faith, not because of anything I have said but because of the truths in God’s Word. May your faith find great confidence and indisputability that it never knew before.
How is your faith holding up to these next checks of genuineness?
[1] John F. Walvoord and Roy B. Zuck, Dallas Theological Seminary, The Bible Knowledge
Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, vol. 2 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985), 898. [2] John F. Walvoord and Roy B. Zuck, Dallas Theological Seminary, The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, vol. 2 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985), 899.
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