John is writing a letter...he lives in Ephesus. John, the youngest of "The Original" (12 apostles), was getting up in years by the time this letter was written... perhaps 70 years of age.......
John loved the believers he had come to know so well. John wrote this letter as an encouragement to those he loved. False teachings were already infiltrating the church. Some believers were now being taught that Christ Jesus was not a Deity, but only a man. Other believers were being taught Christ Jesus was only a Deity, and had no way of relating to us as mere women and men. Both of these teachings were entirely false...and John writes this letter to confirm what he knows is Truth: Jesus is 100% God...and He is 100% man. He became "one of us" in ALL areas.
Here, in 1 John, the apostle writes to ensure the believers of the Gift of Eternal Life, and is available to each one of us. John furthers this train of thought by emphasizing Jesus is the Truth, and since we know Jesus...then we know the Truth!
In verse 12 of 1 John 4, John makes an interesting point. Here in this verse John is emphasizing this truth: God loves us so much...therefore we need to love one another with all the effort God loves us.
False teachers by the time John was writing this letter had proclaimed they had seen God. They furthered their false statements by saying they had "special knowledge" about God. Both of these statements were totally false, because the Sacred Scriptures teach "no one has ever truly seen God". ( Exodus 33:20, John 6:46 )
Instead, John encourages the believers to love those...they can see. We are to do this because God and His love for us...lives inside us. In fact, this is a true sign we actually know Him...when we love one another. When we express God's love that lives in our very hearts...to one another...then God's love achieve purpose in all of our lives.
We cannot see God...but that does not mean we don't know God!
Here is what we do know: 1) We know God has chosen to live in us. 2) We know that God remains in our hearts...and we remain in His heart. 3) We know Christ Jesus is the Author of all this being made possible. 4) We know that the path Jesus chose to redeem us to Our Father...is good...and totally complete! 5) We know the Holy Spirit confirms all these things that have found their home...in our hearts.
Now, in verse 18, the apostle John makes a rather startling conclusion in this passage about God's love and His love for us given to us through the Lord Jesus.
John points out that fear is in direct contrast to the love God now brings into our very hearts and lives. This is the real reason fear cannot have any part in God's "perfect love" He brings to us. You see, His love for us brings confidence, the kind of confidence that makes us able to live our lives as joyous Christians. And, as His love for us continues to grow in each one of our hearts...and becomes so strong we must share this love with others...fear has no choice but to disappear...fear has no choice but to exit.
Fear always has to deal with the future...the unknown. None of us really know how future events will turn out...because we don't know what to expect. God's love in us is not only strong...but has power...power to change any hopeless situation.
Therefore John concludes, fear has no place in our lives...even at death. Christ Jesus work at the Cross overcame all fear. What Christ Jesus now brings to us is the Promise of a new and Eternal Life. Certainly there is fear of punishment for all we have done wrong, yet it is all taken care of...because Christ Jesus has taken all the punishment...for all our sins! His love for us...removes everything that makes us afraid.
As far as our future?...
Knowing the fact His love is strong in us...makes us certain about our future! Our unknown future is in control...of the God who lives in us and loves us dearly!
As for those who have no desire to want to know and experience the love God has for them...which came with great price...yes!...they do have a legitimate right to be afraid...to live with fear. Why? Because there is such a thing known to many of us as "Judgment Day"...and the God who has offered His love for us through His Beloved Son, who is our Lord Jesus...He is the very One who is the Judge for this very day...called Judgment Day.
A Gleaning from 1 John 4:18
" There is no room for fear...when His love is residing in our very hearts and lives. Words like 'dread", "worry", or "terror"...is simply not a part of our vocabulary.
In fact, His love actually chases and drives out "Fear and his cohorts"...out of our very lives! His love for us banishes fear from becoming the dominating influence in our daily lives.
Why?
Because Fear preaches the "Message of Punishment"...and fear finds it purpose in our lives when it can "cripple us", making us afraid of Judgment Day, of death, of daily challenges,...even becoming afraid of "our own shadows."
If we find ourselves thinking and talking like that, then we have not yet experienced Christ and His love for us that lives in our hearts...because His love has not fully formed...in our lives."
John loved the believers he had come to know so well. John wrote this letter as an encouragement to those he loved. False teachings were already infiltrating the church. Some believers were now being taught that Christ Jesus was not a Deity, but only a man. Other believers were being taught Christ Jesus was only a Deity, and had no way of relating to us as mere women and men. Both of these teachings were entirely false...and John writes this letter to confirm what he knows is Truth: Jesus is 100% God...and He is 100% man. He became "one of us" in ALL areas.
Here, in 1 John, the apostle writes to ensure the believers of the Gift of Eternal Life, and is available to each one of us. John furthers this train of thought by emphasizing Jesus is the Truth, and since we know Jesus...then we know the Truth!
In verse 12 of 1 John 4, John makes an interesting point. Here in this verse John is emphasizing this truth: God loves us so much...therefore we need to love one another with all the effort God loves us.
False teachers by the time John was writing this letter had proclaimed they had seen God. They furthered their false statements by saying they had "special knowledge" about God. Both of these statements were totally false, because the Sacred Scriptures teach "no one has ever truly seen God". ( Exodus 33:20, John 6:46 )
Instead, John encourages the believers to love those...they can see. We are to do this because God and His love for us...lives inside us. In fact, this is a true sign we actually know Him...when we love one another. When we express God's love that lives in our very hearts...to one another...then God's love achieve purpose in all of our lives.
We cannot see God...but that does not mean we don't know God!
Here is what we do know: 1) We know God has chosen to live in us. 2) We know that God remains in our hearts...and we remain in His heart. 3) We know Christ Jesus is the Author of all this being made possible. 4) We know that the path Jesus chose to redeem us to Our Father...is good...and totally complete! 5) We know the Holy Spirit confirms all these things that have found their home...in our hearts.
Now, in verse 18, the apostle John makes a rather startling conclusion in this passage about God's love and His love for us given to us through the Lord Jesus.
John points out that fear is in direct contrast to the love God now brings into our very hearts and lives. This is the real reason fear cannot have any part in God's "perfect love" He brings to us. You see, His love for us brings confidence, the kind of confidence that makes us able to live our lives as joyous Christians. And, as His love for us continues to grow in each one of our hearts...and becomes so strong we must share this love with others...fear has no choice but to disappear...fear has no choice but to exit.
Fear always has to deal with the future...the unknown. None of us really know how future events will turn out...because we don't know what to expect. God's love in us is not only strong...but has power...power to change any hopeless situation.
Therefore John concludes, fear has no place in our lives...even at death. Christ Jesus work at the Cross overcame all fear. What Christ Jesus now brings to us is the Promise of a new and Eternal Life. Certainly there is fear of punishment for all we have done wrong, yet it is all taken care of...because Christ Jesus has taken all the punishment...for all our sins! His love for us...removes everything that makes us afraid.
As far as our future?...
Knowing the fact His love is strong in us...makes us certain about our future! Our unknown future is in control...of the God who lives in us and loves us dearly!
As for those who have no desire to want to know and experience the love God has for them...which came with great price...yes!...they do have a legitimate right to be afraid...to live with fear. Why? Because there is such a thing known to many of us as "Judgment Day"...and the God who has offered His love for us through His Beloved Son, who is our Lord Jesus...He is the very One who is the Judge for this very day...called Judgment Day.
A Gleaning from 1 John 4:18
" There is no room for fear...when His love is residing in our very hearts and lives. Words like 'dread", "worry", or "terror"...is simply not a part of our vocabulary.
In fact, His love actually chases and drives out "Fear and his cohorts"...out of our very lives! His love for us banishes fear from becoming the dominating influence in our daily lives.
Why?
Because Fear preaches the "Message of Punishment"...and fear finds it purpose in our lives when it can "cripple us", making us afraid of Judgment Day, of death, of daily challenges,...even becoming afraid of "our own shadows."
If we find ourselves thinking and talking like that, then we have not yet experienced Christ and His love for us that lives in our hearts...because His love has not fully formed...in our lives."
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