Written ~ 12-19-2024
Read 1 John Chapters Four and Five
1 John 4-5
In Chapter Four alone John uses the word Love 25 times (NLT Version). So, if you want to do a really deep dive study to find out how God loves you and how you are to love, read 1 John Chapter Four closely, read it over and over again until it really sinks in. Chapter Five confirms our faith with two important testimonies, proving who Jesus Christ is, they are given to us by God and the Holy Spirit.
Before John gets into the topic of love, he must begin with a warning of false prophets and how we can tell the difference between a true prophet and a false one.
1 John 4:1-3…
1 “Dear friends, do not believe everyone who claims to speak by the Spirit. You must test them to see if the spirit they have comes from God. For there are many false prophets in the world. 2 This is how we know if they have the Spirit of God: If a person claiming to be a prophet acknowledges that Jesus Christ came in a real body, that person has the Spirit of God. 3 But if someone claims to be a prophet and does not acknowledge the truth about Jesus, that person is not from God. Such a person has the spirit of the Antichrist, which you heard is coming into the world and indeed is already here.”
This is the importance of knowing Scripture… As we learn the truth found in the Word of God, as we understand who Christ is and we stand firm in what the Holy Spirit teaches us, we will be able to discern the teachings of a false prophet very quickly. But if we aren’t going to study the Bible and we aren’t willing to learn the commands of God, how will we know the spirit of antichrist, especially if it is a very subtle defiance of the Word of God? John’s warning here is as much relevant today as it was when he wrote this letter… perk up your ears and listen!
1 John 4:4-6…
4 “But you belong to God, my dear children. You have already won a victory over those people, because the Spirit who lives in you is greater than the spirit who lives in the world. 5 Those people belong to this world, so they speak from the world’s viewpoint, and the world listens to them. 6 But we belong to God, and those who know God listen to us. If they do not belong to God, they do not listen to us. That is how we know if someone has the Spirit of truth or the spirit of deception.”
Did you catch that? “The Spirit who lives within you is greater than the spirit who lives in the world.” So, yes there may be times we feel it’s difficult to discern what is truth and what isn’t. But when we have the Spirit of the Living God residing within us, He will be our help, He will be our guide, He will point us in the right direction. Even though there will always be false prophets who will do their best to distract us, we have the Holy Spirit who gives us victory over every attempt the enemy will make to distract us with false teaching. I am going to reiterate this… I cannot emphasize this enough, the importance of knowing the Word of God and abiding by everything Scripture tells us to do is how we will stay focused on Christ alone, the world’s viewpoint will not entice us. When we listen to the Lord and obey His commands, we belong to God. If someone you encounter is not listening to the Lord and they are not obeying His commands, they do not belong to God. It is that spirit, the spirit of antichrist that will do it’s best to deceive you. Be on guard!
The rest of Chapter Four tells us how God loves us, what Jesus did for us because He loves us and how we are to love one another. The key verses from this chapter show whether or not you are a child of God…
1 John 4:7-8…
7 “Dear friends, let us continue to love one another, for love comes from God. Anyone who loves is a child of God and knows God. 8 But anyone who does not love does not know God, for God is love.”
There you have the entire essence of why we need to love! When we became believers, the love of God was poured into us. And in every way, His love should show… in our actions, in the words we say, and our service to the Lord. Look at how the Message Version translates verse 1 John 3:19a, it ties in perfectly with what verses 4:7-8 are telling us…
1 John 3:19a (MSG)
19a “My dear children, let’s not just talk about love, let’s practice real love. This is the only way we’ll know we are truly living, living in God’s reality…”
Let’s end Chapter Four with these next two verses, think about your own life when you read them, ponder them… How do you show the love of God? Do you pick and choose the people you want to love by their character? Or do you love because God is LOVE?
1 John 4:20-21…
20 If someone says, “I love God,” but hates a fellow believer, that person is a liar; for if we don’t love people we can see, how can we love God, whom we cannot see? 21 And He has given us this command: Those who love God must also love their fellow believers.
Ok, we are going to move on to the conclusion of John’s letter with Chapter Five. These are his final remarks; we can gain so much wisdom for our own lives when we consider their message. This message is what John believed, it is what he lived for, and this message is what he gave his life for…
1 John 5:1-5…
1 “Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has become a child of God. And everyone who loves the Father loves His children, too. 2 We know we love God’s children if we love God and obey His commandments. 3 Loving God means keeping His commandments, and His commandments are not burdensome. 4 For every child of God defeats this evil world, and we achieve this victory through our faith. 5 And who can win this battle against the world? Only those who believe that Jesus is the Son of God.”
Think about the very first line in verse 5:1 – “Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ (the Messiah) has become a child of God.” This is the fundamental truth of Christianity, becoming born again. So, to believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, through the faith and the acceptance of that truth we become born again as a child of God. If you have made the decision to follow Jesus as Lord and Savior, you are God’s child! We could stop right there and be blown away by what God has done for us! But let’s consider what we have been given. We have been given a Father in Heaven who loves us beyond measure. Maybe you don’t have your father here on earth anymore, or you don’t have a good relationship with your father or maybe you don’t have a father figure at all, so it’s difficult to understand how a Father in Heaven could love you. BUT! The Almighty God calls us His child! It is one of the most intimate of all relationships and He yearns to show us how deep His love runs; we just need to be open to receive His love.
When we become a child of God, we must learn to love all of God’s children, this shows we really do love our Father in Heaven. The other way of showing our love to our Father in Heaven is obeying His commandments. You may look at the commandments and think it’s impossible to obey them, but when you are filled with the Holy Spirit you want to obey what the Lord says, and it does become easier… easier than you think. Just like verse 5:3 says…
3 “Loving God means keeping His commandments, and His commandments are not burdensome.”
It is not a burden to do what God’s Word says, it becomes a way of life, it becomes a deep joy within our souls to be in line with what the Bible tells us to do.
1 John 5:4-5…
4 “For every child of God defeats this evil world, and we achieve this victory through our faith. 5 And who can win this battle against the world? Only those who believe that Jesus is the Son of God.”
In these verses, what is one benefit of being a believer in God’s Son, Jesus Christ? We win the battle against an evil world. We have victory in Jesus, every step of the way. Even though some days it doesn’t seem like it, we have victory. When our circumstances are way out of balance, it may seem victory is impossible. But we have a Father in Heaven who is with us every step of the way to help us go through everything life throws at us.
What are some points in these verses we should hold onto:
- Believe Jesus is the Christ (the Messiah)
- Become a child of God
- Love His Children
- Obey the Father’s commandments
- With faith, achieve victory
Have you put your faith in Jesus Christ? Do you know the Father’s love? Do you love others? Do you obey the Almighty God’s commandments? Are you living in victory through your faith in Jesus Christ the Son of God?
If you answer “yes” to all those questions! Then Praise God, welcome to the Family! You have more brothers and sisters than you can possibly count! And a Father’s Love that cannot be quenched.
If you are answering “no” to those questions… what is holding you back? Disbelief in who God is? Who Jesus is? Then I challenge you to ask God to reveal Himself to you. What is it deep within your heart that you need filled or answered that only God could do? Ask Him with a sincere heart for Him to show you His love. Look to the Father in Heaven, ask Him how you can be His son or daughter.
1 John 5:1a, 11-15…
1a “Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has become a child of God. 11 And this is what God has testified: He has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. 12 Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have God’s Son does not have life. 13 I have written this to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know you have eternal life. 14 And we are confident that He hears us whenever we ask for anything that pleases Him. 15 And since we know He hears us when we make our requests, we also know that He will give us what we ask for.”
This God… the Creator of the Universe… this God who has never ending Power… loves US! And we get to love Him back! All He is asking us to do is love His Son, accept who He is and what He did on the cross. What we get in return is to be called a child of God. We can be confident He hears us when we cry out to Him. And we have the privilege to obey Him, to do what pleases Him, because when we do, His love pours out on us. We, in turn, will be confident, we will be bold in our faith and able to love with the love only Christ can give.
Let’s close with John’s final words…
1 John 5:20-21…
20 “And we know that the Son of God has come, and He has given us understanding so that we can know the true God. And now we live in fellowship with the true God because we live in fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ. He is the only true God, and He is eternal life.
21 Dear children, keep away from anything that might take God’s place in your hearts.”
When you walk in close fellowship with the Lord, nothing else compares to the joy and the peace that comes from knowing the Messiah. Walking away from the Lord once you have experienced His love doesn’t seem possible! The world’s lure is tempting, everything the world shines and catches our attention with, are fading lights and the world’s path leads to disappointment and loneliness. Choose today as the day you turn from the world’s pleasure and seek the Lord with ALL YOUR HEART! Read verse 5:21 again, “Dear children, keep away from anything that might take God’s place in your heart.”
My Father in Heaven, thank you so much for loving me, for loving me as your child. Thank you for being with me, every step, hand in hand. Help me, by Your Holy Spirit to show You my love by loving Your children and by obeying Your commandments. Help me to continue my journey through this life with victory.
~AMEN~
***For anyone who has not yet joined the family of God, for anyone who has not experienced a father’s love, for anyone who is being drawn to the Father in Heaven, this is the time to give your heart to Jesus. Salvation is instant! All you have to do is call out to the Lord and you will be saved. Pray this short prayer below, when you come to the Lord with a sincere heart and a repentant heart, He forgives, He cleanses, then He resides.
Dear Jesus, You know my heart, everything I have done and said. Please forgive me for all of my sins. I believe You are the Son of God. I believe You came to earth to die on the cross for my sins. I believe You rose from the dead to give me freedom from sin and death. By faith through believing in Who You Are, I accept You as my Lord and Savior. Come into my life, cleanse my heart white as snow. Breathe life into me. Fill me with Your Holy Spirit. Shine Your light through me. And use me for Your Glory. Amen.
- If you solemnly prayed this prayer, tell at least one person, so they can share in your joy!! I rejoice with you! All the angels in Heaven rejoice with you!
It is very important to me that those who might be reading these journal pages of mine and don’t yet know the Lord Jesus Christ, that you make that decision. Today. Your heart and mind may not understand everything you have been reading, but if you open your heart to the truth of who Jesus is, you will be saved from sin and death. By the Power of the Holy Spirit you will be amazed at how quickly after giving your heart to the Lord your eyes and ears will be opened to the truth.