1 John 4
October Memory Verse: “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing." John 15:5 (NIV)
1 John 4
Today’s chapter is full of theology and deep truths about God. John addresses false teachers and how to know who you should listen to and who you should not. He addresses living out the Christian faith in love. He shows us and reminds us about how Jesus took our sins and became our propitiation - meaning He satisfied the wrath and justice of God on our behalf… but I want to focus on verse 16…
“So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in the love abides in God, and God abides in Him…”
When I read this verse three questions come to my mind for us to ask ourselves.
1) DO YOU KNOW GOD’S LOVE FOR YOU?
God’s love is hard to understand. It is hard to comprehend. John describes it in verses 9-10…
“ 9 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. 10 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. “
And Paul describes it again in Romans 5:8…
“8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us…”
God has deep love for you and me. He showed it through sending Jesus. He shows it by always being present and close. We never have to wonder if God is for us, loves us, or is with us. He is.
2) DO YOU BELIEVE GOD’S LOVE FOR YOU?
Now the question gets a little harder… You know it, but do you believe it? Believing God’s love for us is so hard… but why? Because it is unlike any love that we have ever experienced. It is UNCONDITIONAL. That is so hard to believe. Nothing else in life works like that, but God’s love does. God’s love for us in Jesus is not I will love you “if” or I love you “because” but I love you PERIOD.
Do you have trouble believing this? Why? Talk to God about it.
3) ARE YOU ABIDING IN GOD’S LOVE FOR YOU?
Abiding is not a word we use much in our culture. It means to be living a life encapsulated by or intimately connected to (John 15). And the question we have to ask ourselves is “Do we abide in God’s love for us?” This would mean the truth of God and His love would change the way we live. We would look to it as a source of truth and life. Our life would be marked and defined by God’s love for us.
When you look at your life, are you abiding in God’s love for you? Is it a source of protection? How can you abide in God’s love for you this week?
What else stuck out to you from 1 John 4?
By: Nick Parsons
1 John 4
Today’s chapter is full of theology and deep truths about God. John addresses false teachers and how to know who you should listen to and who you should not. He addresses living out the Christian faith in love. He shows us and reminds us about how Jesus took our sins and became our propitiation - meaning He satisfied the wrath and justice of God on our behalf… but I want to focus on verse 16…
“So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in the love abides in God, and God abides in Him…”
When I read this verse three questions come to my mind for us to ask ourselves.
1) DO YOU KNOW GOD’S LOVE FOR YOU?
God’s love is hard to understand. It is hard to comprehend. John describes it in verses 9-10…
“ 9 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. 10 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. “
And Paul describes it again in Romans 5:8…
“8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us…”
God has deep love for you and me. He showed it through sending Jesus. He shows it by always being present and close. We never have to wonder if God is for us, loves us, or is with us. He is.
2) DO YOU BELIEVE GOD’S LOVE FOR YOU?
Now the question gets a little harder… You know it, but do you believe it? Believing God’s love for us is so hard… but why? Because it is unlike any love that we have ever experienced. It is UNCONDITIONAL. That is so hard to believe. Nothing else in life works like that, but God’s love does. God’s love for us in Jesus is not I will love you “if” or I love you “because” but I love you PERIOD.
Do you have trouble believing this? Why? Talk to God about it.
3) ARE YOU ABIDING IN GOD’S LOVE FOR YOU?
Abiding is not a word we use much in our culture. It means to be living a life encapsulated by or intimately connected to (John 15). And the question we have to ask ourselves is “Do we abide in God’s love for us?” This would mean the truth of God and His love would change the way we live. We would look to it as a source of truth and life. Our life would be marked and defined by God’s love for us.
When you look at your life, are you abiding in God’s love for you? Is it a source of protection? How can you abide in God’s love for you this week?
What else stuck out to you from 1 John 4?
By: Nick Parsons
1 Comment
"..perfect love casts out fear....But he who fears has not been made perfect in love." vs4:18
In this time of fear, confusion, lawlessness, division and strife, we should cling to this truth with all our might.
Thanks for your word today Nick.