1 John, verse-by-verse

Session 14 | 1 John 4:18-5:5

1 John 4:12-21 | Love Perfected

Verses 12-17 -- see session 13 Verse 18 -- Having been encouraging the nation toward a love that would give the nation boldness in the day of judgment (v. 17), the writer points out that perfect love casteth out fear. Presumably this refers, by context, to a fear in judgment. The contextual connection with verse 17 is undeniable, since verse 17 speaks of how love is made perfect and verse 18 speaks of the one who, by fear, is not made perfect in love. Verse 19 -- The love being elicited was both for God and others (v. 7). The love of Israel (we) began because he first love us. While the context is Israel, it would certainly be true that God's love is the standard and source for all love. Verse 20 -- On a practical matter, a love of God must express itself in a love for brother. In this case, the brother whom he hath seen is a brotherly love within the nation (i.e.: fellow Jews). The claim that all men are created in the image of God combined with the claim that you love God demands that you love your brother as well. Verse 21 -- The command to love...brother also is one that comes from him (i.e.: God). In 1 John 3:11 the author states that the love one another command has been heard from the beginning. The instruction to love one another comes from Leviticus 19:18, and thus from the beginning of the nation.

1 John 5:1-5 | Jesus is the Christ in whom we must put our faith

Verse 1 -- In our age of grace, believing that Jesus is the Messiah is not a saving faith. To use this verse in our dispensation one would have to, at best, argue that the writer was packing a lot of information into believing that Jesus is the Christ. Such an argument really argues that the writer is sloppy. We would not accept this kind of presentation by any preacher or evangelist today. The problem goes away when we rightly divide and place this gospel on the Jewish nation and her people. The Hebrew nation, both nationally and individually, must recognize Jesus as her Messiah. Whosoever believeth this will be born of God and thus a child of God. The epistle has been giving instruction for Israel to love one another (1 Jn. 4:7), and the author comes back to this, stating such love as a proof of being a child of God. Verse 2- The writer has built a chain of three links:

Believe Jesus is Messiah to become a child of God.
Love other children of God.
Keep His commandments. Each link of the chain proves the previous. It would be impossible, in my view, to make a convincing argument that keep his commandments“moral" commandments." James 2:10 requires keeping the entirety of the Law to keep any of the Law. Can a believer today use this verse as proof that they love the children of God when they do not keep the Sabbath commandments, the dietary commandments, the new moon commandments, the sacrificial commandments, or even the tithing commandments (except perhaps as dictated by modern interpretation)? Verse 3 -- In verse 2, the keeping of commandments proves that the keeper loves the children of God. Here, the love of God itself is defined as keeping his commandments. Further, His commandments are said to be not grievous. Such an evaluation has always been stated as true throughout the age of the Law. Consider passages such as Psalm 119 in its entirety, but especially verses like 47-48. Verse 4 - With this declarative statement about overcoming the world, it would be impossible to try to say that these verses (1-5) are about fellowship and not salvation. What is interesting is that the text uses the neuter gender Greek translated whatsoever. Some translations, like ESV, feel comfortable changing the Word of God because whatsoever does not fit their theological preconceptions. Taken in context, this seems to be a message about the nation of Israel, which would fit the neuter tense instead of the masculine. Note that the masculine is used in verse 1, and so an argument could not be made that verse 4 is to be applied to the same person/thing as verse 1. When the nation of Israel becomes born of God by the instructions in these verses, she will be the one that overcometh** the world** in the most literal way possible. What will be the victory that overcometh the world? Nothing except our faith, that is, the faith of the nation. Note that this destroys the theology of hymns like Faith Is the Victory. It is no mistake that a song based on this verse would have earthly, militaristic tones, for that is the context of the verse. The mistake is taking this victory to be something the church will accomplish in the world. Verse 5 -- The writer shifts back to the masculine, giving an individual who is part of the nation the same victory over the world, ending the segment where he started.

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