Search:
Commentaries Illustrations Blog

More I John commentaries

I John 1:1-4
Is your fellowship grounded in God’s Word?

I John 1:5-7
What effects your relationships?

I John 1:8-10
Sins’ reality and remedy

I John 2:1-6
Tests of true knowledge

I John 2:7-11
God’s people are to love one another

I John 2:12-14
Three categories of believers

I John 2:15-17
Worldliness is a matter of the heart

I John 2:18-22
The opponent of Christ

I John 2:23-25
Jesus and God are one

I John 2:26-29
Twisting the Scriptures

I John 3:1-3
A clear description of God’s Children

I John 3:4-8
Reasons why Jesus died on the cross

I John 3:9-12
I have two dogs living in me

I John 3:13-15
Don’t be surprised if the world hates you

I John 3:16-18
Love is an action, not a feeling

I John 3:19-24
Doctrine and love are both needed

I John 4:1-3
Don’t believe everything you hear

I John 4:4-6
Sure tests for true teaching

I John 4:7-12
Love is an action

I John 4:13-16
The relationship of belief to love

I John 4:17-21
Pretending is not a mark of maturity

I John 5:1-5
What must I do to be saved?

I John 5:6-12
Proof that Jesus is God

I John 5:13-17
Instrument for getting God’s will done on earth

I John 5:18-21
Given over to the worship of Idols

The relationship of belief to love

Email this commentaryPrint this commentary

I John 4:13–16
» View this passage in NIV (Bible Gateway)

The world will not believe that God loves sinners until they see His love at work in His children’ lives.  A Salvation Army worker found a poor, destitute woman alone on the street and invited her to come into the chapel for help, but the woman refused to move. The worker as … More

Abide

There is the relationship of belief to love, described in this passage (vv. 13-16). The text begins with the words, “By this we know that we abide in Him and He in us” (v. 13). He is referring to himself and the rest of the apostles by the word we (vv. 13-14). “By this,” he says, “we know that we abide in him.” That is, we apostles understand that we are of God and “abide in him” (i.e., have a continuous relationship to God). How this happens is “because he has given us of his Spirit.” Notice something important about that witness? He says that “the Father sent the Son.” There are many people who are confused about this, and think that Jesus became the Son of God when he was born as a babe in Bethlehem’s manger. But he was the Son before he came. “The Father sent” the Son.  Jesus was the eternal Son of God, and always the Son. Again, notice that it does not say that he came to save the world. He does not save the world. He came “as the Savior of the world.” All the world could be saved, but as the Scriptures make very clear, it is only those who believe that are saved.

Three witnesses are suggested in these verses:

  1. The witness in the believer by the Spirit of God (v. 13).
  2. The witness through the believer of God’s love (v. 14).
  3. The witness of the believer that Jesus Christ is God’s son (v. 15).
  4. The witness of the believer that God is love (v. 16).

Application

Because Christ abides in me I want to show others that He loves me and loves them also.

I John 4:13-16 (English Standard Version)

By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.

View this passage in NIV (Bible Gateway) »

Do you have any questions or thoughts about this?
Post your comment or question below.
*Screen Name:
Question or
comment:
* denotes required field

subscribe to family-times.net

© Family Times | About Us  |  Donate  |  Contact Us

Search for sermons by: Commentaries | Scripture search | Topics