The relationship of belief to love

I John 4:13–16
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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)


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