Bible Version: New International Version (NIV)
Application Notes: Life Application Study Bible (NIV)
1 JOHN 4
On Denying the Incarnation
1 Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. 2 This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, 3 but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world.
4 You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. 5 They are from the world and therefore speak from the viewpoint of the world, and the world listens to them. 6 We are from God, and whoever knows God listens to us; but whoever is not from God does not listen to us. This is how we recognize the Spirit of truth and the spirit of falsehood.
God’s Love and Ours
7 Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9 This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. 10 This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. 11 Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 12 No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.
13 This is how we know that we live in him and he in us: He has given us of his Spirit. 14 And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. 15 If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in them and they in God. 16 And so we know and rely on the love God has for us.
God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them. 17 This is how love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment: In this world we are like Jesus. 18 There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.
19 We love because he first loved us. 20 Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen. 21 And he has given us this command: Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister.
Application Notes
4:1-2 This testing, or trying, means that we shouldn't believe everything we hear just because someone says they have a message from God. There are several ways to test teachers to see if their teachings truly come from the Lord. First, we can check to see if their words match what God says in the Bible. We can also test their commitment to the body of believers (2:19), their lifestyles (3:23-24), and the fruit of their ministries (4:6). But the most important test of all, says John, is what they believe about Christ. Do they teach that Jesus is fully God and fully man? Our world has many voices claiming to speak for God. Use these standards to see if they are indeed speaking God's truth.
4:3 The Antichrist will be a person who epitomises evil, and he will be readily received by an evil world. He is more fully described in 2 Thessalonians 2:3-12 and Revelation 13. The "spirit of the antichrist" is already here (see the note on 1 John 2:18-23). Those who reject Christ are--whether unknowingly or consciously--siding with the spirit of the Antichrist.
4:4 This powerful and liberating reminder from John tells us not to be frightened by the wickedness and hostility we see all around us, nor to be overwhelmed by the problems we face. Evil can often seem much stronger than we are. John assures us, however, that God has ultimately triumphed. The Holy Spirit has far more power than Satan, all his demons, and all temptations and forces of evil. God will conquer all evil--and his Spirit and his Word live in our hearts!
4:6 False teachers are popular today because, like the false prophets of the Old Testament, they tell people what they want to hear. And with all the media outlets available to them, they can spread their message easily. John warns that Christians who faithfully teach God's Word will not win any popularity contests in the world. People don't want to hear their sins denounced; they don't want to listen to demands that they change their behaviour. False teachers will be well-received by many who don't follow Jesus.
4:7-21 Everyone believes that love is important, but love is usually thought of as a feeling. In reality, love is a choice and an action, as 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 shows. God is the source of our love. He loved us enough to sacrifice his Son for us. Jesus showed us perfectly what it means to love; everything he did in life and death was supremely loving. The Holy Spirit gives us the power to love; he lives in our hearts and makes us more and more like Christ. How well do you display your love for God in the choices you make and the actions you take?
4:8 John says, "God is love," not "Love is God." Our world, with its shallow and selfish view of love, has turned these words around and weakened our understanding of love. The world thinks that love is whatever makes a person feel good, so they feel they have the right to sacrifice moral principles and others' rights in order to obtain such "love." But that is the opposite of real love--it is selfishness. If we truly know God, his sacrificial love will be evident in how we treat others.
4:9-10 Love explains (1) why God creaes-because he loves, he creates people to love; (2) why God cares--because he loves us, he reaches out to sinful people; (3) why we are free to choose whether we will follow him--God wants a willing, sincere, and loving response from us; (4) why Christ died--his love for us moved him to offer a solution to the problem of sin; and (5) why we receive eternal life--God's love will express itself to us forever.
4:9 Jesus is God's only Son. While all believers are sons and daughters of God, only Jesus lives in this special. Unique relationship (see John 118; 3:16).
4:10 Nothing sinful or evil can exist in God's presence. Because of his absolute goodness, he cannot overlook, condone, or excuse sin as though it never happened. He loves us, but his love does not make him morally lax. If we trust in Christ, however, we will not have to bear the penalty for our sins (1 Peter 2:24). We will be acquitted by his atoning sacrifice (Romans 5:18).
4:12 If no one has ever seen God, how can we ever know him? In his Gospel, John said, "The one and only Son, who is himself God and is in closest relationship with the Father, has made him known" (John 1:18). Jesus is the complete expression of God in human form, and he has revealed God to us (see Colossians 1:15-16). When we love one another, the invisible God reveals himself to others through us.
4:12 Some people simply enjoy being with others. They make friends with strangers easily and are always surrounded by friends. Other people are quiet or reserved. They have a few friends but are frequently uncomfortable mingling in crowds and talking with people they don't know. Introverts don't need to become extroverts in order to love others. John isn't telling us how many people to love, but how much to love the people God places in our lives. Our job is to faithfully love the people God has given us to love, whether they number two or two hundred. If God sees that we are ready to love others, he will bring them to us. No matter how introverted we are, we don't need to be afraid of the love commandment. God provides us the strength to do what he asks.
4:13 When we become Christians, we receive the Holy Spirit. God's presence in our lives is proof that we really belong to him (also see Romans 8:16). He also pours out his love in us and gives us the power to love (Romans 5:5; 8:9; 2 Corinthians 1:22). Rely on that power as you reach out to others. As you do so, you will gain confidence.
4:17 The Day of Judgment is the time when all people will appear before Christ and be held accountable for their actions. With God's Spirit living in us, we have no reason to fear this day because we have been forgiven and saved from punishment. Instead, we can look forward to the Day of Judgment because it will mean the end of sin and the beginning of a face-to-face relationship with Jesus Christ.
4:18 If we are ever afraid of the future, eternity, or God's judgment, we can remind ourselves of God's love. We know that he loves us perfectly (Romans 8:38-39). We can resolve our fears first by focusing on his immeasurable love for us and then by allowing him to love others through us. His love will quiet our fears and give us confidence.
4:19 Love starts with God--he initiates it! His love fills us when the Holy Spirit comes to live in us when we trust in him. This love then overflows from us to others. Filled with his love, we become motivated and energised to share it with others.
4:20-21 It is easy to say we love God when that love doesn't cost us anything more than weekly attendance at church services. But the real test of our love for God becomes evident in how we treat the people right in front of us--our family members and fellow believers. We cannot truly love God while neglecting to love those who are created in his image. Jesus' love reveals itself in our compassion, our generosity, and our ability to listen to and help others.
Taken from Life Application Study Bible - Third Edition - (NIV)