God is love

1 John 4:7-21

Key Verse 4:8

“Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love”

Knowing God means to know God’s love because God is love. God’s love is expressed by loving us first and by sending his Son as atoning sacrifice for our sins. God loves all men.

1. Read verses 7-8. What does the author urge us to do? (7a) Why? (7b) Why is love closely related with God? (7c) What is true of whoever doesn’t love? (8a)  What is God? (8b, 16b) 

Read verses 7-8.

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.

 

What does the author urge us to do? (7a)

Dear friends, let us love one another.

 

Why? (7b) 

For love comes from God. The origin of true love is God. Man in his sinful nature does not know love. He does not know how to love one another. Yet, he can love one another if  he relies on the love that comes from God.

Why is love closely related with God? (7c)

Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Love is the evidence that shows one is born of God and one knows God.

What is true of whoever doesn’t love? (8a)  

Whoever does not love does not know God. Love is so essential for God that whoever does not love does not know God. 

What is God? (8b,16b)

 

God is love. This is one major definition of God. God has many essential characters such as power, holiness, righteousness, and love. Love is the basis for his relationship with us.

2.  Read verses 9-12. How did God show his love among us? (9) What is love? (10, Romans 5:8) What ought we to do in response of God’s love to us? (11, 1 John 3:16) What happens in us if we love one another? (12)

Read verses 9-12. 

⁹ This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son^[ HYPERLINK "http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20John+4&version=NIV1984" \l "fen-NIV1984-30597b" \o "See footnote b" ^b] 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^[ HYPERLINK "http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20John+4&version=NIV1984" \l "fen-NIV1984-30598c" \o "See footnote c" ^c] 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. 

How did God show his love among us? (9) 

^“9 This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son^[ HYPERLINK "http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20John+4&version=NIV1984" \l "fen-NIV1984-30597b" \o "See footnote b" ^b] into the world that we might live through him.” The love of God is clearly shown through Jesus because we could live through Jesus. We were doomed to die. But God loved us and sent is Son and saved us from death. 

What is love? (10, Romans 5:8) 

¹⁰ “This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for^[ HYPERLINK "http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20John+4&version=NIV1984" \l "fen-NIV1984-30598c" \o "See footnote c" ^c] our sins. 

Romans 5:8, “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us”

Love revealed by God is 

Loving others first: “Not that we loved God but that he loved us”. We did not love God. He loved us first. We did not know love, but God loved us and showed his love.

God loved us while we were still sinners. He loved us while we were still hostile against him and while we were still rebellious against him and while we were still opposing him. It is very challenging for us to love someone who speaks ill of us and who is rebellious and who is hostile against us. In our human strength the best thing we can do for that person is jus to avoid him. But God loved us while we were still sinners.

Sacrifice his Son for sinners: “God sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for^[ HYPERLINK "http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20John+4&version=NIV1984" \l "fen-NIV1984-30598c" \o "See footnote c" ^c] our sins”. God’s love for us is sacrificial love. He practically gave up his one and only Son as the atoning sacrifice for our sins. Again, in our human strength we cannot sacrifice our children in order to love someone who condemns us and accuses us and complains against us. But God did.

What ought we to do in response of God’s love to us? (11, 1 John 3:16) 

¹¹ “Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.”

John 3:16, “This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us.⁽ HYPERLINK "http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1john%203:16&version=NIV1984" \l "cen-NIV1984-30580A" \o "See cross-reference A" ^A) And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers”

To love one another comes as a natural conclusion of a man who knows the love of God. God’s love for him will motivate and empower him to love one another. When we know how much we are loved by God we are happy and strengthened to love another.

What happens in us if we love one another? (12)

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.”

God lives in us. Loving one another is the way to invite invisible God in us.

The invisible God demonstrated his love through sending his visible Son to us. God’s love is real and physical as Jesus was real and physical. 

Since we know and receive God’s love in this way (real and physical) the author encourages us to love one another. The invisible God can be visible through Jesus and even through us who loves one another. 

God’s love is made complete in us. Loving one another is the way to know complete love of God.

3.  Read verses 13-16. What do we know through God’s Spirit given to us? (13) What have we seen and what do we testify? (14) What happens in the one who acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God? (15) What do we know and what do we rely on? (16a) What is true of  whoever lives in love? (16b)

Read verses 13-16.

¹³ “We know that we live in him and he in us, because 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 him and he 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 him.”

 

What do we know through God’s Spirit given to us? (13)

¹³ “We know that we live in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit.”  

How do we know that we live in God and God in us? It is through the testimony of the Holy Spirit given to us.

                                    

What have we seen and what do we testify? (14) 

¹⁴ “And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world.”

The author (apostle John) and others personally saw and could testify that the Father sent Jesus as the Savior of the world. Their experience (seeing) and testimony of “Jesus is the Savior of the world” is real because it came from their personal experience.

What happens in the one who acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God? (15)

¹⁵ “If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in him and he in God.” 

To acknowledge “Jesus is the Son of God” is the same as to acknowledge “Jesus is the Savior of the world”.

When we acknowledge that Jesus is the Son of God God begins to live in us through his Spirit and we also live in God. We and God become one.

What do we know and what do we rely on? (16a) 

“And so we know and rely on the love God has for us.” We know that God loves us and therefore we rely on the love of God.  

What is true of whoever lives in love? (16b)

“Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him.” Since God is love whoever lives in love lives in God and God in him.

There are three ways to recognize that God lives in us and we live in God: if the Spirit is given to him (v13), if he acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God (v15), and if he loves (v16).  

4.  Read verses 17-18. How is love made complete among us? (17a) What will we have on the day of judgment and why? (17b) Why does love have no fear? (18a) What relationship is there between ‘fear’, ‘punishment’, and ‘love’? (18b)

Read verses 17-18. 

¹⁷ “In this way, love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment, because in this world we are like him. 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.”

How is love made complete among us? (17a)

Verse 17a reads, “In this way, love is made complete among us.” Here ‘in this way” refers to verse 16. 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 him.”

So “in this way” means “in the way of one living in God and God in him through love”

What will we have on the day of judgment and why? (17b)

We will have confidence on the day of judgment because in this world we are like him. “Him” probably refers to “Jesus”. “We are like him” means that Jesus is in us. We can have confidence on the day of God’s judgment because we know that we will not be punished.

If we are punished by God, we are doubly punished for our crimes. The first time Jesus was punished for us and the second time we are punished. Therefore God will not punish us again. 

On top of this, as children of God, we are not afraid of God. God loves us, and we love God. Why should we worry about God’s punishment?   

Why does love have no fear? (18a)

Because there is no fear in love. Perfect love drives out fear. If we love God we will not be afraid of his punishment.

What relationship is there between ‘fear’, ‘punishment’, and ‘love’? (18b)

Fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love. 

5.   Read verses 19-21. Why do we love? (19) What is the one who says, “I love God”, yet hates his brother? (20a) Why?(20b) What command has been given to us by Jesus? (21)

Read verses 19-21

¹⁹ “We love because he first loved us. ²⁰ If anyone says, “I love God,” yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen. ²¹ And he has given us this command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother.” 

Why do we love? (19) 

a) ¹⁹ “We love because he first loved us.”  We love God because God loved us first. We love our brothers because God loved them first. 

b) The fact that God first loved us shows that God’s love is not based on our merit or performance because we were still sinners when God first loved us.

What is the one who says, “I love God”, yet hates his brother? (20a) 

“If anyone says, “I love God,” yet hates his brother, he is a liar.” “Loving God” means “loving God who loved all men.”

We can’t hate our brothers if God who is love in us.

Why? (20b)

“For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen.” 

Unless we love visible brothers, we can’t love invisible God.

What command has been given to us by Jesus? (21)

“And he has given us this command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother.” John 14:15 “If you love me, you will obey what I command.” John 13:34 “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.”

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