Part 2 of my study of 1 John chapter 4

Back to 1 John chapter 4, in verse 10 it says that Jehovah loved us before we loved Him. John says "herein is love" and then he goes on to say exactly what love is:

"and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins"

This is the very definition of love according to the beloved John. His definition of love is directly tied to the Father sending His Son to be the mercy seat for our sins. This is the heart of the gospel and it's the very manifestation of God's love for us. In John's words, the very definition of love is connected to God sending His Son for us. This scripture makes it clear that God had a Son to send  meaning Jesus was already God's Son prior to being sent.

Many so called Christians deny this truth of Jesus being God's Son prior to being sent to the world. They do this through false teachings such as outright denying Jesus preexistence, making Jesus the Almighty in His pre-existence God thereby negating His true Sonship or making Him a created being. All these false teachings do violence to the literal Father-Son relationship and obscure the Father's love for us. Any of the above three false teachings about Jesus identity in His pre-existence do not harmonize with the sentiment in this verse.

John emphasizes the Father's great love for us and defines it in the truth that He sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Ask yourself this question?

Do any of the three false teachings about Jesus mentioned above manifest the Father's great love for us? How could they when none of those teachings support a literal Father-Son relationship and thereby attempts to destroy the scripture in which John says:

"He loved us, and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins"

John gives no other option in describing what love is concerning the Father. If the three false teachings fail miserably in clearly showing the Father's love for us then wouldn't Him sending a literal Son to die for us capture the sentiment that John is portraying in regards to God loving us first?

The answer is a resounding YES!

Anyone who has a child or who has ever had a child can agree wholeheartedly, that the Father sending His literal Son would be an awesome display of love that the other three scenarios could never capture.

If we gave up one of our children so that someone else could live that person would have absolutely no doubt that we love them. This couldn't be said if we gave up a friend or almost anyone else for them.

Isn't this why Abraham was considered so faithful, in that he was willing to give up a real literal son in order to be obedient to Jehovah.

Genesis 22:11-12 (KJV)

11And the angel of the LORD called unto him out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham: and he said, Here am I.12And he said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me.

The fact that Abraham was willing to sacrifice his son was evidence to the Angel of Jehovah that Abraham feared God.

If Abraham willing to give up his son prefigured the Father sacrificing Christ for us, then is stands to reason that Jesus was the Father's real Son and not playing a role. Also, just as Abraham’s willingness to give up his son for Jehovah proved that he feared Him (God), the Father's willingness to sacrifice His Son for us shows and proves that He loves us immensely.

John's very definition of love is tied into and goes hand in hand, with the Father sending a real true Son to the earth as our ransom in order that we have the opportunity to become sons and daughters of the Father.

Think of man who has his own children and yet is willing to risk losing them by going to a dangerous third world country so that he can adopt some impoverished chidlren from that country. We can only begin to imagine how much the Father loves us, we really can't fathom the extent of His love for us. However, we can get a picture of it when we realize that He didn't send another Almighty God to die for us but He sent His literal only begotten Son for us.

John says that we didn't love God but that He loved us first.

Colossians 1:12-13 (KJV)

12Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light:13Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:

This passage is powerful and it is the Father who loved us first that made us meet (fit) to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints. We are inheritors of the Father's name and of His Kingdom, being joint heirs with His only begotten Son Jesus Christ. The passage above in Colossians says that the Father has translated us into His dear Son's Kingdom.

The word "translated" comes from the Greek word "methistemi" (Strongs 3179) and means "transfer, i.e. carry away, depose or (figuratively) exchange, seduce: - put out, remove, translate, turn away".

God the Father loves us so much that He not us, transferred us from satan's kingdom to His Son's Kingdom. This means that we are currently members of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ, God's Son. It wasn't that we loved God first that gave us entrance into the Kingdom but it was the Father's love for us that brought into His Son's Kingdom.

Romans 8:14-17 (KJV)

14For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.15For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.16The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:17And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.

When we are adopted into Jehovah's family as his children we are no longer to have a spirit of fear which is bondage. We are to be secure that we are the Father's chidlren and heirs of of His Kingdom and joint heirs with His Son Jesus Christ. Knowing that we will be given the Kingdom to rule with Christ by the Father, should give us a confidence in how much we are loved by the Father.

We have received the Spirit of adoption and the evidence of having the Spirit of adoption is calling the Father our Abba and having a deep emotional connection and relationship with the Father. Our love for the Father should mirror the way a little child loves their parents.

Isn't this far better than what the satanic SDA GC Trinity doctrine offers?

Back to 1 John chapter 4, verse 11, we have no excuse for not loving one another as brothers and sisters in Christ being that Jehovah loved us so much which was manifested in sending His only begotten Son to die for our sins. If the God was willing to risk eternal loss in sending His Son to pay the debt we owe, then how can we not extend that selfless love that was given to us with our brethren?

1 John 3:23 (KJV)

23And this is his commandment, That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave us commandment.

God's commandment for us to not only love and believe on His Son Jesus Christ but also to love one another as brothers and sisters. Let us always remember that true Christianity is not only about giving love and worship to God and His Son, but also loving each other as brethren fervently and without hypocrisy.

Let's go to the apostle Peter and read what he said regarding the kind of love we are to have for each other.

1 Peter 1:22 (KJV)

22Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently:

We are to have unfeigned, meaning without hypocrisy, love of the brethren and we are to love them fervently (intently). It is not to be a lukewarm love but rather a passionate love. Our love for each other is to be without any ulterior motives and is to be pure.

1 Peter 4:7-10 (KJV)

7But the end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer.8And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins.9Use hospitality one to another without grudging.10As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.

Notice that Peter believes that the end of all things is at hand and yet still the most important thing in his eyes is that "ABOVE ALL THINGS" the brethren are to have fervent (intent, passionate) love for each other. Hospitality and giving to each other are fruits of fervent love according to Peter the apostle.

In verse 12 of 1 John 4, we are reminded by John that no man has seen God at any time.

John 1:18 (NASB)

18 No one has seen God at any time; the only begotten God who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him.

Only Jesus has seen the Father. This is in respect to humans as likely those in heaven have seen the Father. Those who were translated to heaven without seeing death (Enoch and Elijah) and those resurrected (Moses) and the firstfruits from the resurrection of Jesus have likely seen the Father. The Jehovah who appeared to man in the old testament was the Son of God representing His Father. Jesus is referred to as the Begotten God in this passage which is thr most reliable and oldest rendering of John 1:18 according to some scholars. This means that Jesus being begotten was as a God not as man in Bethlehem at least in the primary sense .

This rendering of John 1:18 clearly shows that Jesus being begotten in the primary sense took place in eternity not Bethlehem. Jesus wasn't begotten as a God in Bethlehem but rather as a man. So this scripture could only be talking about Him being begotten in eternity proving that Jesus has beginning of days. This version of John 1:18 destroys the trinitarian and tri theistic doctrines.

Back to verse 12 of 1 John chapter 4, being that we haven't seen God yet claim we love Him, how can we not love our brother who we see everyday. It is easy to claim to love God ,however we don't love our brethren who we see everyday then our claims prove empty as verse 12 says that if we love one another that God dwells in us. It is by loving one another that God's love is perfected in us.

Matthew 5:46-48 (KJV)

46For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same?47And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so?48Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.

Jesus commands to be perfect just as His Father is perfect. In context this is talking about love. While John in chapter 4 talks about loving the fellow brethren in Christ, Jesus is taking the command to love even further. He says that in order to be perfect like the Heavenly Father we must also love our enemies  Loving our enemies actually proves our that we are true Christian's. Jesus said even that even the tax collectors love those who love them. For a Christian, we have a higher calling which is to love those who hate us.

Remember, in verse 8 of 1 John chapter 4, it says that God is love, He is love itself. In verse 12 of 1 John 4. John says that when we love our brothers and sisters, the Father's love is perfected in us. It is when we love our brethren and also our enemies that people can see God in us. In doing this, we become a perfect example and reflection of God's love.

Verse 13 of 1 John 4

"13Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit."

It is impossible for God's love to perfected in us unless we have the Holy Spirit in us.  Loving others the way Jesus commands is evidence that we dwell (abide, continue, remain) in the Father. How great is that to know? We actually can dwell/abide in the Father who is the Almighty Jehovah God!

The Father carries us in His heart when love others. However, we can't do this in our own strength. It is the Father dwelling in us that gives us the ability to love perfectly. How does he dwell in us? The text above reveals this as the Father in heaven gives us of His Spirit. This my brethren is the Holy Spirit as there is only one Spirit (Ephesians 4:4-6). So we can rightly conclude that the Holy Spirit is not another being but rather the Father'svery own Spirit hence John's words "he hath given us of his Spirit".

The phrase "his Spirit" denotes possession meaning it is the Father's Spirit not another being. The word Spirit comes from the Greek word "pneuma" (Strongs 4151) and means "a current of air, i.e. breath (blast) or a breeze;  by analogy or figuratively, a spirit, i.e. (human) the rational soul, (by implication) vital principle, mental disposition, etc., or (superhuman) an angel, demon, or (divine) God, Christ's spirit, the Holy Spirit; - ghost, life, spiritual, mind."

With the above definition of Spirit and with verse 13 of 1 John 4 stating that the Father hath given us of His Spirit, we can rightfully say that the Father has given us His breath (life), His mind and wind (power). It is having the life, power and mind of the Father that allows us to love like we should. It is in loving like we should that the Father's love is perfected in us because the Father is love itself.

How do we measure whether or not the Father dwells in us by His Holy Spirit? By loving the brethren and our enemies. Without this love we do not have the Holy Spirit hence we do not have the Father dwelling in us.