Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. BELOVED - the affectionate address wherewith he calls attention to an important subject. EVERY SPIRIT - in the person of a prophet. The Spirit of truth, and... [ Continue Reading ]
Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: HEREBY KNOW ... SPIRIT OF GOD - whether He be or not in those professing to be moved by Him HEREBY KNOW ... SPIRIT OF GOD - whether He be, or not, in those professing to be moved by Hi... [ Continue Reading ]
And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world. CONFESSETH NOT THAT JESUS CHRIST IS COME IN THE FLESH. So 'Aleph ('), Cyprian, Pol... [ Continue Reading ]
Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world. YE - emphatic. YE who confess Jesus: in contrast to 'them,' the false teachers. OVERCOME (1 John 5:4) - instead of being 'overcome, and brought into (spiritual) bondage'... [ Continue Reading ]
They are of the world: therefore speak they of the world, and the world heareth them. OF THE WORLD - they derive their spirit and teaching from the world: 'unregenerate bureau nature, ruled over and possessed by Satan' (Alford). SPEAK THEY OF THE WORLD - they drew their convocation from the li... [ Continue Reading ]
We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error. WE - true teachers of Christ; in contrast to them. ARE OF GOD - and therefore speak of God; in contrast to 'speak of the world,' . KNOWETH GOD - a... [ Continue Reading ]
Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. Resumption of the main theme (). Love, the sum of righteousness, is the test of being born of God. Love flows from a sense of God's love. resumes ; resumes . At the same time, 1 John 4:... [ Continue Reading ]
He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love. KNOWETH NOT, [ egnoo (G1097), aorist] - not only knoweth not now, but never has once for all known God. GOD IS LOVE. There is no article to love, but to God; therefore we cannot translate, Love is God. God is essentially LOVE: not merely lov... [ Continue Reading ]
In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. TOWARD US, [ en (G1722) heemin (G2254)] - 'in our case.' SENT, [ apestalken (G649)] - 'hath sent.' INTO THE WORLD - therefore the Son existed before. Oth... [ Continue Reading ]
Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. HEREIN IS LOVE - love in the abstract, in its highest ideal, is herein. The love was all on God's side, none on ours. NOT THAT WE LOVED GOD - though so altogether worthy of love.... [ Continue Reading ]
Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another. God's love to us the grand motive for love to one another (). IF - as we all admit. WE OUGHT ALSO - as born of God, and therefore resembling our Father, who is love. In proportion as we appreciate God's love to us, we love Him an... [ Continue Reading ]
No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us. God, whom no man hath seen at any time, appoints His children the visible recipients of our outward kindness, flowing from love to Himself, 'whom not having seen, we love' (: cf. note, ; 1... [ Continue Reading ]
Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit. 'Herein.' The token vouchsafed to us of God's dwelling (abiding) in us, though we see Him not, is that He hath given us "of His Spirit" (). Where the Spirit is, there God is. ONE Spirit dwells in the Church... [ Continue Reading ]
And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world. AND WE - primarily, we apostles, Christ's appointed eye-witnesses to testify to the facts concerning Him. The internal evidence of the indwelling Spirit (1 John 4:13) is corroborated by external evidence... [ Continue Reading ]
Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God. SHALL CONFESS - once for all (aorist). THAT JESUS IS THE SON OF GOD - and therefore "the Saviour of the world" ().... [ Continue Reading ]
And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him. AND WE - John and his readers (not as 1 John 4:14, the apostles only). KNOWN AND BELIEVED. True faith is a faith of knowledge and experience: true knowledge i... [ Continue Reading ]
Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world. (Compare 1 John 3:19.) OUR LOVE, [ hee (G3588) agapee (G26) meth' (G3326) heemoon (G2257)]. 'LOVE is made perfect (in its relations) with us.' Love dwelling in us advance... [ Continue Reading ]
There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love. Fear has no place in love. Bold confidence (1 John 4:17), based on love, cannot co-exist with fear. Love, which, when perfected, gives bold confidence, casts out fe... [ Continue Reading ]
We love him, because he first loved us. HIM. Omitted in A B: 'Aleph (') has 'God.' 'We (emphatic, on our part) love (in general, Him, the brethren, and our fellowmen), because He (emphatic: answering to 'WE;' because it was He who) first loved us, in sending His Son (aorist of a definite act at... [ Continue Reading ]
If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen? LOVETH NOT HIS BROTHER WHOM HE HATH SEEN, HOW CAN HE LOVE GOD WHOM HE HATH NOT SEEN? It is easier for us, influenced as we are by sense, t... [ Continue Reading ]
And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also. Besides the argument () from men's common feeling, he adds a stronger from God's express commandment (). He who loves will do what the object of His love wishes. HE WHO LOVETH GOD - he who wishes to be regarded... [ Continue Reading ]