Scripture: 1 John 4 On Denying the Incarnation
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. 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, 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.
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. They are from the world and therefore speak from the viewpoint of the world, and the world listens to them. 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[a] of truth and the spirit of falsehood.
God’s Love and Ours
Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. 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. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.
This is how we know that we live in him and he in us: He has given us of his Spirit. And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in them and they in God. 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. 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. 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.
We love because he first loved us. 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. And he has given us this command: Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister.
Devotion: Any guesses on what we are diving into today? We are going to talk about love. John certainly made a point to do so. In this passage alone, he mentions “love” 27 times. He explicitly tells us that love comes from God.
When I stop to really think about it, that is a bit of a radical thought in today’s culture. Society tends to define love as anything that makes you happy. It is all about self-love. “If you don’t love yourself and aren’t happy, then you need to change the circumstances around you to better serve you. You do what you need to do to live your best life.” That’s the message of love that is preached today.
Throughout history, love has been skewed. This is not something that is unique to us today. There has been love of other gods, love of idols, and love of power. We seek affirmation, approval, and acceptance from everyone else. It is an easy trap to fall into. One that I often find myself in.
But reading through this passage, I am so gently reminded that love comes from God. And He demonstrated this through sending His Son to live a perfect life on our behalf and die on the cross for us. This is the complete opposite of the self-love that we so often chase. It is sacrificial love. And as the passage goes on to encourage us, because we are loved by God, we should love one another. We are called to sacrificial love, just like the Lord demonstrated for us.
This is a love that values the human soul. A love that cares for others. When we know God and understand just how deep His love is for us, it overflows into every area of our lives. We want others to experience the very same overwhelming, never-ending, vast love of our Father.
Reflect:
- When have you experienced and felt the love of God recently?
- Who is someone in your life that you can pray would understand God’s love for them?