1st John 4:1-21 Lesson Eight

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Fellowship is Rooted in the Rejection of False Doctrine

Introduction:

Teachers today who claim that “God told me this” or “God revealed that to me” are not limiting their doctrine to the NT. The are motivated by the “spirit of error!” If their message is not found in the written Word of God then those teachings must be rejected.

As we begin lesson eight the writer in chapter 4 gives us a glimpse of the doctrines that the anti-Christ people are presenting to God's children. Because John wants them (and us) not to believe every spirit, they must reject these individuals who come along and claim to be a spokes-man for God. Do not listen to what they say since John tells us that many false prophets have gone out into the world and false teaching will not save a soul. Jesus has said in John 8:31 to those who believe in Him, if you continue in My Word then you will know the truth and the truth will make you free. Error will not give spiritual freedom to anyone. John is concerned for his people, and wishes them not to be carried away by the doctrines of the anti-Christ. We, like those brothers and sisters John addresses, are asked to “test every spirit.” Make sure what people teach is truth.

Testing the Spirits

 1Beloved, 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. 2By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God; 3and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God; this is the spirit of the antichrist, of which you have heard that it is coming, and now it is already in the world. 4You are from God, little children, and have overcome them; because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world. 5They are from the world; therefore they speak as from the world, and the world listens to them. 6We are from God; he who knows God listens to us; he who is not from God does not listen to us By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error.

 7Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God.  8The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love. 9By this the love of God was manifested in us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him. 10In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 11Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 12No one has seen God at any time; if we love one another, God abides in us, and His love is perfected in us. 13By this we know that we abide in Him and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit. 14We have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son to be the Savior of the world. 15Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. 16We have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. 17By this, love is perfected with us, so that we may have confidence in the day of judgment; because as He is, so also are we in this world. 18There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love. 19We love, because He first loved us. 20If someone says, "I love God," and hates his brother, he is a liar; for the one who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen. 21And this commandment we have from Him, that the one who loves God should love his brother also.



A. Two Great Contrasting Powers at Work in the World (1st John 4:1-6.

    a. The Spirit of God.

    b. The spirit of the anti-Christ.

  1. Our relationship with God is determined not only by what we do (righteousness and love) but also by what doctrine we believe.

B. The Exhortation to Test the Spirits!(v.1)

  1. “Do not believe every spirit.”

    a. Do not believe everything you hear, or everyone who claims to be from God.

    b. How foolish it would be to do so should be obvious.

    1) We would be in a constant state of confusion believing something different depending on who was speaking that day.

    2) We would be mislead by false teachings.

  2. “Test the spirits, whether they are of God.”

    a. The word “test” means “try” (KJV).

    1) “To examine, prove, scrutinize.” (Thayer)

    2) “To see whether a thing is genuine or not.”

    b. Those who have this attitude are highly commended in Scripture.

    1) The Bereans – Acts 17:11

    2) The Ephesians – Revelation 2:2

  3. “Because many false prophets have gone int the world.”

    a. This is the reason we must, “test the spirits.”

    b. Others have also warned us of this fact:

    1) Jesus – Matthew 7:15

    2) Peter - 2nd Peter 2:1-3

    3) Paul's admonishment - 2nd Corinthians 11:13-15.

    c. So we must examine, prove, and scrutinize those who teach us claiming to be speaking for God.

C. The Method of Testing The Spirits (vs.2-3,6)

  1. Do they confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh?

    a. Verses 2-3 are best understood in light of the Gnostic errors that prevailed at the now and even today.

    1) In which some denied Jesus Christ actually came in the flesh (2nd John 7).

    2) Whose doctrine was leading many astray, possibly because these false teachers claimed to be inspired “by the Spirit” or to be spirit people.

    b. But those who would teach such falsehood are not led by the Spirit of God, but possess the spirit of the antichrist (2nd John 7). The most predominant characteristic of this gnostic teaching is the denial that Jesus had a real physical body.

  2. Do they listen to the apostles of Christ?

    a. Verse 6 reveals how we can distinguish between “the spirit of truth” and the “spirit of error.”

1) Those who know God listen to His apostles.

2) Those who are not of God will reject the apostles.

b. The proof: Does their teachings agree with what the apostles teach?

  1. Jesus taught that to receive them was to receive Him and God John 13:20.

  2. The early church continued steadfastly in the apostle's doctrine (Acts 2;42).

  3. They recognized their words as commands of the Lord. (1st Corinthians 14:37).

  4. The apostles recognized their fellow-apostles' writings as equivalent to inspired Scriptures (2nd Peter 3:15-16). Therefore – those who are of God will hear and heed the apostles, and agree with their teachings.

    This is a test that we can easily apply today on virtually every issue.

    1) It implies knowledge and understanding of the Apostles doctrine on our part.

    2) Yet that should not be a problem if we follow the example of the first church in Jerusalem (Acts 2:42).

FELLOWSHIP IS ROOTED IN GOD'S LOVE PERFECTED IN PRACTICE 4:7-21).

A. Brotherly love is Evidence of Son-ship (vs.7-8)


  1. Those who are “ beloved” are commanded to “love” others.

    a. True love (the Greek word is agape,”active goodwill”)emanates from God (v.7a).

b. That is because “God is love.” (v.8b).

    1)Every action of His is motivated out of an “active goodwill” toward us.

    2)This does not mean He overlooks sin, since God is also “light” (1st John 1;5-6).

2. Those who love, demonstrate their son-ship.

a. They demonstrate that they are “born of God” and “know” God (v.7b).

b. But if one does not love God as God does, then they have not yet come to truly know God (v.8a).

B. Brotherly Love is Defined by God's Love (vs. 9-11).

  1. God manifested His love through the gift of God, His son.

    a. He sent His “only begotten Son” (v.9:cf. John 1:14, 18:3: 16,18).

    b. He sent His son not because we loved Him, but because He loved us (v.10:cf. Romans 5:8).

    1) In this text He sent His son for two Reasons:

    a. That we might live through Him (v.9; John 10:10)

    b. The He might be the propitiation (an appeasing sacrifice) for our sins (v.10).

  2. This is the kind of love we should have.

a. If this is the kind of love God has toward us.

b. Then this is the kind of love we should have toward one another.

1) Where we love, not because we are loved first.

But as God is love, so we are to be as His children and lovers of all men to the same extent that God loves (Lk. 6:35).

  1. Brotherly love is evidence of fellowship with God (vs.12-16)

  2. Through brotherly love God's abiding is possible.

    a. No one has seen God at any time (v. 12a; cf. John 1:18).

    b. However, when we keep the command to love one another, God will abide in us, and His love will be perfected in us! (v.12b; cf. 1st John 3:24a).

    c. We know this is true because the Spirit which God has given (v.13; cf. 1st John 3:24b).

  3. This is not the only necessary requirement for God to abide in us but it is an essential one.

    a. The apostles have testified that the Father sent the Son to be our Saviour (v.14).

    b. And so we must be willing to confess Jesus as Son of God (v.15).

    c. Then, when we have known and believed the love of God has for us (manifested in the sending of His Son), we are in a position to accept two basic principles of the gospel.

    1) God is love

    2) He who abides in love abides in God and God in him (v.16).

C. Brotherly Love Provides Assurance (vs. 17-19)

  1. When brotherly love is perfected, we can have boldness.

    a. As we grow and become more complete and mature in brotherly love we will be able to have boldness in the day of judgment (v. 17a).

    b. The boldness will come from knowing that as His children we were like Him in this world (v.17b).

  2. As brotherly love is perfected, fear is dispelled.

    a. Because the prospects of torment naturally produce fear, the more we grow in God's love, to that degree, fear is dispersed (v.18a.).

    b. If we fear the day of judgment, that is an indication we need to grow in love! (v.18b).

    c. Growing in love is made so easy for us, however because God first loved us (c.19).

D. Brotherly Love is Essential to Loving God (vs. 20-21).

  1. To claim to love God and still hate your brother is a lie.

    a. Like those who claim to have fellowship with God and walk in darknesses (1st John 1:6).

    b. To not have sinned (1st John 1:10)

    c. To know Jesus while not keeping His commandments (1st John 2:4).

So, is one who claims to love God while hating his brother: John says that they are all liars (v. 20a).

  1. For to love one whom we cannot see (God) requires that we first be able to love those who we can see (v. 20b).

  2. To love God, therefore means we must develop brotherly love......

    a. This is why we have the commandment from Jesus (John 13:34-35).

    b. Indeed, Jesus taught that loving God and one another were the two greatest commandments of the law (Matthew 22:35-40)

Conclusion

A. If “brotherly” love is....

  1. Evidence of son ship.

  2. Defined by God's love for us.

  3. Evidence of fellowship with God.

  4. A means of finding assurance in the day of judgment.

  5. Essential to loving God....then how dare we neglect the most

essential commandment of God?

B. While there are other commands of our Lord that we must be careful to obey, none is so important to our spiritual life as God's children as this one.

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by Lane Rogers