3:11-13 The message they heard from the beginning, when they first heard the gospel, was to love one another. Must not be like Cain who murdered his brother. Cain did this because his own actions were evil and his brother's were righteous. Cain hated his brother. The believers should not be surprised if the world hates them.

v. 14-15 The way they know that they've passed from death to life is because they now love their brothers. John is not saying that loving their brother causes them to pass from death to life. Jesus is the reason they are now alive. It's not their own love for others that saves them. Love for others is merely the evidence that they have passed from death to life. "Anyone who does not love remains in death." (they were already in death.) Even hating a brother is the same as murdering him and murderers do not have eternal life.

v. 16-22 How can they know what love is? Jesus showed them by laying down His life for them. They should lay down their lives too. John gives a practical example of how to do this-- giving material possessions to the needy. Their love must go beyond mere words and into action. Actions and truth. They can know they belong to the truth by looking at their actions. Their actions serve as evidence that they really are God's children. Then their hearts can be at rest and they can have a clear conscience whenever their hearts condemn them. God knows the truth better than their heart does. With a clear conscience they can come before God and receive whatever they ask because they obey His commands and do what pleases Him.

v. 23-24 What are the Lord's commands? We said last week that this is something other than the Ten Commandments because the Jews never came to know Christ by keeping the Ten. The Lord's commands are:

     (1) "to believe in the name of His Son, Jesus Christ, and

     (2) to love one another as He commanded us."

Those who obey these commands live in Christ and Christ lives in them. And how can they know for certain that Christ lives in them? "We know it by the Spirit He gave us." This is similar to Paul saying that the Spirit testifies with their spirits that they are children of God and heirs of His kingdom. (Romans 8:16)

4:1-3 Don't believe every spirit. Some are from God, some are not. Many false prophets are out in the world. We talked in class about mediums and psychics. Are they from God or from the devil? John tells us how we can know. Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus came in the flesh is from God. But those who do not are not from God. To say that Jesus came in the flesh is to say that He was born a physical human being and truly is the Son of God. Not everyone will be willing to acknowledge that. Many deny it either openly or more deceptively. The spirit of the antichrist denies that Jesus came in the flesh.

v. 4-6 The readers are from God and have overcome these antichrists because the Spirit in them is greater than the one who is in the world. They did not overcome by doing something but rather by being in Christ, filled with His Spirit. The overcoming was done by Christ on their behalf.

The false prophets and antichrists speak from the viewpoint of the world because they are from the world, not from God. But the readers are from God and whoever knows God listens to them, but whoever doesn't know God doesn't listen to them. This how they can recognize the Spirit of truth from the spirit of falsehood.

v. 7-8 Love comes from God, not from people. Everyone who loves has been:

     1) born of God

     2) knows God.

Those who don't love don't know God. John seems to be saying that people cannot love without first knowing love from God. They don't have it within themselves. They get it from God and then can pass it on to others. People who don't know God simply don't have love to give. God does not just do loving things-- He actually is love.

v. 9-12 God showed His love by sending Jesus into the world so the believers could live through Him. This is love: not that people loved God, but that God loved people enough to send Jesus as an atoning sacrifice for sin. Since God loved them that much they also should love each other. No one has ever seen God but when they love each other then the love of God becomes visible among them.

v. 13-16 The believers can know that they live in Christ and Christ lives in them because they have His Spirit. John and the apostles have seen Jesus and can testify that God sent Him to be the Savior of the world. All who acknowledge that Jesus really is the Son of God have God living in them and they live in God. They can know and rely on (trust) the love God has for them.

Again John says, "God is love."

                      believers live in love = believers live in God = God lives in them

v. 17-18 In this way love is made complete among them so they will have confidence on the day of judgment. There's a practical application to this and it applies to the final judgment. There is no fear in love. Perfect love drives out fear because fear has to do with punishment. The believers do not need to fear judgment because Christ has taken the punishment for their sins. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.

v. 19-21 It was God who initiated the love. He loved the believers before they loved Him. In fact John says they love because He loved them. Someone who claims to love God but hates his brother is a liar. That is, he's lying about loving God because anyone who does not love his brother cannot love God either. It is commanded for believers to love one another. This is not optional.

Click here for the handout that was given in class this week.

--Sandy Blank