Confidence Day 14 Confidence In Love: Digging Deeper

Debbie Collin
May 4, 2023
Discover the original intent of Scripture. Make good application to our everyday lives.
Become equipped to correctly handle the Word of Truth!

1 John 4:7-12
The Original Intent
1) What is the significance of the phrase “God is love”? (verses 7-8)
The ancient Greek language had a few words for love to differentiate between types of love: passionate love (eros), brotherly love (philia), and family love (storge). But John writes “God is love” using the Greek word, “ἀγάπη”, agape, which is a selfless, unconditional love. The Greek and Roman deities of love were not viewed this way. Aphrodite could be vain, and Venus could be unpredictable. Eros and Cupid were associated with passion and desire, which were seen as sometimes irrational.
John uses this phrase to give us confidence in God’s character of love. It is not only selfless and unconditional, but also unchanging and steadfast. As the psalmist wrote, “Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good. His faithful love endures forever.” (Psalm 136:1)
The Everyday Application
1) What is the significance of the phrase “God is love”? (verses 7-8)
Think about the last time you heard or read about love. Maybe it was on social media, on a podcast, or in a book. I saw a movie trailer recently that told a story about a woman going on a journey to find her one true love. (I don’t have to watch the movie to know that she will find him, and they will live happily ever after!)
Our society’s view of “love” promises happiness and insta-worthy moments, but sometimes relationships fall short of the intimacy, faithfulness, and acceptance we really crave.
But, God’s selfless, unconditional, perfect love is not like human love. “Love is patient, love is kind. Love does not envy, is not boastful, is not arrogant, is not rude, is not self-seeking, is not irritable, and does not keep a record of wrongs. Love finds no joy in unrighteousness but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.” (1 Corinthians 13:4-7)
We can trust He will never fall short in any way.
The Original Intent
2) How has God’s love been revealed and what does this tell us about our identity? (verses 9-10)
Verse 9 is an echo of a familiar verse that the apostle John recorded in His gospel, “For God loved the world in this way: He gave His one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16) Let’s dig a little deeper into John’s gospel to find out more.
John used the phrase “the disciple whom Jesus loved” to refer to himself five times. (John 13:23, 19:26, 20:2, 21:7, and 21:20) How did John know he was loved and that Jesus was “the atoning sacrifice for our sins”? (verse 10)
A few of the miracles John witnessed and wrote about were feeding over 5,000 people with a few fish and loaves (John 6:1-14), Jesus walking on water (John 5:15-25), Jesus healing a man born blind (John 9:1-41), and Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead (John 11:1-46).
Through these signs and many others, plus an intimate, close relationship with Jesus, John experienced divine love (agape) that gave him confidence in His identity as a beloved disciple of Christ.
The Everyday Application
2) How has God’s love been revealed and what does this tell us about our identity? (verses 9-10)
There are two things God’s revealed love tells us about our identity. Bad news first: we are sinners. All of us. “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23) Our punishment for sin is, unfortunately, death. “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 6:23)
But, here’s the good news: “But God proves His own love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8) GOD LOVES US! Our identity is LOVED BY GOD. “If you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” (Romans 10:9-10)
I can’t write it more confidently than the author of Ephesians. “But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love that He had for us, made us alive with Christ even though we were dead in trespasses.” (Ephesians 2:4-5)
If you have never declared Jesus as Lord, I invite you to consider how great God’s love is for you and receive His gift of eternal life of salvation.
The Original Intent
3) How does this passage deepen our understanding of the command to “love one another”? (verses 11-12)
“If we love one another, God remains in us (μένει, “abides”) and His love is made complete in us.” (verse 12) When John writes to the early Christian community using the Greek word for abiding, he is emphasizing the presence of God among believers who loved one another. It also stresses that God’s presence wasn’t temporary, but an ongoing reality for them. What an encouraging word for a group of people undergoing persecution and adversity!
This emphasis on loving one another would have been particularly relevant in early Christian churches that were made up of people from diverse social and economic backgrounds. The call to love one another would have been a powerful statement against the divisions of the larger society. “By this everyone will know that you are My disciples, if you love one another.” (John 13:35)
The Everyday Application
3) How does this passage deepen our understanding of the command to “love one another”? (verses 11-12)
Let’s think about this phrase from verse 11: “If God loved us in this way”. God’s love, demonstrated by sending His son, is sacrificial, unconditional, and forgiving. John reminds us in these verses that we are compelled to love one another by God’s own example.
It’s easy, though, to read these verses and not recognize how very important they are to Christian community and fellowship. It’s much easier to love people who we feel are deserving of love. But, here’s the thing: we are not deserving of God’s love. “Love consists in this: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins.” (verse 10)
Without a doubt, tangible expressions of God’s love make a difference in relationships and in the lives of others around us. We can be confident in His love for us and for others!
Here are a few starting points for practice:
1. Serve one another through love. (Galatians 5:13)
2. Bear with one another in love. (Ephesians 4:2)
3. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving one another. (Ephesians 4:32)
4. Welcome one another. (Romans 15:7)
5. Encourage one another. (1 Thessalonians 5:11)
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