¹³ By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. ¹⁴ And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. ¹⁵ Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. ¹⁶ So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. ¹⁷ By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because as he is so also are we in this world. ¹⁸ There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. ¹⁹ We love because he first loved us. ²⁰ If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. ²¹ And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother.

1) By what do we know that we abide in Him?
In order to answer this question, we have to go back to the previous verses where John describes God’s love and how He first loved us. We know that we abide in Him when we look like Him and our love looks like His love. (1 John 4:7-12) It also tells us in this passage, when we live through His Spirit that resides in us, we are abiding in Him.

2) What does the word confess mean in v. 15?
Using tools like Studylight (www.studylight.org), we can define words in the original language. This helps us to have a better understanding of the word. The word “confess” in this passage means to “profess, declare openly, speak out freely, to profess one’s self the worshipper of one, to praise, celebrate.”

3) What do we learn about love from this passage?
The first thing we understand is that God is love. We can have confidence in the day of judgement because of God’s love for us. There is no fear in love. Our ability to love comes from God. Hate for our brothers/sisters cannot co-exist with love for God.

4) What commandment are we given in this passage?
“Whoever loves God must also love his brother.” All throughout Scripture, we are called into this love relationship with God, and by God’s gracious design, that love and worship for Him naturally overflows into love for others. A genuine, transformational love. A love that refuses to ignore, but reaches across dividing lines to act with authentic love!

1) By what do we know that we abide in Him?
The world cannot see our heart, but it can see our actions that flow from the heart. When we are abiding in Christ, we look like Him. We seek Him first, and out of that pursuit, we show Him to the world. When we confess, when we believe, and we live in and through Christ, we love as He loves and act as He acts.

2) What does the word confess mean in v. 15?
Profess openly, worship, and celebrate Christ. Confession goes hand in hand with action. Confession in word alone is no confession at all, but confession with action is true abiding in Christ. “..because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” (Romans 10:9)

3) What do we learn about love from this passage?
God is love and there is no fear in perfect love. In moments of fear and doubt, we need only remember that He loves us, and because of that we can love others. We need not be bound up in fear of condemnation from God, of not performing well enough, or always doing “the right thing”, we are freed to both receive and give His love!

4) What commandment are we given in this passage?
Hate for my brother cannot exist in the same heart that confesses Jesus as Lord. We are called to love beyond borders, beyond boundaries, across races, and despite circumstances. As His Spirit moves and works in us, we have the ability to rise above to act and move as His ambassadors despite fear, despite hate, and despite man-made cultural or racial divides.

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We love getting help while we study and www.studylight.org is one of many excellent resources.  Just type in the verse you’re looking at and Boom! It’s right in front of you in English and Hebrew (Old Testament) or Greek (New Testament), which are the original languages the Bible was written in.

Want to know more about a specific word in a verse? Click on “Strong’s Interlinear Bible” then click the word you’d like to study. Find super awesome stuff like “origin”, “definition”, and even all the different ways that single word has been translated into English! If you want to be geeky, you can even click the word and hear its original pronunciation – That Is Awesome!

Want to get more background on a word or phrasing or passage? Click “Study Tools”, then pick a few commentaries to read their scholarly approach, keeping in mind that just because a commentary says it, doesn’t mean it’s true. (just like the internet :-))

Finding the original meaning is a huge deal when we study Scripture and can make all the difference in our understanding as we apply God’s truths to our everyday lives.

In our modern-day relationships, we want people to understand our original intention as we communicate; how much more so between God and humanity?!

Here’s a little bit more on why we take Digging Deeper so seriously.

Embracing God’s fullness in our lives is rooted in scripture and memorizing His word is vital to our continued growth and depth with Jesus.
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