Pastors Jim and Marie Watt
IV. 4:1-5:21 SAFEGUARDS FOR DIVINE FELLOWSHIP
A. 4:4-6 GUARDED BY TRUTH
1. 4:1 WARNING AGAINST FALSE SPIRITS
A-ga-peTOI, me panTI PNEUma-ti pisTEUe-te,
Beloved, believe not every spirit,
alLA do-kiMAze-te [1381] ta PNEUma-ta, ei ek tou TheOU es-tin;
but prove the spirits, whether they are of :God;
HOti polLOI pseu-do-proPHEtai [5578] e-xe-leLUtha-sin eis ton KOSmon.
because many false prophets are gone out into the world.
2. 4:2-3 WARNING AGAINST ANTICHRIST
En TOUto giNOske-te to PNEUma tou TheOU:
Hereby know you the Spirit of :God:
pan PNEUma ho ho-mo-loGEI [3670] ’IeSOUN ChrisTON
every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ
en sarKI e-le-luTHEnai ek tou TheOU es-tin:
is come in the flesh is of :God:
kai pan PNEUma ho me ho-mo-loGEI ton ’IeSOUN ek tou TheOU ouk EStin:
3 and every spirit that confesses not :Jesus is not of :God:
kai TOU-TO es-tin to tou an-tiCHRIStou [500],
and this is the spirit of the antichrist,
ho a-keKOa-te HOti ERche-tai;
whereof you have heard that it comes;
kai nun en to KOSmo esTIN Ede.
and is now in the world already.
3. 4:4-6 ENCOURAGEMENT TO OVERCOME
a. 4:4 OVERCOME THROUGH THE INDWELLING ONE
HuMEIS ek tou TheOU es-te, tekNIa, kai ne-niKEka-te [3528] auTOUS:
YOU are of :God, little children, and have overcome them:
HOti MEIzon [3187] esTIN ho en huMIN e ho en to KOSmo.
because greater is the one in you that the one in the world.
b. 4:5 OVERCOME WHEN YOU ARE NOT OF THE WORLD
auTOI ek tou KOSmou eiSIN:
THEY are of the world:
diA TOUto ek tou KOSmou laLOUsin, kai ho KOSmos auTON aKOUei.
therefore speak they of the world, and the world hears them.
c. 4:6a OVERCOME: BECAUSE GOD’S VOICE IS RECOGNIZED IN HIS OWN
heMEIS ek tou TheOU es-men: ho giNOSkon to TheON a-KOUei heMON;
WE are of God: who knows :God hears us;
hos ouk EStin ek tou TheOU ouk aKOUei heMON.
who is not of God hears us not.
d. 4:6b OVERCOME: BY DISCERNING BETWEEN TRUTH AND ERROR!
ek TOUtou giNOSko-men to PNEUma tes a-leTHEIas [225],
From this we know the spirit of :truth,
kai to PNEUma tes PLAnes [4106].
and the spirit of :error.
B. 4:7-21 GUARDED BY GOD’S LOVE
1. 4:7-10 GOD’S LOVE GIVEN IN HIS SON.
a. 4:7 LOVE OF BRETHREN: A TEST OF THE NEW BIRTH!
A-ga-peTOI, a-gaPOmen alLElous: HOti he aGApe ek tou TheOU es-tin;
Beloved, let us love one another: for :love is of God;
kai pas ho a-gaPON ek tou TheOU geGENne-tai [1080],
and every one that loves is begotten of :God,
kai giNOSkei ton TheON.
and knows :God.
b. 4:8 LOVELESS LIVES: A PROOF OF A LIFE APART FROM GOD
ho me a-gaPON ouk EGno ton TheON; HOti ho TheOS aGApe es-TIN.
Who loves not knows not :God; for :God is love.
c. 4:9 LOVE OF GOD: MANIFESTED IN LIFE FOR US THROUGH THE SON
en TOUto e-pha-neROthe [5319] he aGApe tou TheOU en heMIN,
Herein was the love of :God manifested in us,
HOti ton huiON auTOU ton mo-no-geNE [3439] aPEStal-ken ho TheOS
that :God has sent his :only begotten :Son
eis ton KOSmon HIna ZEso-men [2198] di’ auTOU.
into the world that we might live through him.
d. 4:10 LOVE: MANIFESTED BY GOD TOWARD US WHILE YET SINNERS
en TOUto esTIN he aGApe, ouch HOti heMEIS e-gaPEka-men ton TheON,
Herein is :love, not that WE have loved :God,
all’ HOti auTOS eGApe-sen heMAS,
but that HE loved us,
kai aPEStei-len ton huiON auTOU hi-lasMON [2434] peRI ton ha-mar-tiON heMON.
and sent his :Son as propitiation for our :sins.
2. 4:11-16a GOD’S LOVE INDWELLS BELIEVERS
a. 4:11 LOVE OF BRETHREN: A TEST OF THE NEW BIRTH
A-ga-peTOI, ei HOUtos ho TheOS eGApe-sen heMAS,
Beloved, if :God so loved us,
kai heMEIS oPHEIlo-men alLElous a-gaPAN.
we also ought to love one another.
b. 4:12-13 LOVE FOR ONE ANOTHER: A CONDITION FOR ABIDING
TheON ouDEIS POpo-te teTHEa-tai [2300]:
No one has ever beheld God:
eAN a-gaPOmen al-LElous, ho TheOS en heMIN MEnei,
if we love one another, :God abides in us,
kai he aGApe auTOU te-te-lei-oMEne [5048] en heMIN esTIN:
and his :love is perfected in us:
en TOUto giNOSko-men HOti en auTO MEno-men kai auTOS en heMIN,
13 hereby we know that we abide in him and he in us,
HOti ek tou PNEUma-tos auTOU DEdo-ken heMIN.
because he has given us of his :Spirit.
c. 4:14 LOVE WITNESSED TO: GOD’S SENDING HIS SON INTO THE WORLD
kai heMEIS te-theAme-tha kai mar-tuROUmen [3140]
And we have beheld and witness
HOti ho paTER aPES-tal-ken ton huiON soTEra [4990] tou KOSmou.
that the Father has sent the Son as Savior of the world.
d. 4:15 LOVE CONFESSION: KEY TO GOD’S INDWELLING
hos eAN ho-mo-loGEse HOti ’IeSOUS ChrisTOS es-tin ho huiOS tou TheOU,
Whoso shall confess that Jesus Christ is the Son of :God,
ho TheOS en auTO MEnei, kai auTOS en to TheO.
:God abides in him, and he in :God.
3. 4:16a. LOVE OF GOD THROUGH KNOWLEDGE AND FAITH
kai heMEIS egNOka-men kai pe-pisTEUka-men ten aGApen
And WE know and have believed the love
hen Echei ho TheOS en heMIN.
which :God has in us.
3. 4:16b-21 GOD’S LOVE MANIFESTED THROUGH BRETHREN
a. 4:16b GOD’S LOVE: SECRET OF ABIDING
Ho TheOS aGApe esTIN; kai ho MEnon en te aGApe en to TheO MEnei,
:God is love; and who abides in :love abides in :God,
kai ho TheOS en auTO MEnei.
and :God abides in him.
b. 4:17 BOLDNESS IN DAY OF JUDGMENT: PURPOSE OF LOVE
En TOUto te-teLEIo-tai [5048] he aGApe meth’ heMON,
Herein is :love made perfect with us
HIna par-reSIan [3954] Echo-men en te heMEra tes KRIse-os [2920];
that we may have boldness in the day of :judgment;
HOti kaTHOS eKEI-NOS es-tin, kai heMEIS es-men en to KOSmo TOUto.
because as HE is, even so are WE in this :world.
c. 4:18 NATURE OF LOVE: TO CAST OUT FEAR AND PERFECT US
PHObos [5401] ouk EStin en te aGApe:
No fear is in :love:
all’ he teLEIa [5046] aGApe Exo BALlei [906] ton PHObon,
but :perfect love casts out the fear,
HOti ho PHObos KOla-sin [2851] Echei;
because the fear has punishment;
ho de phoBOUme-nos ou te-teLEIo-tai en te aGApe.
and who fears is not perfected in :love.
d. 4:19 OUR BASIS OF LOVE: GOD’S LOVE TO US
HeMEIS a-gaPOmen, HOti auTOS PROtos eGApe-sen huMAS.
WE love, because HE first loved us.
e. 4:20 CONTRADICTION OF LOVE: TO HATE OUR BROTHER
eAN tis EIpe HOti A-gaPO ton TheON, kai ton a-delPHON auTOU miSE [3404],
If one say that I love :God, and hates his :brother,
PSEUStes [5583] esTIN: ho gar me a-gaPON ton a-delPHON auTOU hon heOra-ken,
he is a liar: for who loves not his :brother whom he has seen,
ton TheON hon ouch heOra-ken ou DUna-tai a-gaPAN.
cannot love :God whom he has not seen.
f. 4:21 LOVE’S COMMANDMENT: TO LOVE BOTH GOD AND MAN
kai TAUten ten en-toLEN Echo-men ap’ auTOU,
And this :commandment we have from him,
HIna ho a-gaPON ton TheON a-gaPA kai ton a-delPHON auTOU.
that who loves :God love his :brother also.
NOTE: God has provided two safeguards as guardians for us: Truth and Love! It is interesting to note the order for these two that the Holy Spirit gave to John – Truth precedes Love!
Truth comes from two Greek words – LEtho: to hide; and “a” – the removal of that which caused the hiding.
For instance: God hid from His Old Testament saints a truth – and also from the beginning church – until He released the apostle Paul for his unique ministry to the uncircumcised nations. In Galatians and Ephesians he shows that in the church, Jew and Gentile have the middle wall of partition broken down – and they become “One New Man.” This truth was a hidden mystery, but from the time of Paul’s ministry to the Gentiles, it became an open truth. It is one of the greatest revealed truths in New Testament times.
The lid of this hidden mystery came off, and Paul valiantly in the Spirit contended for this truth. See the difficulty for Peter, the apostle to the circumcision – the Jews – to receive this truth himself. Paul had to openly rebuke him in his letter to the Galatians, for his withdrawal from this truth at Antioch.
But in Romans 9-11, especially the first verses of chapter 9, the Holy Spirit through Paul not only shows the privilege of Jews receiving the 8-fold blessing recorded there, but he wonderfully reveals that all blessings for Jews, are now an inheritance of the uncircumcision also, through being grafted into their Jewish Roots!
Possibly it is because of this tremendous revelation of “The One New Man,” that hearts of Gentiles especially open up in thanksgiving to God. Love is the outflow of these New Testament revelations opened up especially by the Spirit through Paul.
And what of the Jews as an integral part of the “One New Man,” and now joined with Gentiles as outlined in Acts 10 and 11? Well, the 11 apostles received this revelation from Peter, and rejoiced at the goodness and mercy of God in receiving Gentiles on the same basis of grace through faith, that allowed them, Jews, to come into God’s Kingdom.
So here we can see the possible sequence that made both Truth and Love guardians for both Jews and Gentiles in the “One New Man.”
James through Jude are transitional letters to prepare Jews especially for the strong meat of Paul’s 14 epistles. These 7 letters are like Senior High School, while Paul’s letters are like College and Graduate School in University. Jim Watt