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Scott's Reference Library
1 John 4:7 through 1 John 4:21 (NIV)
7Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone
who loves has been born of God and knows God. 8Whoever does not love does not
know God, because God is love. 9This is how God showed his love among us: He
sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. 10This
is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an
atoning sacrifice for our sins. 11Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also
ought to love one another. 12No one has ever seen God; but if we love one
another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.
13We know that we live in him and he in us, because he has given us of his
Spirit. 14And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be
the Savior of the world. 15If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God,
God lives in him and he in God. 16And so we know and rely on the love God has
for us.
God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him. 17In this way,
love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of
judgment, because in this world we are like him. 18There is no fear in love. But
perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one
who fears is not made perfect in love.
19We love because he first loved us. 20If anyone says, “I love God,” yet hates
his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has
seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen. 21And he has given us this command:
Whoever loves God must also love his brother.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary on the Whole Bible
VERSES 7-13
The Spirit of God is the Spirit of love. He that does not love the image of God
in his people, has no saving knowledge of God. For it is God’s nature to be
kind, and to give happiness. The law of God is love; and all would have been
perfectly happy, had all obeyed it. The provision of the gospel, for the
forgiveness of sin, and the salvation of sinners, consistently with God’s glory
and justice, shows that God is love. Mystery and darkness rest upon many things
yet. God has so shown himself to be love, that we cannot come short of eternal
happiness, unless through unbelief and impenitence, although strict justice
would condemn us to hopeless misery, because we break our Creator’s laws. None
of our words or thoughts can do justice to the free, astonishing love of a holy
God towards sinners, who could not profit or harm him, whom he might justly
crush in a moment, and whose deserving of his vengeance was shown in the method
by which they were saved, though he could by his almighty Word have created
other worlds, with more perfect beings, if he had seen fit. Search we the whole
universe for love in its most glorious displays? It is to be found in the person
and the cross of Christ. Does love exist between God and sinners? Here was the
origin, not that we loved God, but that he freely loved us. His love could not
be designed to be fruitless upon us, and when its proper end and issue are
gained and produced, it may be said to be perfected. So faith is perfected by
its works. Thus it will appear that God dwells in us by his new-creating Spirit.
A loving Christian is a perfect Christian; set him to any good duty, and he is
perfect to it, he is expert at it. Love oils the wheels of his affections, and
sets him on that which is helpful to his brethren. A man that goes about a
business with ill will, always does it badly. That God dwells in us and we in
him, were words too high for mortals to use, had not God put them before us. But
how may it be known whether the testimony to this does proceed from the Holy
Ghost? Those who are truly persuaded that they are the sons of God, cannot but
call him Abba, Father. From love to him, they hate sin, and whatever disagrees
with his will, and they have a sound and hearty desire to do his will. Such
testimony is the testimony of the Holy Ghost.
VERSES 14-21
The Father sent the Son, he willed his coming into this world. The apostle
attests this. And whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God
dwelleth in him, and he in God. This confession includes faith in the heart as
the foundation; makes acknowledgment with the mouth to the glory of God and
Christ, and profession in the life and conduct, against the flatteries and
frowns of the world. There must be a day of universal judgment. Happy those who
shall have holy boldness before the Judge at that day; knowing he is their
Friend and Advocate! Happy those who have holy boldness in the prospect of that
day, who look and wait for it, and for the Judge’s appearance! True love to God
assures believers of God’s love to them. Love teaches us to suffer for him and
with him; therefore we may trust that we shall also be glorified with him, 2
Timothy 2:12. We must distinguish between the fear of God and being afraid of
him; the fear of God imports high regard and veneration for God. Obedience and
good works, done from the principle of love, are not like the servile toil of
one who unwillingly labours from dread of a master’s anger. They are like that
of a dutiful child, who does services to a beloved father, which benefit his
brethren, and are done willingly. It is a sign that our love is far from
perfect, when our doubts, fears, and apprehensions of God, are many. Let heaven
and earth stand amazed at his love. He sent his word to invite sinners to
partake of this great salvation. Let them take the comfort of the happy change
wrought in them, while they give him the glory. The love of God in Christ, in
the hearts of Christians from the Spirit of adoption, is the great proof of
conversion. This must be tried by its effects on their temper, and their conduct
to their brethren. If a man professes to love God, and yet indulges anger or
revenge, or shows a selfish disposition, he gives his profession the lie. But if
it is plain that our natural enmity is changed into affection and gratitude, let
us bless the name of our God for this seal and earnest of eternal happiness.
Then we differ from the false professors, who pretend to love God, whom they
have not seen, yet hate their brethren, whom they have seen.
Devotions on 1 John 4:18