Title: Let's Love One Another / 1 John 4
The apostle John most honestly describes who Jesus and God are. God is love and He loves us. And describe who we are. We belong to God, we are loved by God, and we are to love each other and live.
1 “We belong to God” (1-6)
The most important thing, whether spirits or people, is who they belonged to. There are spirits of God and there are spirits of the world. Likewise, there are those who belong to God and there are those who belong to the world. The characteristic of those who belong to God is to confess that Jesus Christ came in the flesh and was crucified. The characteristic of those of the world is that they speak worldly words. It is important to have a clear understanding of the affiliation relationship. If some spirits or people like to speak and listen to worldly words, they are of the world; if they love to hear and speak of the incarnation and cross of Jesus Christ, they belong to God. The Apostle Paul confessed that he knew only the cross and decided to speak and preach (see 1 Corinthians 2:1,2, Galatians 6:14).
2 “Let us love one another” (7-12)
The characteristic of those who belong to God is to love one another. Because God is love. He who does not love one another does not belong to God and does not know God. This is because God is love. The love of God, who is love itself, was manifested in this way. That is, He sent His only begotten Son into the world as a propitiation sacrifice to die, so that we may live. God first loved us who did not know love. If we do not love each other despite the concrete manifestation of God's love, it is evidence that we do not know God and do not belong to God. Conversely, when we love one another, it is evidence that we know God and belong to God, and it shows that God dwells in us and that God's love is working in us. Therefore, we always practice love by saying to each other, “Let us love one another” and “We also ought to love one another.”
3 “There is no fear in love” (13-21)
The characteristics and blessings of love are intimacy and joy. Love is fellowship, sharing, and joy. Knowing and believing in God's love means that I abide in God, and God abides in me, and rejoice over all fear. "Joy of fellowship" This is the hallmark of love and life (see 1 John 1:3,4). There is no fear in love. Love casts out fear. Love triumphs over judgment. We have not received the spirit of slavery to fear and to fear, but we have received the Spirit of the Son to cry, Abba, Father (Romans 8:15). Love conquers everything. Tribulation, hardship, persecution, famine, drenched danger, sword, killed, slaughter, even being overcome (Romans 8:35-37). Love can't bring us down. Death, life, angels, rulers, present and future work do not bring us down (Romans 8:38,39). The question is, do we belong to God and love one another?