1 John 5:1 [1] “Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God: and every one that loveth him that begat loveth him also that is begotten of him.” This verse teaches that our attitude toward God has everything to do with our attitude toward man. When believers have a right relationship with God, they have a right relationship with each other. They love each other, because they are loving him. Love toward God, and his children, is a mark of identification  for every born-again believer.  I once knew an individual who was faithful to church, but always …

1 John 4:21 [21] “And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also.” The diversity of membership in a church always amazes me. Think for a moment about all the different types of personalities that attend your church. Isn’t it hard to comprehend how a group of people that are  so different can become family? Most people in the congregation are not blood kin, nor have they spent most of their lives together. Within the congregation you have people who have different pay scales, different talents, and are of different mindsets altogether. I …

1 John 4:20  [20] “If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?” I want you to think about the first phrase of our verse today, “If a man say”. People will say a lot of things, but just because someone says something, that doesn’t make it true. In fact, the Bible teaches us here that if a man says one thing, but his life doesn’t back it up, then he is a …

1 John 4:19 [19] “We love him, because he first loved us.” I’m always amazed at how the Bible can say so much in one phrase or verse. This is a simple, but profound, text when we consider it. If we are not careful, we can read it, and not truly take in all that it has to say to us.  First, think about the reverse in this verse. The first phrase declares that we love him. Can you truly say that today? Do you love Christ? If the answer is yes, then pause for a moment and consider the …

1 John 4:18 [18] “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.” Fear is an emotion that every individual has to face. No one likes to live in fear, but we all know what it’s like to have to deal with it. Our verse has a lot to say about this subject. I want you to examine with me four fundamental truths about fear.  First notice the truth about fear. The Bible says, “There is no fear in love”. A child who knows …

1 John 4:17 [17] “Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world.” There are a lot of future events that I look forward to in eternity, but I have to be honest that there is one I greatly dread. I both fear and dread that great judgment morning. Standing before the creator, and giving account for the deeds I have done, and the life I have lived, is not something I’m looking forward to when I leave this world.  The Bible says …

1 John 4:16 [16] “And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.” John has had so much to say about love in this epistle. He has emphasized it over and over again. He has talked about God’s love toward us, and our love toward God. Here in our verse he is doing the exact same thing again. He will mention it even more as we continue through the book.  Why does he place so much emphasis on this subject? Our …

1 John 4:15 [15] “Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God.”  In our devotional verse today, the Lord opens the door for every man. This open door is found in the first word, “whosoever”. This a familiar word in the scriptures, and is a word that our Savior used often. What a declaration, and what an invitation for all who will accept Christ as their personal Savior! The good news of the gospel is that everyone, and anyone, can walk through the doorway of salvation.  Salvation is an open …

1 John 4:14  [14] “And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world.” What is it that makes the God of the Bible separate from all of the false gods of this world? There are many ways we could answer this question, but I want to answer it by saying, it is because HE IS ALIVE! The God of the Bible is not dead! He is living, breathing and working in the lives of men. The God of Heaven and earth has a heartbeat! Our devotional verse reveals his …

1 John 4:13 [13] “Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit.” The verse before us holds a triple blessing within it. The first blessing we see, is the fact that we can dwell in him. When you consider who we are, and you consider who he is, then you will realize what a blessing it is to dwell in him. What a blessing that God would open his heart to us, allowing us to love him, worship him and fellowship with him. The word dwell also reveals …