1 John 4
In 1 John 4, the message unfolds centered on love and truth, and it can be divided into three parts. First (verses 1–6), it emphasizes the need to discern the true Spirit (the Holy Spirit) from the false spirit (false prophets). Second (verses 7–21), it explains that God is love and discusses the requirement that God’s love must remain in us. Overall, it shows that love must be proven through actions rather than merely as a feeling, and that it is realized within the right relationship with God.
1verseBeloved, don’t believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.
2verseBy this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit who confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God,
3verseand every spirit who doesn’t confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God; and this is the spirit of the Antichrist, of whom you have heard that it comes. Now it is in the world already.
4verseYou are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because greater is he who is in you than he who is in the world.
5verseThey are of the world. Therefore they speak of the world, and the world hears them.
6verseWe are of God. He who knows God listens to us. He who is not of God doesn’t listen to us. By this we know the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error.
7verseBeloved, let’s love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.
8verseHe who doesn’t love doesn’t know God, for God is love.
9verseBy this God’s love was revealed in us, that God has sent his only born Son into the world that we might live through him.
10verseIn this is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son as the atoning sacrifice for our sins.
11verseBeloved, if God loved us in this way, we also ought to love one another.
12verseNo one has seen God at any time. If we love one another, God remains in us, and his love has been perfected in us.
13verseBy this we know that we remain in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit.
14verseWe have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son as the Savior of the world.
15verseWhoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God remains in him, and he in God.
16verseWe know and have believed the love which God has for us. God is love, and he who remains in love remains in God, and God remains in him.
17verseIn this, love has been made perfect among us, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment, because as he is, even so we are in this world.
18verseThere is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear has punishment. He who fears is not made perfect in love.
19verseWe love him, because he first loved us.
20verseIf a man says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who doesn’t love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen?
21verseThis commandment we have from him, that he who loves God should also love his brother.
Key Themes in Chapter 4
- Discernment of Spirits(verses 1–6): The responsibility to discern spiritual truth from falsehood is given to believers. It says that only the spirit that confesses the true Jesus Christ belongs to God.
- The Source of Love(verses 7–16): God declares that He is love itself, and that we can know God by loving one another. The sacrifice of Jesus reveals love at its highest point in God’s heart.
- Living Out Love(verses 17–21): Even regarding fear and judgment, when love is fully realized within us, boldness is given. It asks for a very practical practice of love: “You cannot say that you love God while refusing to love your brother whom you can see.”
Points for Reflection
- Am I living by discerning the various claims, ideas, and spiritual messages around me by biblical standards?
- In my life, is God’s love being revealed in reality, or is it only staying at the level of words from my mouth?
- What kind of comfort and challenge does the message that “love drives out fear” give to my heart?
Try Applying It to Yourself
Today, I should look back on how I am actually putting love into practice. I also commit to thinking concretely about how I can reveal God’s love to my family or friends who are close by, or to people who think differently from me, so that I can live a day of practicing—even in small ways. In addition, I should have an attitude of reflection that helps me maintain a balanced Christian life between truth and love.
