#366 1 John Series# 7, The Actionable Love of God

#366 1 John Series# 7, The Actionable Love of God
By: Pastor Cheryl Thomas

We have learned that 1 John was a personal letter written 2000 years ago to a very specific group of people. Different audiences, different issues being addressed all in the same letter.

That is was written for us but not to us.

We know that applying the wrong filter can do the opposite of assuring but create religious anxiety. Zack

We know that the interpretive key is found in 1John 5:13 “ I am writing to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know.” The ones who get to know are the one who believe.

We know that John was the brother of James son of Zebedee and that Jesus referred to them as Sons of Thunder, probably  for their quick and impetuous disposition.

• Tried to stop someone who was not with them for casting out demons
• Wanted to call down fire on those who would not welcome them
• Wanted to sit beside him on his throne

When I read 1 John with the lens that he was one of the sons of thunder it helps to give context to his diatribe.  

And given his temperament it should not surprise that he would make a thunderous denunciation on those who would infiltrate and threaten his family his church. John, the apostle of love and a Son of Thunder, fought to preserve the truth of God with zeal and fervency.

He may be the apostle of love but he is by no means weak.

His writing is bold, direct, dogmatic, and authoritative while affirming at the same time. 

And he adopts a “we-they” stance through out the epistle

John wrote this letter with two basic purposes in mind: (1) to expose false teachers (see 2:26 and note) and (2) to give believers assurance of salvation (see 5:13 and note).

The function to strengthen and reassure the readers by demonstrating that he or she is immune to their opponent’s denial of the Christological confession.

How does the son of thunder assure his flock?  

1. He addresses them- dear friends, children, beloved—
2. He is purposeful with his vernacular. The phrase “WE KNOW” used at least 14 times in this epistle…

1 Jo 2:3 And hereby we do know that we know him,

1Jo 2:18 whereby we know that it is the last time.

1 Jo 3:2 but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.

1Jo 3:14 We know that we have passed from death unto life,

1 Jo 3:19 And hereby we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before him.

1 Jo 3:24 And hereby we know that he abideth in us, by the Spirit which he hath given us.

1 Jo 5:2 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments.

1 Jo 5:15 And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.

1 Jo 5:18  We know that whosoever is born of God sinneth not

1 Jo 5:19  And we know that we are of God,

And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life.

Every “we know” is a positive affirmation of Christ and who they are in Christ.

We know that John’s contesting an early form of Gnosticism.

We know that Gnosticism leads to legalism or licence, both have inherent in them severe sociological problems. Gnostics erect barriers between themselves and the surrounding world in two ways; creating spiritual elites or reversing dominant social values: like love, family, respect, equality, honor… these dissenters had become a blight on their love feasts.

Causing confusion in the community and a serious split whereby a substantial part of the community has withdrawn from fellowship over doctrinal issues.

John assures his audience that:

Jesus was manifest, that we can experience him fully, we enjoy fellowship with him, that we have an anointing that abides, that we have forgiveness, and that we have an advocate.

That the message we heard is so powerful it has the re-creative power of God inherent with in it to make you a new creation and free from sins power

That my love isn’t being tested but approved because the love of God is in me and I naturally love.

That sin is wrong, the devil is source of sin and father of lies, but Jesus conquered the devil and is now my source of victory.

That God is my father, that He has given me a new nature and He won’t let me continue in sin… why cause I have an anointing that abides.

That when I sin it does not change my nature I am just acting outside my nature and not behaving like my regenerated self.

That if I my heart condemns me God is greater than my heart and knows all things

That John’s letter is not a prescription for Christian living, that it is a description of what happens to you when you get placed in Christ. Zack

That God is committed to you not just possessing his nature but expressing it and it looks like love.

1 John 4:7-21

It’s really unfortunate that in English we have only one word for “love”. So we use the same word when we say “I love pizza” that we use when we say “I love my wife” or I love God.” So in our culture that word “love” is primarily used to describe an emotional response to someone or something.

The Greeks, on the other hand had at least four different words that described varied kinds of love. Out of those four words, the one that was least used outside the New Testament was the Greek word “agape”. Affection, good will, love feast…God is a love feast.

That particular word is rarely found in any writings outside the New Testament, but is used over 300 times by the New Testament writers.

1 John is the epistle of agape love used 46 times in 135 verses.

However when John says, “God is love” it is without question the most profound statement found in the bible.

Peter Kreft- God is love” (1 John 4:8, 16). This is the most fundamental thing to be said about God, for it encompasses everything else that can be said about God.

Love is God’s essence. Nowhere else does Scripture express God’s essence in this way. Scripture says God is just and merciful, but it does not say that God is justice itself or mercy itself.

It does say that God is love, not just a lover. Love is God’s very essence. This is the absolute; everything else is relative to it.

“The essence of this triune love is revealed in God’s love for humanity. The eternal, other-oriented love of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit is revealed outside of God, as it were, in his love for humanity. God’s own inherent worth is expressed in the worth he ascribes to humanity, and it is truly breathtaking.

God expresses unsurpassable love for us and ascribes unsurpassable worth to us by sacrificing the One who has unsurpassable value on our behalf! And this unfathomable expression of love to us displayed the perfect love that the three divine persons have for one another.

God is toward us as he eternally is within himself: God is love.”  Greg Boyd

William Barclay says  God’s love answers questions of creation, free will, redemption

1. It explains creation in that God is love and therefore cannot live in isolation… love requires that there be a benefactor and beneficiaries…

2. It explains free will in that unless love is a free response it is not love… and God be a deliberated act of self-limitation endowed men with free will

3. It explains redemption in that he had to seek and save that which was lost… he had to be the remedy for sin.

God is the definition of love. He is the source of love.

From God we learn that love is not mere sentiment but involves an act of the will. Love is a verb.

God not only told us of His love, but He showed it in His divine act of love (cf. vv. 9-11). Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. (1 John 3:16, cf. John 3:16 & Rom. 5:6-8)

Theologian Karl Barth insists that Gods love is not an abstract definition we can fill with whatever we want to say. God’s love is Gods definition and only he can define it.” 

And God has defined Himself in the life and actions of his son Jesus.

Love Acts, it acts even when we didn’t deserve it, and His love is transformative.

 (Romans 5:8 NLT)
⁸ But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.

How does John in this epistle illustrate the actionable love of God? (Actionable expression in red)

He affirms that God’s love is personal, proven, Gods love perfects, that it permeates, that it preserves.

1. Personal- its Particular (exacting, specific, meticulous)

Vs 9 “God showedhow much He love us by sendinghis one and only son so that we might have eternal life through him.

Augustine says, “He loves each one of us, as if there were only one of us.” The first characteristic of God’s love is that it is personal.

What is meant by personal?

“We say something is personal when it involves relationship—particularly a binding, transactional, or socially acknowledged relationship. If something involves the actual presence of or interaction with another individual, then it is deemed personal…We may also describe something as personal if it involves our private life, our most intimate thoughts, or our emotions—something that touches us at a deep level.” Leigh Mcleroyhttps://www.exploregod.com/is-god-a-personal-god

God who even refers to himself in the context of his human relationships: He is personal and particular, “I am the God of Abraham…the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob,” identifying with the people to whom he made—and kept.

God is “lovingly-loyal and loyally-loving to the works of His hands. He loves what He is committed to; He is committed to what He loves.”David Naugle 2010, https://www.exploregod.com/is-god-a-personal-god

God has bound himself to us, there was a transaction, it is particular and knowable.

2. Proven: established demonstrated verified confirmed.

Love is not about entirely about how we feel, but what we do.

Love requires actions; it is demonstrated through behaviour, and the love of God is no exception.

Proof One-  He Sent his son to demonstrate He is Love

vs 9-10: “In this the love of God was made manifestamong us, that God sent His only Son into the world, so that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.”

Proof Two- He Gave us His Spirit – to assure us that we are His

Vs 13 “ and God has given us his spirit as proof that we live in him and him in us. Further more we have seen with our own eyes and now testify…”

“you have received the Holy Spirit and he lives in you.” 1 John 2:27

“He identified you as his own by giving you the Holy Spirit… the guarantee that he will give us an inheritance. Eph 2

“You have received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children.” Rom 8:15

3. Perfecting:  faultless picture perfect –

There are two uses of this English word perfect, verse 12 & 18

vs 12: “No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and His love is perfectedin us.”

Verse 12– “ His love is perfected in us- teleioo-

Verse 12 perfected… is a process that is being worked in us…to carry thru completely… bringing one’s expression of the God love that resides in them into perfection…

Verse 18  “There is no fear in love; but perfect love castethout fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfectin love.”

Verse 18 “such love has no fear because perfect -teleios love cast out all fear

What love- Gods love

How is it described—perfect teleios- complete, consummate, lacking nothing- full grown and mature…God’s love was made perfect brought to maturity by the life, death, burial and resurrection of Jesus…

What does it do it casts out “ballo” throws with force, smites, slaps buffets fear.

THAT LOVE…is able to violently with force displace fear.- Esau & Jacob

God’s love  makes you perfect in love- fully-grown, mature, wanting nothing, perfect…

Zack- the process you are on, is one of manifesting the real true you…of manifesting and revealing the union you have with Christ

And now because of perfected love…we are being perfected

The perfect fierce love of God is in us, working so that  we too are becoming the manifestation of Gods love… Free to love God without fear… and free to love others and become the face of God to those around us…

And God’s love is such that He will supply us with all we need in order to grow spiritually, “until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature person, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ.” (Eph. 4:13).

4. Pervading:pervades, floods, saturates, encompasses–

Spreading through every part of something

Because God’s love has been abundantly poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us. Romans 5:5

KJV says, God’s love has been shed abroad in our hearts… largely poured out

Vs 18 “such love has no fear because perfect love expelsall fear” no fear of God, no fear that God does not love me.

This love obliterates, guilt, condemnation and fear.

4. Preserving:protect safeguard save sustaining (Pickles – Christ the jar, me the pickle Gods love the preserving element)

vs 17- “As we live in God…we will not be afraid on the day of judgement but we can face him with confidence.”

I am in him he is in me- there is no wall of partition- there is no separation

Jesus said “ And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father, which gave them me, is greater than I, and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand.” (John 10:28, 29)

(Romans 8: 38-39)

And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither

death nor life, neither angels nor demons,[a] neither our fears for today nor our

worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s

love. 39 No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all

creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in

Christ Jesus our Lord.  

Paul says that nothing will be able to SEPARATE you from the love of God. 

Separate is a marriage term – as when God says, “what God has joined together, let man not separate.”

·      He’ll be with us for better or for worse – when we’re rich or poor – strong or weak in faith

·      He’ll never forsake us.

·      He’ll always provide for us.

·       He’ll always love us

·        His love is not based on who WE are – but on who He is

God did not send His Son to die on the cross just to prove that He loves us, but to save us. God’s love for us is one that wants to preserve us — to save us and bring us home.

He cant throw me out, how can he I live in him and he lives in me… he cannot deny himself… IN God  I am in a WIN WIN scenario.

“I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore I have continued my faithfulness to you.” (Jeremiah 31:3)

Jeremiah 31:6 says, “He will never quit loving you and never will.Expect love, love, and more love!” Jeremiah 31:6

Any fear of judgement is lost in His perfect love.

When I am in Him than I have love. I have God and I can say Cheryl is Love

Song Overwhelming Reckless love of God

WHAT TO DO WITH THE GIFT OF LOVE

1. Receive it:

Just like with any other gift, the gift of love won’t do me any good unless I actually receive it.

The gift of God’s love is available for all. As John writes in verse 14, God sent Jesus into the world to be “the Savior of the world”.

If  you have never received that Him- Perfect Love I encourage you to put your faith in Jesus, I invite you to receive that gift today.

2. Give it:

Above everything else in this passage, John focuses on the most important thing we can do to demonstrate that the God of love lives in us, and that is to be a conduit for His love, by giving away the gift of love…To others

Jesus said they will know you are my disciples by the love you have one for the other…

Its not duty its nature.

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