ATTENTION WITH LOVE BUT TO WHO /

Attention with love but to who? 

Whenever the Bible uses the term "They" the word of God is almost always referring to a group of people that has not accepted Jesus Christ into their heart. In 1 John 4:5 the Apostle John is referring to an unbeliever in Jesus Christ who does not know the Lord. They speak of the world and the world is very receptive to what they are saying.

We are of God and know His Son Jesus Christ but if somebody is listening to you they will not hear you unless you convert him or her to Jesus Christ. This is the test that John is showing us that because of this response or lack of response we will know the spirit of truth or the spirit of error. 

John once again reinstates his point that we are to love one another. Do you think the Apostle is trying to tell us something? How many times has John repeated himself on this issue? Here is the truth of the matter, if we love one another this is proof that we are born of God and we know Jesus Christ in a personal way in our life. If a person does not have love in his or her heart he or she does not know God because Jesus Christ is the very essence of love.

The biggest expression of this truth that is literally all over the Bible was already manifested because God sent His only begotten Son (Jesus Christ) into the world but it was and still is for the purpose that we might live through Him.

We need to understand a very specific truth in the Bible because we did not love God first because Jesus Christ had deep Godly affection for us before we were even born. God loved us so much that He sent His Son to be the substitution for our sins and if God chose not to do this nobody would ever go to heaven. Let me ask you a very basic question --- if God loved us this much is it not fair to say at the very least we should love one another. This is evidence that Jesus Christ dwells in us and His love is perfected in our spirit.

We do dwell in the Son of God and He dwells in us but it is only because He has given us His Spirit because of our obedience in Him. John caveats a little and explains that he saw and testifies that God the Father sent His Son Jesus Christ to be the Savior of the world.

A person needs to confess that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and believe this truth in his or her heart to be saved then we are giving the promise that God dwelleth in him and he in God.

One of the wisest truths we can believe is that God loves us very much because He personifies the very embodiment of affection for us and our well being. Does it not only make sense that we should dwell in love because we will be dwelling in Jesus Christ and Him in us. God wants to make our love nothing short than perfect because He desires that we may have boldness in the day of judgment. Let me just show you 1 John 4:5-16 to see the original text in the Bible so you can read the passage and perhaps make reference to it if need be in this amazing study in the Bible.

(5) "They are of the world: therefore speak they of the world, and the world heareth them. (6) We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error. (7) Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. (8) He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love. (9) In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. (10) Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us, and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. (11) Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another. (12) No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and His love is perfected in us. (13) Hereby know we that we dwell in Him, and He in us, because He hath given us of His Spirit. (14) And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Savior of the world. (15) Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God. (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." 1 John 4:5-16.

The bottom line is the world is going to love their own and it's own will love them back. If a believer in Jesus Christ knows the purity and holiness of God this love and grace will be listened to but only by true Christians. They will be attentive to us because they also know the Prince of Peace. This is one way we can see the distinction between believers and unbelievers.

This is not to hard to comprehend but to have love for the brethren is very important but empathy for a person that does not know Jesus Christ should be obvious because they are unregenerate and not on their way to heaven.

People ask all the time, "What is the truth" but the bottom line is it will be known by true love for Jesus Christ. Being united in His love is how the world will recognize the truth who is Jesus Christ. 

If we ever forget the basics of the God we serve we will always be off balance in our approach to Jesus Christ and other people. God is love and there will always be a high and heavenly decent of divine affection to us but what good is this wonderful truth if we do not claim this biblical promise for our life? The Spirit of God is the Spirit of love.

If we show Godly love this is a true apprehension of the divine nature in our spirit. This is the communicative goodness of Jesus Christ. If people have guile in their heart how could they know God when the very essence of Jesus Christ is love? Love will come natural if we know Jesus Christ but it is essential to showing the divine Majesty of God to others. What the recipient will see is the pureness of Jesus Christ and that is exactly what they need in their life.

I often times ask myself, "Who is truly my friend" but what we need to understand as Christians is the love that God has for us is in incomparable. Imagine a master carpenter doing a job and he has his two year old son with him helping finish the project. The father is an expert but the child has no idea what he is doing. That is us compared to God. Only the Holy Spirit can work His love through us so we can in return show Godly affection to Jesus Christ and others.

Obviously God loved us first because He sent His only Son to die for us on the cross but the main point is God The Father did this when we had no love for Him. Jesus Christ became the propitiation (substitution) for our sins that we might live with God for all eternity. I want you to think about one more point --- Jesus Christ desires to be with us forever. When somebody/ anybody wants to be with us for all eternity then there is abundant love. Did you ever see two people say, "I can't stand to be with you one more minute" but God desires to be with us forever. The bottom line is we look at this evil world and just simply can not comprehend the love of God but we can allow this to reside in our heart.

This is what the Bible teaches with our brothers and sisters --- if God loves them so should we and that should be a final verdict. If we do this it is evidence the Holy Spirit is working through our spirit. A very specific residence is in a believer who has a special love for his brothers and sisters in Christ. It is one divine truth for us to feel the love of God in us but it goes to a higher level when we love the brethren.

Faith is seen through our works if it is done with the right motive but love is seen through our operations. First God loved/loves us so we are drawn to His love and as a result we show the brethren love. The one thing we do not want to do is make this complicated. In fact we should always keep this simple. Love is a mutual consent but according to this passage it is because God has given us His Spirit. God acts we respond.

Remember the Apostle John was there and he personally walked with Jesus Christ on this earth. God The Father sent His Son and He became the Savior of the world. The love of God is seen in Jesus Christ. Christians should be revealing this love through their life. God is love and this truth is boundless but it was demonstrated in what Jesus Christ did for us on the cross because the Son of God Himself is love.

If a person dwells in this sacred love the result will be a divine presence in his or her heart and this individual will be with God forever so I invite you to accept Jesus Christ into your heart if you have not already done so as your very own personal Savior and Lord by repenting of all your sins and inviting Jesus Christ into your life. I believe the Apostle John did a pretty good job in convincing us that this is the right way to eternal life through Jesus Christ.

God Bless you,

Bob D.