Overall Question: What role does our love towards God play in our relations with other believers?

Memory Text: 1 John 4:21 CEV “The commandment that God has given us is: "Love God and love each other!"”

Sunday – The Two Passages on Love
1 John 3:11-24 God’s Word to the Nations “11 ¶ The message that you have heard from the beginning is to love each other. 12 Don’t be like Cain. He was a child of the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did Cain murder his brother? Because the things Cain did were evil and the things his brother did had God’s approval. 13 Brothers and sisters, don’t be surprised if the world hates you. 14 ¶ We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love other believers. The person who doesn’t grow in love remains in death. 15 Everyone who hates another believer is a murderer, and you know that a murderer doesn’t have eternal life. 16 We understand what love is when we realize that Christ gave his life for us. That means we must give our lives for other believers. 17 Now, suppose a person has enough to live on and notices another believer in need. How can God’s love be in that person if he doesn’t bother to help the other believer? 18 Dear children, we must show love through actions that are sincere, not through empty words. 19 This is how we will know that we belong to the truth and how we will be reassured in his presence. 20 ¶ Whenever our conscience condemns us, we will be reassured that God is greater than our conscience and knows everything. 21 Dear friends, if our conscience doesn’t condemn us, we can boldly look to God 22 and receive from him anything we ask. We receive it because we obey his commandments and do what pleases him. 23 ¶ This is his commandment: to believe in his Son, the one named Jesus Christ, and to love each other as he commanded us. 24 Those who obey Christ’s commandments live in God, and God lives in them. We know that he lives in us because he has given us the Spirit.”
1 John 3:15 COMMENTARY BY ALBERT BARNES The private malice, the secret grudge, the envy which is cherished in the heart, is murderous in its tendency, and were it not for the outward restraints of human laws, and the dread of punishment, it would often lead to the act of murder. The apostle does not say that he who hates his brother, though he does not in fact commit murder, is guilty to the same degree as if he had actually done it; but he evidently means to say that the spirit which would lead to murder is there, and that God will hold him responsible for it. Nothing is wanting but the removal of outward restraints to lead to the commission of the open deed.
1 John 4:7-5:4 Holman “7 ¶ Dear friends, let us love one another, because love is from God, and everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 The one who does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9 God’s love was revealed among us in this way: God sent His One and Only Son into the world so that we might live through Him. 10 Love consists in this: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 11 Dear friends, if God loved us in this way, we also must love one another. 12 No one has ever seen God. If we love one another, God remains in us and His love is perfected in us. 13 This is how we know that we remain in Him and He in us: He has given to us from His Spirit. 14 ¶ And we have seen and we testify that the Father has sent the Son as Savior of the world. 15 Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God—God remains in him and he in God. 16 And we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and the one who remains in love remains in God, and God remains in him. 17 ¶ In this, love is perfected with us so that we may have confidence in the day of judgment; for we are as He is in this world. 18 There is no fear in love; instead, perfect love drives out fear, because fear involves punishment. So the one who fears has not reached perfection in love. 19 We love because He first loved us. 20 If anyone says, “I love God,” yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For the person who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. 21 And we have this command from Him: the one who loves God must also love his brother. 5:1 ¶ Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Messiah has been born of God, and everyone who loves the parent also loves his child. 2 This is how we know that we love God’s children when we love God and obey His commands. 3 For this is what love for God is: to keep His commands. Now His commands are not a burden, 4 because whatever has been born of God conquers the world. This is the victory that has conquered the world: our faith.”
1 John 5:1 COMMENTARY BY MATTHEW HENRY It seems but natural that he who loves the Father should love the children also, and that in some proportion to their resemblance to their Father and to the Father's love to them; and so we must first and principally love the Son of the Father, as he is most emphatically styled, the only (necessarily) begotten, and the Son of his love, and then those that are voluntarily begotten, and renewed by the Spirit of grace.

Monday – Definition of Love
1 John 3:12-16 NRSV “12 We must not be like Cain who was from the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own deeds were evil and his brother’s righteous. 13 Do not be astonished, brothers and sisters, that the world hates you. 14 ¶ We know that we have passed from death to life because we love one another. Whoever does not love abides in death. 15 All who hate a brother or sister are murderers, and you know that murderers do not have eternal life abiding in them. 16 We know love by this, that he laid down his life for us—and we ought to lay down our lives for one another.”
1 John 3:14 PEOPLE’S NT COMMENTARY If our hearts are filled with brotherly love this shows that we are God's children; and the opposite is also true.
1 John 4:7-10 20th Century NT “7 ¶ Dear friends, let us love one another, because Love comes from God; and every one who loves has received the new Life from God and knows God. 8 He who does not love has not learned to know God; for God is Love. 9 The love of God was revealed to us by his sending his only Son into the world, that we might find Life through him. 10 His love is seen in this—not in our having loved God, but in his loving us and sending his Son to be an atoning sacrifice for our sins.”
1 John 4:16 20th Century NT “And, moreover, we have learned to know, and have accepted as a fact, the love which God has for us. God is Love; and he who lives in love lives in God, and God in him.”

Tuesday – A Crisis of Assurance
1 John 3:19-21 NLT “19 It is by our actions that we know we are living in the truth, so we will be confident when we stand before the Lord, 20 ¶ even if our hearts condemn us. For God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything. 21 Dear friends, if our conscience is clear, we can come to God with bold confidence.”
1 John 3:21 COMMENTARY BY ALBERT BARNES The confidence or boldness which we have towards our Maker is founded solely on the evidence that he will graciously accept us as pardoned sinners; not in the belief that we deserve his favor.
1 John 4:17-18 ESV “17 ¶ By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because as he is so also are we in this world. 18 There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love.”

Wednesday – Love in Practice
1 John 3:17-18 BBE “17 But if a man has this world’s goods, and sees that his brother is in need, and keeps his heart shut against his brother, how is it possible for the love of God to be in him? 18 My little children, do not let our love be in word and in tongue, but let it be in act and in good faith.”
1 John 4:19-21 BBE “19 We have the power of loving, because he first had love for us. 20 If a man says, I have love for God, and has hate for his brother, his words are false: for how is the man who has no love for his brother whom he has seen, able to have love for God whom he has not seen? 21 And this is the word which we have from him, that he who has love for God is to have the same love for his brother.”
1 John 3:16-17 NIV “16 This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. 17 If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him?”
1 John 3:17 COMMENTARY WILLIAM BURKITT’S NOTES ON THE NEW TESTAMENT It is not said, He that has abundance of this world's goods, let him of his great superfluity give; but he that hath this world's goods: that is, in any measure, yea, though he has no more than he works for, yet is he required, Eph 4:28 that worketh with his hands, to give to him that needeth. The world is greatly deceived who thinks charity and almsgiving a duty that only concerns the rich; indeed it concerns them eminently, but not exclusively. And oh! the dreadful account that some rich men have to give, who expend more upon a lust in one day, than they give to the poor in a whole year. But yet, after all, every one that hath this world's goods, though he has but what he labours and sweats for, yet must he in in proportion to what he has, give to him that needeth.

Thursday – Love and the Commandments
1 John 3:22 William NT “and we obtain from Him whatever we ask for, because we practice obedience to His commands and do what pleases Him.”
1 John 3:22 COMMENTARY GENEVA BIBLE NOTES faith in Christ and love one towards another are things joined together.
1 John 3:23 -- Simple English “This is what God commands: that we believe in the name of His Son, Jesus Christ, and that we love each other, just as He commanded.”
1 John 3:24 -- New Jerusalem “Whoever keeps his commandments remains in God, and God in him. And this is the proof that he remains in us: the Spirit that he has given us.”
1 John 3:24 COMMENTARY BY WILLIAM BURKITT it is one thing to run to God for refuge in a storm, and another thing to make him our dwelling place at all times, and in all conditions; he that keepeth God's commandments thus dwelleth in God, and God in him.
1 John 4:21 -- Simple English “God gave us this command: The person who loves God must love his brother, too.”
1 John 5:2 -- New American Standard “By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and observe His commandments.”
1 John 5:3 -- Living Bible “Loving God means doing what he tells us to do, and really, that isn't hard at all.”
1 John 5:3 COMMENTARY BY ADAM CLARKE The old proverb explains the meaning of the apostle's words, Love feels no loads. Love to God brings strength from God; through his love and his strength, all his commandments are not only easy and light, but pleasant and delightful.

HEY JAMES423

THESE are some good questions


dgrimm60

James423, Is "love" the same as 'grace'? Does not God test those He loves?

Real love would be yelling at your child when you see them playing or running into the street. Therefore, real love would be waking up the sleeping virgins (Matthew 25).

Real love would mean testing everything that is writtin in the New Testament by the words of Jesus as found in John 14:26 and 17:20.

Real love would mean testing everyone who is called a prophet or prophetess by this same test. (Rev. 2:18-)

Real love is testing everyone who calles themself an apostel by this same test. (Rev. 2:2)

Real love would be pointing out the problems.

Real love would be teaching the truth even though most believe a lie.

As moderator:

For Dr. Rich, et. al.,

You've been asked nicely not to hijack all the threads with your favorite theme. Keep it for the private thread.

We on this forum accept the whole Bible, not just some books.

Members who don't cooperate about this will have their posts deleted and they may be banned.

Stop doing it, Dr. Rich. NOW.

Sometimes people in their zeal run to others and wag their finger into the face of their 'brother' or 'sister' don't always chose the most gentle manner of doing so. And the scriptures tell us that we should go quietly to that person and discuss it with them. If they chose not to listen, then a brother or sister or two ought to join the zealous one. Perhaps after hearing both sides of the preceived problem, new insight can be shedded on the case.

I recall when I was a child (more than 50+ years) that there was an organist that the good sisters insisted wore lipstick and the tension and name calling mounted until the woman left the church. She never wore a trace of makeup in her whole life. IMO, some are too quick to judge.

Strange how 'traditions' change. Nowadays ... they would be after her if she didn't wear lipstick.

God's love often looks like 'tough love', doesn't it seem to you?

In what way was love exhibited toward the Israelites when Moses came down from
Sinai and made the people drink their 'other god' and make a choice was to who would be thier
God? No other options were given.

In what way was love shown toward Nadab and Abihu when they sinned by using unauthorized fire before the LORD. When fire came out from the presence of the LORD and consumed them, and they died before the LORD. Moses then said to Aaron, “This is what the LORD spoke of when he said: “Among those who approach me I will show myself holy; in the sight of all the people I will be honored.” When God wouldn’t even let Aaron and the Priests mourn their death (couldn’t even let their hair get messed up). (Though their relatives could mourn them). Leviticus 10:5-and onward

In what way(s) are we to follow that example of dealing with errant brothers and sisters? What are the options?

It seems to me that the concept of 'love' is not generally well defined. We see it as an emotional outpouring of affection. EGW describes it as a 'prinicple'. What's the principle?
On what basis of love do we discipline?, do we comfort?, do we encourage?, do we walk away?

I would love to hear your comments!

We are all "errant brothers and sisters". We are all in the same boat and just need to hear that God died for us and loves us anyway.

Joh 14:21
"He who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me; and he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and will disclose Myself to him."

Is this conditional or unconditional, love?

Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children's children, unto the third and to the fourth generation. Exd 34:7