1 João 4
A.T. Robertson · Citado em PreceptAustin
1 João 4:1
Robertson adds that dokimazo means to "Put them to the acid test of truth as the metallurgist does his metals. If it stands the test like a coin, it is acceptable (dokimos 2Co 10:18), otherwise it is rejected (adokimos 1Co 9:27; 2Cor 13:5-7)." John Trapp on test the spirits - As lapidaries do their stones, as goldsmiths do their metals. A Bristol stone may look as well as an Indian diamond; and many things glitter besides gold. Try therefore before you trust that which is doctrinally delivered unto you; being neither overly credulous, -the fool believeth everything; nor rashly censorious, as those were that said of our Saviour, "This man blasphemeth." Brian Bell sums how to test these charlatans - “Test” – but how? Well consider 3 things: [1] Consider their Creed (1Jn 4:2,3) [2] Consider their Crowd (1Jn 4:4-6) [3] Consider their Love (1Jn 4:7-21) John Stott remarks that in testing the spirits it is essential that believers maintain “the biblical balance, avoiding on the one hand the extreme superstition which believes everything and on the other the extreme suspicion which believes nothing.” (Borrow The Letters of John) The brother was not to be treated as a heretic before he had shown himself to be one
1 João 4:2
Robertson on confesses - describes Jesus as already come in the flesh (his actual humanity, not a phantom body as the Docetic Gnostics held [What is Docetism? = False belief that Jesus was a spirit who only seemed to be a true man]). See this same idiom in 2 John 1:7 with erchomenon (coming). A like test is proposed by Paul for confessing the deity of Jesus Christ in 1Corinthians 12:3 and for the Incarnation and Resurrection of Jesus in Ro 10:6-10. Related Resources: What is Christian Gnosticism? What is the definition of the term Gnostic? Vine makes a point that in John's day most did not have access to the full canon of Scripture so that "believers were encouraged, by the promised guidance of the Holy Spirit, John 16:13, to compare utterances claiming to be spiritual, 1Corinthians 2:13+, and so to test the prophecy and the spirit that prompted it, 1Cor 14:29; 1 John 4:6; Revelation 2:2." (Collected Writings) Had there been no incarnation, Christ would have been an apotheosis, a man moving toward God...But there was an incarnation, God moved toward man Roy Laurin remarks - Why is belief in the incarnation so important? It is the heart of Christianity. Had there been no incarnation, Christ would have been an apotheosis, a man moving toward God. Christianity would have been only another approach toward God. Christ would have been only a godlike man. But there was an incarnation, God moved toward man. Because of that Christianity is in reality God’s approach to man. Christ is in fact a manlike God. The incarnation is what makes Christianity distinctly unlike any other system. A belief not founded on the incarnation is anti-christian. (BORROW First John- Life at Its Best) GOD IN THE FLESH In John 1:1+ the apostle writes "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." All orthodox writers would agree the Word refers to Jesus Who has always existed and has always been God. Then in John 1:14+ he writes that "the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth." So in a sentence John sums up the incarnation of the Word. Any spirit which denied (or denies today) the reality of the Incarnation was not of God which includes virtually every cult or so-called religion. The only man-made thing in heaven will be the scars of the Savior! Has come (erchomai) was discussed above but is worth reiterating for this verb is in the perfect tense which signifies the permanent or abiding effect of Jesus having come at a point in time (incarnation) in the flesh. In the Revelation, John uses the perfect tense to describe the Christ "as if slain" (Rev 5:6, 12+) indicating He continues to bear the scars (immutable marks of the New Covenant-see discussion under The Oneness of Covenant - Co-mingling of blood) of Calvary and will do so throughout eternity. In fact it has been said that “the only man-made thing in heaven will be the scars of the Savior!” Hallelujah! The incarnation was not a temporary event but the permanent union of God and Man in Jesus Christ -- I Howard Marshall
1 João 4:4
Robertson on because - The reason for the victory lies in God, Who abides in them (1Jn 3:20, 1Jn 3:24; Jn 14:20; Jn 15:4). God is greater than Satan, “he that is in the world”, the prince of this world (Jn 12:31; Jn 14:30), the god of this age (2Co 4:4), powerful as he seems. Because greater is He (Holy Spirit) Who is in you than he (Satan/demons) who is in the world (kosmos - 1Jn 5:19) - Greater (meizon) is used 3x by John (1Jn 3:20, 4:4, 5:9) and in context speaks of God's superiority in ever way, especially His greater power that assures the believer's triumph over false teachers and all evil forces. And remember that Satan has no power except that which God gives him. Of whom does He Who speak? It could refer to Christ in them (Col 1:27+) but in the context of John's speaking about the Spirit in 1Jn 3:24+ and testing the spirits in 1Jn 4:1-2, it most likely refers to the Holy Spirit in them (and the anointing on them - 1Jn 2:20,27+), and Who is superior to the spirit of the antichrist (1Cor 6:19-20+, cp Ro 5:5, 2Cor 1:22, Gal 4:6) Every believer can experience personal victory over the evil spirits through the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit. We overcome the world because He overcame the world (John 16:33-see note)! He who is in the world refers to Satan and his evil henchmen, including his "front men" the false teachers that were assailing the saints in John's day (and ours). There is no neutrality in this warfare!
1 João 4:7
Robertson adds "love comes from (ek) God, “a reflection of something in the Divine nature itself” (Brooke). John repeats the old commandment of 1Jn 2:7+. Persistence in loving (present tense agapōmen indicative and agapōn participle) is proof that one “has been begotten of God” ("born of Him" - 1Jn 2:29+) and is acquainted with God. Otherwise mere claim to loving God accompanied by hating one’s brother is a lie (1Jn 2:9–11+). NET Note says "everyone who loves refers to all true Christians, who give evidence by their love for one another that they have indeed been begotten by God and are thus God’s children. The opposite situation is described in the following verse, 1Jn 4:8, where it is clear that a contrast is intended." Plummer notes, “The love of Christians to unbelievers is not expressly excluded, but it is not definitely before the Apostle’s mind." Born (gennao - perfect tense) of (ek = out of) God (See also born of God) - Born again. Regenerate. While unbelievers can love others, it is a natural love and not a supernatural love enabled by the indwelling Holy Spirit. In other words, John is referring to a kind of love that is found only in those who have been born again. When we are Born Again "old things passed away, behold, new things have come" (2Cor 5:17+) and one of those "new things" is that we have become "partakers of the divine nature having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust." (2 Pe 1:4+) And since one of the chief aspects of God's nature is love, God's children will reflect His love. It is not the person’s ability to love that causes the new birth, but his ability to love flows from his regeneration in Christ. -- Danny Akin Kenneth Wuest as noted earlier says that the perfect tense signifies that "The relationship between God and the believer as Father and child is a permanent one." (Eerdmans Publishing - used by permission) So even the truth about the tense of the verb undergirds the doctrine of eternal security! Once saved, always saved! Our love for one another is a genuine mark of salvation. John MacArthur on born in the perfect tense - Everyone God has saved in the past continues to give evidence of that fact in the present. Those who possess the life of God have the capacity and the experience of loving. In contrast, the one who does not love does not know God. Those whose lives are not characterized by love for others are not Christians, no matter what they claim. The Jewish religionists (scribes, Pharisees, and other leaders) of Jesus’ day, as well as the false teachers in the church of John’s day, knew a lot about God, but they did not really know Him (cf. 1 Tim. 6:20; 2 Tim. 3:7). The absence of God’s love in their lives revealed their unregenerate condition as conclusively as did their aberrant theology. (See The MacArthur Commentary) To know the love of God is to manifest His love. -- Danny Akin W E Vine on born of God - Since love has God as its source, those who show the love that is here spoken of give evidence thereby that they are the children of God. Their spiritual life is derived from Him. The verb rendered “is begotten” is in the perfect tense, and is better translated “has been begotten,” suggesting the abiding effects of the new relationship. (Collected Writings) Faith is the flower that receives the dew & the sun, while love is that flower reflecting beauty & fragrance. - Anonymous Steven
1 João 4:8
Robertson adds that "Present active articular participle of agapaō = “keeps on not loving.” Considering that this agape love is divine love implies that it must have a supernatural source, the indwelling Spirit (Gal 5:22-23+). So if a man loves with this quality of love, it is clear indication he has the Spirit of Christ. On the other hand the failure to demonstrate agape love is a clear indication that this person lacks the presence and power of the Holy Spirit. A person cannot come into a real relationship with a loving God without being transformed into a loving person. -- I Howard Marshall As W E Vine says "Love can be known only from the actions it prompts. God’s love is seen in the gift of His Son, 1 John 4:9, 10. But obviously this is not the love of complacency, or affection, that is, it was not drawn out by any excellency in its objects, Ro 5:8+. It was an exercise of the divine will in deliberate choice, made without assignable cause save that which lies in the nature of God Himself, cp. Dt 7:7, 8. Love had its perfect expression among men in the Lord Jesus Christ, 2Cor 5:14+; Ep 2:4<+; Ep 3:19+; Ep 5:2+; Christian love is the fruit of His Spirit in the Christian, Galatians 5:22<+. Christian love has God for its primary object, and expresses itself first of all in implicit obedience to His commandments, John 14:15, 21, 23; 15:10; 1Jn 2:5<+; 1Jn 5:3<+; 2Jn 1:6. Self-will, that is, self-pleasing, is the negation of love to God." (Collected Writings) To know God means to be in a deep relationship to Him —to share His life and enjoy His love. -- Warren Wiersbe Does not know God - John uses the negative ou which conveys absolute negation. This individual absolutely does not know God. In other words they have never been born again and are not genuine believers regardless of what they claim! This is not being judgmental. This is God's Word and He alone is the Judge (Who is also love!). Love and knowledge of God are two sides of the same coin. -- Simon Kistemaker John Stott - For the loveless "Christian" to profess to know God and to have been born of God is like claiming to be intimate with a foreigner whose language we cannot speak, or to have been born of parents whom we do not in any way resemble. It is to fail to manifest the nature of him whom we claim as our Father (born of God) and our Friend (knows God). Love is as much a sign of Christian authenticity as is righteousness (1Jn 2:29<+). (Borrow The Letters of John) Max Anders - true love—love that includes loving God and the full expression of love for others, namely telling them about salvation in Jesus—is characteristic only of true Christians....A person saved by love and indwelled with love must love. We may have trouble loving perfectly, but there is a big difference between not loving perfectly and not loving at all. (Holman New Testament Commentary - 1 & 2 Peter, 1 2 & 3 John) Steven
1 João 4:8
Robertson adds that this is "Timeless aorist active indicative of ginōskō which means he has absolutely no acquaintance with God, never did get acquainted with Him. Does… know (ginosko) refers generally to knowledge gained by experience, not just by an accumulation of facts. In this case the knowledge has to do with the the fact that there is absolutely no evidence that this person has experienced the enabling power of God's Spirit. For them "the old things (have not) passed away" and "new things have (not) come." (2Cor 5:17+) The only way to love with agape love is enabled by the Spirit (Ro 5:5+, Gal 5:22-23+) This person has no inherent power to manifest this supernatural God-like love. Thus they do not know the God Who is love! W Hall Harris - This is in context most likely a reference to the opponents, who (in the author’s opinion) have demonstrated by their failure to love their fellow believers that they are not genuine Christians. The only specific moral fault the author ever charges his opponents with is failure to show love for fellow believers when they are in need (1John 3:17+). (Exegetical Commentary on 1 John 4:7-5:4a) “If anyone separates faith from love it is as if he were trying to take away heat from the sun” -- John Calvin Warren Wiersbe paraphrases 1Jn 4:8 - "“The person who does not have this divine kind of love has never entered into a personal, experiential knowledge of God. What he knows is in his head, but it has never gotten into his heart.” (Bible Exposition Commentary) GOD IS LOVE "This is the most comprehensive and sublime of all the biblical affirmations of God's being." -- John Stott For (hoti) God (theos) is (present tense) love (agape) Practically speaking this teaches us that at the root of all God does is love! Always pay attention to this term of explanation and ask at least "What is the author explaining?" John is simply explaining that they do not know God experientially as evidenced by the fact that they have no power to manifest the quality of love which God is (See God's Attribute of Love). Stated another way, they don't know Him because they don't "look" like one of His children! There is no "family resemblance." God is love means that the very being of God is love. God’s love is: spontaneous in its source; universal in scope; long-suffering in intensity; self-sacrificing in character, aggressive in action; and constant in duration. -- W Griffith-Thomas A E Brooke - Love is not merely an attribute of God, it is His very Nature and Being; or rather, the word expresses the highest conception which we can form of that Nature. (1 John 4 Commentary) Since God is love one who does not love is not born of Him, because that is His nature. God is love is not just a "quality" of God, but is the essence of Who God is forever and ever. Amen. There is an off-Broadway musical that has a song entitled "Our Love Is God." However that is NOT what the Bible teaches. You cannot reverse "God is love" and say "Love is God," for that would border on pantheism! In 1Jn 4:7+ the apostle says "love is from God" but that is not saying that "love is God." It would be like saying "light is God" (reversing "God is light")! Light is not God. Neither is love God. ‘God is love’ means not simply that love is one of his activities, but that all his activity is loving. -- Stephen Smalley Another reason you can’t say, “love is God” is because love doesn’t completely describe God, but God does completely defines love. He is love. His nature is loving, and love can never be absent from His being or any of His actions. Everything God does He does in love because He is love. He is the source and origin of love. The climatic demonstration of His love came when He sent His own Son to die for us on the cross. Love must have an object of its affection! How can one say he loves, when there is nothing to love, there must be an object of your love… You are the object of His love!!! (Brian Bell) Ray Stedman on God is love - No matter how difficult it may appear to us, the fountain from which all God's activity stems is this kind of self-giving love. Even his judgments, his condemnations, arrive from love. We need to understand this. Judgment is not something separate from love. If you convince me that a holy, loving God cannot judge an evil being, then you will also convince me that he cannot love him. It is inherent in the quality of love to be antagonistic to that which opposes the thing loved. You see that in every mother. Attack a child with the mother present and see how that mother-love flames out in immediate resentment, opposition, and antagonism to all that threatens her loved one. God's love is the same. Inherent in it is the quality of judgment. God is a purifying fire, consuming and burning away the dross in order that he might preserve the gold. That, incidentally, is how the book of Hebrews describes him. "Our God is a consuming fire," (Hebrews 12:29). Love is not always easy to live with because of that very quality, yet it is the most attractive and wonderful thing in the world because of its warmth and its all-embracing inclusiveness that takes in all kinds and all conditions, without looking for merit on the part of the object loved. That is the love of God. Bruce Barton - The next verses clarify the meaning of “God is love”: God expressed his love in giving—he sent his only Son into the world (1Jn 4:9). God expressed his love in dying—he sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice (1Jn 4:10). God expressed his love in forgiving—the atoning sacrifice removes sin so believers can have confidence on the Day of judgment (1Jn 4:17). God expressed his love in blessing—his love was made complete in his people (1Jn 4:12), he has given his people his Spirit (1Jn 4:13), and he removes his people’s fears (1Jn 4:18). (See 1, 2, & 3 John - Page 93) G S Barrett on God is love says these are "the greatest words ever spoken in human speech, the greatest words in the whole Bible.… It is impossible to suggest even in briefest outline all that these words contain, for no human and no created intellect has ever, or will ever, fathom their unfathomable meaning; but we may reverently say that this one sentence concerning God contains the key to all God’s works and way … the mystery of creation, … redemption … and the Being of God Himself. (Barrett, The First Epistle General of St. John, pp. 170–173.) Love is a valid test of our fellowship and our sonship because “God is love.” Love is part of the very being and nature of God. -- Warren Wiersbe Stott adds "Not only is God the Source of all true love; He is love in His inmost being… It is the most comprehensive and sublime of all biblical affirmations about God’s being, and is repeated here twice (1Jn 4:8, 16)." (Borrow The Letters of John) Whoever God indwells will reflect His character.... So whoever claims to know God personally, experientially and yet does not love other believers is lying, whether to others or to himself or herself. -- Gary Derickson ESV Study Bible (borrow) - The person who lacks love shows himself to be unchanged at the core of his being by the gospel message. John is not saying that God is only love (he has numerous other attributes), nor that love is God (a statement for which there is no scriptural support). “God is love” means that God continually gives of himself to others and seeks their benefit. There was eternal love between the persons of the Trinity even before the world was created (John 17:24), and God’s love is the ultimate source of any love that Christians are able to display (1 John 4:11, 12, 19). Jackman on God is love - “John is not identifying a quality which God possesses; he is making a statement about the essence of God’s being. Gary Burge points out that "it is important to note what John is not saying. He is not saying that “God is loving” (though this is true). Nor is he saying that one of God’s activities is “to love” us (though this is true as well). John is saying that God is love, that “all of his activity is loving.”5 Love is the essence of his being. (See The Letters of John - Page 186) Marshall adds "‘God is spirit’ describes his metaphysical nature, while ‘God is light’ and ‘God is love’ deal with his character, especially as he has revealed himself to men.” Smalley - God is not only the source of love (v 7a), but love itself. Thus the assertion “God is love” means not simply that love is one of his activities, but that all his activity is loving Dodd - Love so conceived is not to be understood as one of God’s many activities but rather that “all His activity is loving activity. If He creates, He creates in love; if He rules, He rules in love; if He judges, He judges in love. All that He does is the expression of His nature, is—to love” (The Johannine Epistles : C. H. Dodd) “If nothing were said in praise of love throughout the pages of this Epistle, if nothing whatever throughout the pages of the Scriptures, and this one thing only were all we were told by the voice of the Spirit of God, For God is love; nothing more ought we require.” -- Augustine Hiebert explains that "Although John has just said that “love is of God” (1Jn 4:7+), one cannot say that “love is God,” just as one cannot say that “light is God.” Without the article, “love” is qualitative, depicting the nature of His being. The fact that God as a person “is love” does not invalidate the fact that He is also holy and righteous. All aspects of His nature belong together and unite in determining His action and response. In His attitude and actions He is totally consistent. “Because He is love, God works against whatever works against love.” (1 John 4:7-21) John is the apostle of three foundational statements about the nature of God - God is spirit (Jn 4:24). God is light (1Jn 1:5). God is love (1Jn 4:7+). Each gives us some small insight into the nature of our Transcendent God. Each of these attributes of God interacts with the other. For example, everything that God does is governed by His love because that is Who He is even when He is led to dispense judgment or wrath. Of these three aspects (Spirit, Light, Love), clearly love is easiest for us to identify with as it is the most personal and closest to our human experience. Dodd on God is love - "All His activity is loving activity. If He creates, He creates in love; if He rules, He rules in live; if He judges, He judges in love. All that He does is the expression of His nature, is—to love." (The Johannine Epistles : C. H. Dodd) Since His nature is love, love is the test of the reality of our spiritual life. -- Warren Wiersbe John Stott adds "Yet, if his judging is in love, his loving is also in justice. He who is love is light and fire as well. Far from condoning sin, his love has found a way to expose it (because he is light) and to consume it (because he is fire) without destroying the sinner, but rather saving him." (Borrow The Letters of John) I Howard Marshal adds that "God is love’ is rightly recognized as one of the high peaks of divine revelation in this Epistle. Logically the statement stands parallel with ‘God is light’ (1Jn 1:5-+) and ‘God is spirit’ (Jn. 4:24) as one of the three great Johannine expression of the nature of God… ‘God is spirit’ describes his metaphysical nature, while ‘God is light’ and ‘God is love’ deal with his character, especially as he has revealed himself to men.”....Human love, however noble and however highly motivated, falls short if it refuses to include the Father and Son as the supreme objects of its affection (Borrow The Epistles of John) Adam
1 João 4:15
Robertson - This confession of the deity of Jesus Christ implies surrender and obedience also, not mere lip service (cf. 1Cor 12:3; Ro 10:6–12+). John