HOW DO YOU LOVE SOMEONE YOU’VE NEVER SEEN?
1 John 4:19-5:2
We’ve all heard the discussion about love at first sight.
We’ve also heard the discussion about blind dates
–when you’ve never met the person you’re going to go out with.
Some people have sworn off blind dates,
because you’re never sure what you’re going to end up with
–no matter how good a friend may set you up!
How about love without sight?
There’s certainly more than one kind of sight
–you can “see” what a person is like, even if you can’t physically SEE them!
Some people who can’t see physically see more about what a person is like than people who see them well!
But what about if you can’t see them at all?
Can you really love someone you’ve never seen at all?
That question becomes a critical part of John’s argument about our love for one another.
How can we claim to love God, Whom we’ve never seen,
when we can’t get along with the family of God that we do see everyday?
GOD’S HOLINESS 1:5-3:10
God is holy. 1:5
To enjoy fellowship with a holy God, we must be holy! 1:6-3:10
GOD’S LOVE 3:11-5:10
God is love. 4:8
To enjoy fellowship with a God who IS love, we must love one another.
Exhortation to Love 4:7-11
Since God has loved us, when we didn’t deserve it,
John exhorts us to love one another.
Results of Love 4:12-18
By means of our love for God’s children,
people who walk in fellowship with God reveal His nature to others.
They can see how He has changed our lives to become like Him.
Our love for others also testifies to us--
It gives US confidence before God.
REASONS FOR LOVE 4:19-5:2
John gives us 3 reasons why we ought to love one another:
1. GOD’S COMPASSION God’s love for us 4:19-20
We love one another because God first loved us. 19
If anyone says, “I love God”
and hates his brother,
he’s a liar. 20
Why? Because everyone characterized by not loving his brother
whom he has seen
isn’t capable of loving God
Whom he hasn’t seen.
This is a pretty clear affirmation: If you don’t love God’s children, you don’t love God either!
Again, John’s premise isn’t referring to a single reaction toward a single brother!
He is referring to a characteristic of life, related to God’s children in general.
He is again going back to the contrast between the world and God’s family.
The world hates the family of God.
If WE hate them, we join the world, and can’t make a claim to love God.
Loving God leads to loving His family!
2. GOD’S COMMAND 4:21
This is the commandment which we have received from Him,
that everyone characterized by loving God
also ought to love his brother.
God doesn’t ask us if we feel like loving our brother,
God doesn’t ask us if we want to love our brother.
God issues a command: “LOVE your brother!” Period.
3. GOD’S CONCERN Two premises build on each other 5:1-2
Premise #1: Everyone characterized by believing that Jesus is the Christ
is born from God.
4:2-3<= 1 Cor. 12:3 <= John 1:14; Col. 2:9; Ps. 24:7-10
This is how you become a child of God: by believing in Him.
It isn’t the result of being a loving person, or anything else we do!
It is the result of believing in Him; trusting Him.
Premise #2: Everyone characterized by loving the One who gave birth
ought to love the child who is born to Him.
“That’s how we know that we will love God’s children
whenever we are loving God and keeping His commands.”
. . . That’s how we know that the following statement is true . . .
This is backwards of the way we usually think about this passage!
Normally part “b” is assumed to prove part “a.”
NIV suggests that loving God and keeping His commandments
proves that we love His children.
That’s backwards! It doesn’t make sense!
“Our love for God and keeping His commandments
proves that we love God’s children?”
No, our love for God’s children proves that we love God
and are committed to keeping His commandments.
That’s what the entire surrounding passage tells us!
The two go together.
When we are born of God, He becomes our Father and we become part of His family.
As members of His family, we also love the rest of the family–the other people that He has given birth to.
If we are really His children, we will love His children.
Whenever we love God and keep His commands,
we will also love His children.
Love for God and obedience to His commands
will always lead to love for His children.
WHAT DIFFERENCE SHOULD THIS MAKE IN OUR LIVES THIS WEEK?
What should we DO about it?
First, we demonstrate our love for the Savior
by showing love to His children
–even those who are ornery, and hard to get along with!
If we truly love the Father, we will commit ourselves to showing love to His children.
John’s argument is specifically directed to our love for the family in general
–not every person in every situation!
However, that attitude will be evident in our relationship with specific brothers!
Do we just make excuses when we have a quarrel with a brother or sister?
Are we committed to giving up our rights, resolving the tension and showing love to that person?
You can’t be enjoying fellowship with the Father when you know you’re part of a rift in His family!
Second, such demonstrations of love for one another are fruit of the Spirit’s work in us.
He produces genuine love for one another.
We must draw from Him all we need to sustain that kind of love for one another.
Third, love for God’s children will lead to unity and reconciliation
in the midst of conflict or differences of opinion and preference.
1 Cor. –the church that had everything except love!
Paul calls us to demonstrate love for one another.
John would add that since we’re part of the family, we ought to love one another.
If we’re so persistent in refusing to surrender our rights for the people we rub shoulders with everyday, what basis do we have to believe that we will be willing to give in to God’s will,
when we can’t even SEE Him?!! That’s John’s question.
We find ourselves questioning God Himself,
when His plan doesn’t go along with ours!
We want to argue with God about His plan.
We can’t see Him; we can’t understand Him!
Who does He think He is?!!
No wonder we fight among ourselves
when WE don’t agree about things.
Our love for family will lead to a willingness to give up our rights and preferences and to seek our brother’s welfare.
When the world sees that kind of love for one another among the members of God’s family, they will know we are Christians by our love!
They will know we are followers of Christ!