Perfect Love

1 John 4

We can demonstrate love in return by our concern and care for fellow believers. As we do so, we will gain confidence in our own salvation. The person who claims to love God but hates people is self-deceived. Christian love has been defined as unselfish concern for the welfare of another. We can love even those we don’t like.

We should not believe everyone claiming divine inspiration. People may claim to revere Jesus as a great teacher, but only those who acknowledge him as God in the flesh are truly Christians. All others speak by “the spirit of the Antichrist” ll, and we should avoid them. When such false teachers come calling, we can be confident that the Holy Spirit who indwells us is more powerful than the evil one who indwells them.

“Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world. 2 By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, 3 and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was coming and now is in the world already. 4 Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. 5 They are from the world; therefore they speak from the world, and the world listens to them. 6 We are from God. Whoever knows God listens to us; whoever is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know the Spirit of truth and the spirit of error.” 1 John 4:1–6 (ESV)

Love is evidence of salvation. If we are born of God through faith in Jesus Christ, you have His nature within . Since “God is love” (vv. 8, 16), His children who have His nature should also manifest His love. The children should be like the Father!

“Let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9 In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. 10 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. 11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 12 No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us.” 1 John 4:7–12 ESV)

Our love for others makes God’s love real and visible to them (v. 12) so we can better witness to them about Christ. It also makes God real and personal to us. Merely reading in the Bible about God’s love is not enough. Seek to experience that love in your heart by sharing it with others.
 
“By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. 14 And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. 15 Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. 16 So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. 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.” 1 John 4:13–18 ESV)

Just as truth is victorious over lies, love is victorious over fear. As we mature in our love for God, we realize that we have nothing to fear, for our Father has everything under control. We trust those we love, and faith and love will give victory over fear.

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