Complete Love - 1 John 4:7-16a

As John continues, he transitions from a call to discerning the truth to reminding these believers of the necessity to love one another. John begins with the origin and source of genuine Christian love. God is the source, because God is love. It is essential for believers to love one another and there are natural results of loving one another, the way John calls believers to love one another here. There is also clear evidence when we are loving one another the way that we should love one another. Clearly, believers must love one another because it reflects God’s love for us and completes his love in us. 1 John has often been described as a letter written to offer assurance to believers. Believers can know that they have indeed been delivered from their sins and stand justified before God, only through Jesus, and a right understanding and belief about him and in him alone. John also makes statements about not living in darkness or continuing in the practice of sin 1 John 1:6-8; 3:9-10; 5:18. These statements can seem confusing and this is one of the elements of the epistles of John that can be hard to fully understand. How can we be sure of our salvation, of our relationship with Jesus, if the measure is not sinning anymore? We can confidently know that we are believers, resting in the finished work of Jesus. John’s epistles are unique, in that, John is clearly addressing antagonists against Jesus, the gospel and these believers (the audience may be the churches of Asia Minor that he addresses in Revelation). No matter the audience, there is clearly antagonism from outside the church, from some who have left the church, but are still causing chaos and confusion for those remaining in the church. Remember, belief in Jesus alone saves; the evidence of salvation flows from this belief.