Monday, February 28, 2011
Christophobia: Anxiety Antidote
Christophobia: Anxiety Antidote: "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the pea..."
Why Christians Love 1 John 4:7-19
Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God, for God is love. In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.
No one has seen God at any time. If we love one another, God abides in us, and His love has been perfected in us. By this we know that we abide in Him, and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit. And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son as Savior of the world. Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him.
Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love. We love Him because He first loved us.--1 John 4:7-19
Dear Suzanne, Rebecca, Anna and Mikayla,
Why do we as Christians love? Look at verse 7. The first reason we love is because we are born of God. If we are born of God, we have His nature. We look like who we belong to...just like we resemble our parents. When we are born again, we become partakers of His divine nature. The bible tells us that God is love. If we are born of Him then we will reflect this love.
Looking at verses 9 -11 we see the example of love that God left for us to follow. God's love was manifested to us by the sending of His Son into the world for the propitiation of our sins. The Christian's love then will be self-sacrificing like God's love. Christ laying down His life for us embodied the true nature of His love...We "love" to follow the example He gave us as a pattern.
Verse 12 tells us that no one has seen God at any time. God is invisible. Nobody can actually see Him loving. Jesus is no longer in the world manifesting His love to us. BUT WE, WHO ARE BELIEVERS, ARE. WE WHO HAVE HIS SPIRIT LIVING INSIDE US CAN! What a responsibility...what a privilege! We are His witnesses here on earth called to show His love in our words, deeds and lives so that others could see and be drawn to Him. John MacArthur sums up verses 7-12 this way. Love originated in God, was manifested in His Son and was demonstrated in His people. We love then because it is His witness in the world.
1 John 3:16-23 says this:
By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. But whoever has this world’s goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him?
My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth. And by this we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before Him. For if our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and knows all things. Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence toward God.
Love is an assurance of salvation. John is saying this about the "true love" that can only be seen and manifested in us through Him. It not only expresses itself in supreme sacrifices, but also in giving to those in need. It is love in action. Claiming to love God is not enough...love is not just in word but in deed. If this is our pattern of loving, than our hearts are assured of our salvation before Him. If our heart condemns us, John says, God is greater than our hearts. God knows those who are truly His. Girls, God wants us, His beloved, to be assured of our salvation. He knows we are dust and this is such a kindness. Displaying this kind of love in our life is proof that we stand uncondemned before Him so we can have confidence in our relationship with Him.
Love is also the boldness we have in the day of judgment because as He is, so are we in this world. Perfect love casts out fear because fear involves torment. If His love abides in us and is being perfected, we will know who He is and what He did for us in His perfect love. He suffered the punishment for our sins and is now seated at the right hand of the Father. We, who believe, are accepted by God in Him. His words of forgiveness will be rooted into our hearts. We will know that as His children, we are not appointed for wrath...we do not have to hide in the day of judgment. We, like Jesus, can cry out Abba Father. We can look forward in the day of judgment to seeing Him face to face and waking in His likeness.
Love
Mom
No one has seen God at any time. If we love one another, God abides in us, and His love has been perfected in us. By this we know that we abide in Him, and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit. And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son as Savior of the world. Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him.
Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love. We love Him because He first loved us.--1 John 4:7-19
Dear Suzanne, Rebecca, Anna and Mikayla,
Why do we as Christians love? Look at verse 7. The first reason we love is because we are born of God. If we are born of God, we have His nature. We look like who we belong to...just like we resemble our parents. When we are born again, we become partakers of His divine nature. The bible tells us that God is love. If we are born of Him then we will reflect this love.
Looking at verses 9 -11 we see the example of love that God left for us to follow. God's love was manifested to us by the sending of His Son into the world for the propitiation of our sins. The Christian's love then will be self-sacrificing like God's love. Christ laying down His life for us embodied the true nature of His love...We "love" to follow the example He gave us as a pattern.
Verse 12 tells us that no one has seen God at any time. God is invisible. Nobody can actually see Him loving. Jesus is no longer in the world manifesting His love to us. BUT WE, WHO ARE BELIEVERS, ARE. WE WHO HAVE HIS SPIRIT LIVING INSIDE US CAN! What a responsibility...what a privilege! We are His witnesses here on earth called to show His love in our words, deeds and lives so that others could see and be drawn to Him. John MacArthur sums up verses 7-12 this way. Love originated in God, was manifested in His Son and was demonstrated in His people. We love then because it is His witness in the world.
1 John 3:16-23 says this:
By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. But whoever has this world’s goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him?
My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth. And by this we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before Him. For if our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and knows all things. Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence toward God.
Love is an assurance of salvation. John is saying this about the "true love" that can only be seen and manifested in us through Him. It not only expresses itself in supreme sacrifices, but also in giving to those in need. It is love in action. Claiming to love God is not enough...love is not just in word but in deed. If this is our pattern of loving, than our hearts are assured of our salvation before Him. If our heart condemns us, John says, God is greater than our hearts. God knows those who are truly His. Girls, God wants us, His beloved, to be assured of our salvation. He knows we are dust and this is such a kindness. Displaying this kind of love in our life is proof that we stand uncondemned before Him so we can have confidence in our relationship with Him.
Love is also the boldness we have in the day of judgment because as He is, so are we in this world. Perfect love casts out fear because fear involves torment. If His love abides in us and is being perfected, we will know who He is and what He did for us in His perfect love. He suffered the punishment for our sins and is now seated at the right hand of the Father. We, who believe, are accepted by God in Him. His words of forgiveness will be rooted into our hearts. We will know that as His children, we are not appointed for wrath...we do not have to hide in the day of judgment. We, like Jesus, can cry out Abba Father. We can look forward in the day of judgment to seeing Him face to face and waking in His likeness.
Love
Mom
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