The passage in 1 John 4:7-21 talks about how important it is for people to love one another. It says that when we love each other, we are showing God's love. It starts by saying that God is love, and if we live in love, we live in God, and God lives in us. This is shown through what Jesus did for us - he lived, died, and came back to life. This shows us how much God loves us and gives us confidence through his Spirit.
The text explains that perfect love removes fear, especially the fear of judgment. It states that fear is linked to punishment, and perfect love removes this worry. It emphasizes the connection between loving God and loving others. It highlights that if someone claims to love God but does not love the people they can see, then their claim is undermined. The passage concludes by stressing that loving one another is not just recommended, but it is commanded by God. It also emphasizes that this mutual love is both a response to and a reflection of God’s love for us.
The passage encourages Christians to show God's love by having loving relationships with others. It emphasizes that love is both a characteristic of God and something that Christians must do. This love is a sign of genuine Christian faith and shows that God is present among His people.
The First Epistle of John is traditionally attributed to John the Evangelist, who is also believed to be the author of the Gospel of John and the other two Johannine epistles. This attribution is based on early church traditions and these texts’ stylistic and thematic similarities. Scholars like Raymond E. Brown and Stephen S. Smalley support the traditional view, highlighting the internal evidence and linguistic patterns that align with the Johannine community’s characteristics (Brown 1052; Smalley 143).
John’s audience is believed to be a community of early Christians in or around Ephesus. This community was experiencing internal strife due to doctrinal disputes, particularly concerning the nature of Jesus and ethical living. These conflicts were likely fueled by incipient Gnostic beliefs, which posed a theological challenge to orthodox Christian teachings (Kostenberger and Kellum 672).
1 John 4 delves into several significant themes:
Written around 85-95 AD, 1 John addresses the challenges facing a community torn by schism and heresy. The rise of Gnosticism, with its dualistic view of spirit and matter, led to conflicts over the interpretation of Jesus’ nature—whether He was divine, human, or a combination of both. John’s letters aim to reaffirm the Christian doctrine of the Incarnation and the ethical implications of living in a community founded on divine love (Coogan 1910).
“Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.”
“This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.”
“Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.”
“No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.”
“By this we know that we live in him and he in us: He has given us of his Spirit. And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in them, and they in God. And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them.”
“This is how love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment: In this world we are like Jesus. There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.”
“We love because he first loved us. Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen. And he has given us this command: Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister.”
Examining 1 John 4:7-21 through the lens of Wesleyan/Methodist theology involves understanding how John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, and his theological successors interpret these verses, focusing mainly on their emphasis on sanctification, Christian perfection, and the practical application of love in the life of believers. Here is a breakdown of the passage with Wesleyan insights:
“Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.”
“This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.”
“Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.”
“No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.”
“By this we know that we live in him and he in us: He has given us of his Spirit. And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in them, and they in God. And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them.”
“This is how love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment: In this world we are like Jesus. There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.”
“We love because he first loved us. Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen. And he has given us this command: Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister.”