Jesus In The Scriptures
Hello there. My name is Vincent Ball and I attend Kings Road Baptist Church, Chingford, in the United Kingdom. I like to share my faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and let people know the benefits of following Him and the love that he gives.
Jesus In The Scriptures
Assurance of salvation and walking in love
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Today we will be looking at 1 John 4 and especially walking in love, and our relationship to God, which is what the chapter is mostly about.
Friends, thank you for listening. Hope to see you again shortly. Blessings in Christ from Vincent
Assurance of salvation and walking in love
Vincent Ball / General Adult; Men; Women
Assurance of salvation. / Love; Assurance; Salvation / 1 John 4
Regarding God's love for us and our love for Him
Our reading today:
1 John 4 ESV
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. By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, 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. 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. They are from the world; therefore they speak from the world, and the world listens to them. 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.
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. 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. 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. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is 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 his Son to be the Saviour of the world. Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. 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. 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. 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. We love because he first loved us. If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother.
Illustration:
In Romans 8:38-39, Paul assures us that nothing can separate us from the love of God. Imagine a father and his child. No matter how far the child strays, the father's love remains unwavering. Similarly, God's love empowers us to walk in love toward others. Assurance of salvation is not just a feeling; it is knowing that through His love, we are equipped to love relentlessly, reflecting our Saviour's heart.
English Standard Version 1 John 4:1–6
4 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. By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, 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. 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. They are from the world; therefore they speak from the world, and the world listens to them. 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.
The writer of 1 john, which I formerly believed was unknown due to my research was in actual fact John - I now agree with the reformed perspective because I believe it holds more weight even though John is not mentioned in his own book. He's telling us to be careful about what spiritual messages you listen to. There are fake teachers out there, and we need to figure out which ones are really speaking for God and which ones aren’t. Here’s the simple test: If someone says that Jesus Christ came to earth as a real human being, they’re speaking for God. If they deny that Jesus came in the flesh, they’re not from God. (1 John 3:24–4:6)
Why does this matter for our confidence in God? Here’s the encouraging part: We belong to God and we’ve already won against these false teachers, because the God living inside you us more powerful than anyone working against us in the world. (1 John 3:24–4:6) Think of it this way—we’re not powerless. God’s presence in our life is stronger than all the lies and confusion out there trying to pull us away.
The false teachers come from the world’s way of thinking, so worldly people naturally listen to them. But we Christians come from God, so when you truly know God, you’ll recognize and follow what’s true. People who don’t know God won’t listen to truth. (1 John 3:24–4:6)
This becomes your assurance: our ability to recognize what’s true about Jesus shows that God’s Spirit is actually working in us.
English Standard Version 1 John 4:7
Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God.
Let us love one another. What does this look like? Well the extreme of it is laying down one's life for a somebody. Not many of us are called to do this, but this and anything in between is what we're talking about. What does love look like? Sacrifice for one another. It's all too easy to give what is easy to give but when we sacrifice, that's another thing. If we love like this we are born of God and we know God And we can have assurance of our salvation. Like I've said before, we can only do this by the power of the Holy Spirit. That way nobody gets the credit other than the Lord. And how do we get to know God? By communion with Him, by praying, by reading the Word especially. By mixing with other believers and learning His ways.
English Standard Version 1 John 4:8
Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.
And if we don't love then it proves that we don't know God because if we knew God then we would love as we should. God is love because it's his whole being, his core, his essence. His character, He just is this love.
The flip side of this is if we don't know him we can't love him as we should do. We say Love, and we do in some sense, but not as we should do fully by knowing God.
English Standard Version 1 John 4:9
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.
In love God's character, His being, His core was made manifest in Jesus Christ, who lived among us. God incarnate in flesh. In this act of love and through his death on the cross, he showed that we might live through him in this life and beyond the grave.
English Standard Version 1 John 4:10
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.
He loved us but we didn't love him. He still loved us and sent his Son to be the means by which our sins are forgiven.
English Standard Version 1 John 4:11
Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.
Jesus is the perfect example of how we should love. He laid down his life, the ultimate sacrifice. And with Christ as our example we really should imitate him and love in the way that he does. This goes against the grain but if we do it then we will have peace and joy in knowing that we know God, blessings from it, and an assurance of salvation.
English Standard Version 1 John 4:12
No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us.
The verse establishes a paradox: while no one has directly witnessed God’s essence, mutual love among believers becomes the tangible means through which God’s presence and love reach their full realization. (1 John 4:7–21)
English Standard Version 1 John 4:13
By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit.
This phrase means the relationship between Christians and God goes both ways. “In him” means we’re wrapped up safe inside Christ—He protects us and gives us our real identity. “He in us” means Christ (through the Holy Spirit) lives inside us and changes us from the inside.
The beautiful part is that both things happen at the same time and they’re connected. We’re not just sitting passively in Christ while He stays far away. Instead, His presence is actively living in our hearts. It’s a close spiritual connection where we and Christ aren’t completely separate anymore—His life flows into us, and our life is hidden in His. It’s the difference between just knowing facts about God versus actually knowing God because He’s really there with us. John wanted to show that this two-way relationship is real—not fake spirituality.
English Standard Version 1 John 4:14
And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Saviour of the world.
John is saying: we saw this with our own eyes. We watched Jesus. We felt the Holy Spirit change us. So we know this is real, not just made up.
His point is simple: if God really sent Jesus to save us, and if we really believe in Him, then Jesus’s Spirit has to live inside us. You can’t have real salvation without the Spirit living in you. That’s what salvation actually means.
So John isn’t just guessing. He’s saying: we experienced it ourselves, and that’s how we know it’s true.
English Standard Version 1 John 4:15
Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God.
What does it mean to “confess” that Jesus is God? It means to express openly one’s allegiance to a proposition or person according to the Greek word. The Greek word for “confesses” in this verse is homologeō.
If you say out loud that Jesus is God’s Son and you really mean it, then God lives inside you and you live inside God. It’s that simple. When you truly believe in Jesus and say so, God comes to live in your heart. And at the same time, you become part of God’s life. It’s a two-way thing—God is in you, and you are in God. That’s how you know you belong to Him.
English Standard Version 1 John 4:16
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.
Meaning... We’ve learned through experience that God loves us. We didn’t just hear about it—we’ve actually felt it and believed it. God is love itself. So when you live in love—when you love others and let love guide you—you’re living in God. And God is living in you. It’s that connected. Love isn’t just something God does. Love is who God is. So if you’re living in love, you’re living in God, and God is living in you.
“abiding in God” means staying connected to Him in an ongoing, continuous way—like a branch staying attached to a vine so it can keep getting life from it.
It’s not a one-time moment. It’s a constant relationship. When we abide in God, we’re choosing to stay close to Him every day through prayer, through following His ways, through letting His love guide our choices. We’re not drifting away or forgetting about Him. We’re actively staying connected.
And when God abides in us, it means He’s actively present in our life, working inside us, changing us, guiding us, comforting us. He’s not distant or checked out. He’s right there with us, living in our heart.
So “abiding” is about a living, breathing relationship—not distant, not occasional, but constant and real. It’s like how we can’t live without breathing air. In the same way, a Christian’s spiritual life depends on constantly staying connected to God. We need Him moment by moment, and He’s there, living in us, keeping that connection alive. It’s mutual and continuous—we staying in Him, Him staying in us, all the time.
English Standard Version 1 John 4:17
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.
If you truly have God’s love living in you, and if you’re living in love toward others, then you don’t need to be afraid when judgment comes. Why? Because you’re already aligned with God. You’re already in right relationship with Him. Judgment won’t be a terrifying surprise or a condemnation—it’ll be confirmation of what’s already true about you.
This ties the whole chapter together. John has been telling us: you can know you’re saved right now. And that assurance isn’t just for comfort in this life—it matters for eternity. When judgment day arrives and you stand before God, the evidence will be clear. Did you believe in Jesus? Do you love? Is God’s Spirit in you? If yes, then you have nothing to fear.
English Standard Version 1 John 4:18
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.
The fear John mentions isn’t healthy reverence for God. It’s the terror of facing judgment unprepared, of being rejected. But if you’re truly abiding in God and God is abiding in you—if you’re living in love—that fear dissolves. You know where you stand with God. You know you belong to Him. So when judgment comes, it won’t shake you because your assurance is already complete. Perfect love—God’s love working in you—removes that terror because you’re already secure in Him.
English Standard Version 1 John 4:19
We love because he first loved us.
English Standard Version 1 John 4:20
If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen.
English Standard Version 1 John 4:21
And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother.
Our capacity to love originates from God’s love for us (1 John 4:19–21)—it’s not something we generate on our own. God loved us first, and that love awakens love in us.
But John then makes a stark, practical point: claiming to love God while hating your brother exposes you as a liar (1 John 4:19–21). This isn’t harsh judgment—it’s logical. If you can’t love your brother, whom you actually see and interact with, how could you possibly love God, whom you’ve never seen? Love for the invisible God has to show up in how you treat visible people. You can’t compartmentalize—saying you love God in your heart while treating people around you with contempt. That’s self-deception.
The reason is simple: God has commanded that loving Him means loving your brother (1 John 4:19–21). They’re inseparable. This isn’t an optional add-on to faith. It’s the core command. You don’t get to pick one without the other.
What John is really saying is this: your love for God is tested and proven by your love for people. Abstract spiritual claims mean nothing if your actual relationships are broken or cold. Real faith shows up in real relationships. If you’re genuinely experiencing God’s love transforming you, that transformation will overflow into how you treat others—especially those in your faith community. That’s not legalism; it’s the natural overflow of being loved by God. You can’t receive His love and keep it locked inside yourself. It has to spill out toward others. That’s how everyone knows your faith is real.
Conclusion:
First John 4 is all about this assurance. John keeps asking: how do you know you’re really saved? How do you know God is really in you? And he gives us tests to check ourselves.
The chapter starts by warning us to test the spirits—not every spiritual claim is true, so we need discernment. Then John moves to the core message: God is love. Real love comes from God because God is love itself. When we love each other genuinely, that’s proof God is in us. When we don’t love, we’re lying about knowing God.
John also emphasizes that Jesus came in the flesh—He was a real person, not just a spiritual idea. Believing in the real Jesus, the Son of God, is essential to salvation.
Throughout the chapter, John keeps returning to this theme: you can know you’re saved. You can be sure. The signs are there—you experience God’s love, you love others, you believe in Jesus, the Holy Spirit confirms it in your heart. It’s not guesswork. God wants you to have confidence in your relationship with Him. That’s the whole point of 1 John 4—giving believers real, practical ways to know their salvation is genuine and their connection to God is solid.
