WEEKLY SUNDAY
SCHOOL LESSON
An international
Sunday school lesson commentary
For
Sunday April 19, 2015
Over 76,000
readers worldwide
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BELIEVE
GOD’S LOVE
(The
HOLY SPIRIT helps us to love and overcome fear)
(1
John 4:7-5:5)
Since love originates with GOD in
the Christian sense, a person who loves his fellowman is born of GOD, and
thereby, in a very discerning way, knows GOD. By contrast, the absence of love
can be viewed as evidence that a person does not know GOD. In 1 John 4:7-21,
the apostle, and author of GOD, elevates the topic of “love” to yet another
level. Here John shows us the divine and inseparable link between “GOD” and “love”.
GOD showed us how much
HE loves us by sending HIS only begotten SON into the world, so that we would
have eternal life through HIM (v.9). HE did not send HIM because we were so lovable,
but rather, HE sent HIM because HE felt that HIS love for us required that HE
rescue us from ourselves. Such an action from GOD provides the defining
standard for love as we know it, and thus, we as Christians are responsible to
love each other because we ourselves enjoy the privilege of GOD’s largesse. Not
only is GOD the source of love, HE is love by way of HIS very nature. GOD is
love, and anyone who doesn’t love HIS fellowman doesn’t know GOD.
Christians who say that
they love all mankind, and indeed, really do have the love of CHRIST in their
hearts, cannot stand by idly and watch while any other group of people
different than themselves, is being treated unjustly, or is being oppressed in
any way, without coming to their defense, in the name of JESUS. The love of
CHRIST must be expressed fully by us, and exemplified through us, in our
actions (v.12).
In the New Testament
Greek, the word used for “abide” is “meno”, and it means “to stay in a given
place, state, relationship, or expectancy”. If we abide in our relationship
with GOD, our love will grow more perfect. And when our history judges us, we
won’t be afraid to come before GOD, but rather, we can face HIM confidently,
because our history will show that we tried to live like CHRIST, here on earth
(v.17). Learning to show and express the divine love of CHRIST will dispel all “fear”
of the coming judgment.
Because GOD is love,
and JESUS’ new commandment is love, it only stands to reason that love will
inevitably bring us closer to each other, and, at one and the same time, closer
to GOD. It is only by love, that we ever come to know GOD, and it is only by
GOD, that we come to know love.
All that we know now is
partial and incomplete, because, until we finish our Christian race, we will
remain children in the GODly sense of what true knowledge really is. We are
incapable right now, of handling the Heavenly knowledge that GOD will one day
impart to those who abide in HIM until the end. However, we do know now that if
you don’t have love for those brothers and sisters that we now see around us,
we will never be able to love GOD, WHOM we cannot physically see at any time.
GOD HIMSELF has
commanded that we love, not only HIM, but also, our Christian brothers and
sisters. And when we honor and obey that command, we can be confident that when
we stand before the LORD, our conscience will be clear, and we will be able to
face HIM without fear, guilt, or shame. Those who win their battle against the
world are the ones who truly believe that JESUS CHRIST is the SON of GOD (1
John 5:5)
A Sunday school lesson
by,
Larry D. Alexander
LARRY D. ALEXANDER- Official Website
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