1st Letter of John 4

4.1-9 Who is a false prophet?

Here John says that we must only believe the words that come from God.

1 My friends, many people say:

I am a prophet.

But their words do not come from God.

Those people are false prophets.

Before accepting the words of a prophet you should ask:

Do the words of this prophet come from God?

You should only believe the words that come from God.

2 How can you know that the prophet has the Holy Spirit?

The prophet must say:

Jesus Christ came to earth and was a real person.

3 If the prophet doesn’t say that, then that prophet doesn’t have the Holy Spirit.

Instead, that prophet has the spirit of the Enemy of Christ.

You already know that the Enemy of Christ is coming.

Actually, the Enemy of Christ is already in the world.

4 You are children of God.

The devil is in the world.

But the Holy Spirit

• is in you, and
• has more power than the devil.

Therefore, you have already defeated the false prophets and the enemies of Christ.

5 False prophets belong to the world and don’t know God.

They teach things that people of the world want to hear.

This is why people of the world believe what the false prophets say.

6 But we belong to God, not to the world.

We can know who belongs to God.

People who know God

• believe what is true, and
• pay attention to what we say.

People who don’t know God

• believe what is false, and
• do not pay attention to our words.

4.7-16 Love comes from God

Here John says that God’s nature is love, so we, too, must love.

7 My friends, love comes from God.

The person who loves is a child of God and knows God.

That is why we must love one another.

8 The person who does not love other people does not know God.

Why?

Because all of God’s actions show his love.

God’s most important quality is love.

9 How did God show his love to us?

God sent his only Son (Jesus) into the world.

That is how God gave us eternal life.

10 What is true love?

God took the first step.

God sent his Son to die for us.

That is how God forgave our sins and made us clean.

11 God loved us very much!

That is why we must love one another.

12 No person has ever seen God.

But it doesn’t matter!

If we love one another, then God

• lives in us and
• uses us to love other people.

13 God gave us the Holy Spirit.

That is how we know that we are connected to God and God is connected to us.

14 God sent his Son Jesus to save all people in the world.

We saw Jesus so we tell people about him.

15 The person who says Jesus is the Son of God lives connected to God and God is connected to him.

16 We know and believe that God loves us.

All of God’s actions show his love.

The person who loves is connected to God and God is connected to him.

4.17-19 Be sure of God’s love

Here John says that the reason why we are not afraid of God is because we know he loves us.

17 One day, God will judge all people.

But we will not be afraid on that day.

Why?

Because we live like Jesus lived and we love other people with God’s perfect love.

18 We know that God loves us.

That is why we are not afraid of God.

But other people don’t know the love of God.

That is why these people are afraid of God and think that God will punish them.

19 God loved us before we loved him.

That is why we can love other people with God’s love.

4.20-21 You can’t hate other people

Here John says that you cannot love God and at the same time hate other people.

20 I have an example.

Maybe there is a Christian who hates another Christian.

But that person also says:

I love God.

That’s a lie.

Which of these 2 things is easier?

1. Loving a person that you cannot see (for example, God)? or

2. Loving a person that you can see (for example, another person in your church)?

It is obvious!

It is easier to love the person you can see.

So a Christian cannot love God and at the same time hate another Christian.

21 That is why God gave this law to us:

The person whos loves God must also love other Christians.