Family of Faith (1 John 4:13-5:5)
Introduction
Good Fathers make good families. In the movie, Cinderella Man, heavyweight boxer Jim Braddock navigates living through the Great Depression when there’s little money and little work. In one scene, after his daughter eats her meagre breakfast, he generously gives his breakfast to her. He said he dreamed of eating a juicy steak the night before and was too full to eat. Despite the spirit of depression plaguing the nation, the spirit of the Braddock family overflowed with hope. Father’s always share their spirit with their family.
The Passage
By this we know that we abide in Him and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit. We have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son to be the Savior of the world. Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. We have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us. God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. By this, love is perfected with us, so that we may have confidence in 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, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love. We love, because He first loved us. If someone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for the one 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, that the one who loves God should love his brother also.
Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and whoever loves the Father loves the child born of Him. By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and observe His commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments; and His commandments are not burdensome. For whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. Who is the one who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God? 1 John 4:13–5:5
Explanation of the Passage
This passage breaks down into three sections. First, John explains our abiding relationship with God (vv. 13-16), then he tells us to love like God (vv. 17-21), lastly, he shows us how our faith overcomes the world (vv. 1-5).
All families share a common spirit (e.g., grumbling, critical, humorous, etc.). God’s family is no different. God abides in you, and you abide in God (vv. 13, 15). In chapter 1, we learned that the ministry of the Spirit is the fellowship we have with God and one another (1:3, 6, 7). When God the Spirit abides in us (v. 15), therefore we abide in God through the same Spirit. And the spirit of God is a spirit that glorifies Jesus through our mouth when we confess Christ and through our hands when we love like Christ (vv. 15-16).
John then explains how this spirit of love extends to all God’s family. This means Christians cannot claim to love God and hate God’s children (v. 20). Since we are God’s children (v.1), we must love His other children (v. 21). This means sinners will love sinners, which results in chaos and mess at times. But we can still grow in this love because the love has been there longer than us. God loves us first (v.19).
Some relationships run on mutual fun (friends) or mutual hate (feuds). A Christian’s relationship with God runs on love, not fear (v. 18). Elsewhere in scripture God commands us to fear Him (Acts 9:31; 2 Corinthians 7:1; Ephesians 5:21; 1 Peter 1:17), even with trembling (2 Corinthians 7:15; Ephesians 6:5; Philippians 2:12). We fear God because He is God. But that doesn’t mean our fear of Him for being our father. We can’t grow closer to God in love and run away from Him in fear at the same time (Romans 8:14-15; 2 Timothy 1:7). One last thing, remember God disciplines those He loves (Proverbs 3:12), but He doesn’t condemn (Romans 8:1). The fear of God causes us to stand confident before men. The Love of God causes us to stand confident before God.
The last section, John explains how our faith and our love can’t be disconnected. The same people God gives new life to, He also gives them new love and new faith (v. 1). Our love is intended to share with our family of faith (v. 2). Our faith is intended to overcome the world (v. 4).
John explains how Christians live in the family of faith through the love of God. The Family of faith secures because our God endures. Let’s remember our ever-loving father, our everloving family, and our overcoming faith.
Our Ever-Loving Father
When children grow up with neglectful or abusive fathers, the grow to resent and distrust a good father’s love. All children of Adam were born as children of the Devil but God adopted Christians into His family. He wants us to trust He’s always a good father.
Throughout this letter, John wants Christians to find assurance that God is our father. He began the letter wanting us to know we have fellowship with the father (1:4). And in chapter three, he reminded us that everyone lives as either a child of the Devil or a child of God (3:1-10).
Scripture testifies that God loves us first (see also John 15:16; Romans 5:8).
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. In love He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved. Ephesians 1:3–6
Scripture doesn’t say God adopted us into His family because we asked him to. Scripture says God loved His people before they even knew they were His people. Because of this sovereign, powerful, divine love, we can trust that we belong in God’s family no matter what. Each week, God invites us over to His house for supper, if we don’t join Him, the problem is not with God for inviting, but with us for rejecting Him.
Our Ever-Loving Family
Another repeated theme in 1 John centers around brotherly love (1 John 2:9, 11; 3:10, 11, 13, 23; 4:7-11). God expects all His children to love all His children with the divine love He has given all of us.
When God saves us, He regenerates us. Before, we lived by the flesh, now, we live by faith. So, if you’re in the faith of God, you’ve been born of God (5:1). And you belong to the family of God. In Scripture, we know who belong in the family of faith through baptism. This is why water is thicker than blood. What God joins together through the waters of baptism remain together through the bread and wine.
Sadly, many Christians have been burned through bad experiences with the church. Some of the stories I’ve heard are heartbreaking and tragic. Jesus saved the church and Jesus judges churches (Revelation 2-3). Disobedient churches will receive judgment at some point. So will disobedient Christians. Don’t allow a church’s sin to lead you to sin. In the world, disobedience breeds disobedience. In Christ, obedience redeems disobedience. If a church sins against you, God isn’t pleased when you sin against Him. Obey Jesus and love your church. They’re your family.
Our Overcoming Faith
Lastly John wants the church to trust the family house—the house of faith. We can trust our house of faith because God built it. Just as God initiated love and our family, he also laid the groundwork of our faith (Ephesians 4:11-16).
This should cause Christians hope and joy. Faith without hope is like a birthday party without cake. The same God who secures our love also secures our faith. We can confidently live in this world because our faith will endure longer than this world (5:4). Does your faith overcome this world or does this world overcome your faith? If you believe God loses down here, then you won’t be keen on living down here.
Conclusion
God overcomes the world because He’s greater than the world. Our faith overcomes the world because our small, little, mustard-seed-sized faith is in a great and powerful God.