Hello all,
1 John 4:8
" He that loveth not knoweth not God, for God is love."
The introduction to 1 John says:
AUTHOR: John the Apostle
BACKGROUND: In addition to the three epistles bearing his name, John is also the author of the fourth gospel and the book of Revelation. This letter of John is written to Christian congregations founded in truth and faith, but receiving serious challenges from false teachers. The particular error being propagated is a philosophy of religion called Gnosticism. It is built on the premise that all matter is totally evil, spirit is totally good, and that all man will progress spiritually as he increases in this knowledge. This leads to further false teachings about Christ stating that he could not have been born in the flesh since all flesh is evil. The Gnostic theories are that Jesus Christ is either a ghost that only seems to have human body, or that He has a dual personality, sometimes divine and sometimes human. John's mission here is to combat these errors.
WRITTEN: Probably Ephesus
TO WHOM: To all Christians
CONTENT: This message of John is a warning to the believers not to be deceived by the false doctrines belong spread. He addresses them as his "little children" and " beloved" marking his closeness to them. The union between the Father and Son is boldly proclaimed, for only as one comes to know Jesus can he know the Father. John urges the believers to find full joy in God and in the knowledge of His forgiveness and grace. John's practical instructions include admonitions for the believer to walk in the light of righteousness, to live a spiritual life marked by a spiritual birth, and to show brotherly love for others. The Christians are encouraged to not love the things of this world, to beware of antichrists, and to test the spirits to see whether they are from God or Satan, John concludes his letter of Happiness and hope for the believers by protection in God from the evil one.
OUTLINE:
1. Introduction 1:1-4
2. Walking in the light 1:5-2:14
3. Hindrance in fellowship 2:15-27
4. Abiding in Christ's love 2:28-4:21
5. Victory and assurance thru faith 5:1-12
6. Conclusion remarks 5:13-21
Mmy bible is color coded and that all green verses denote "love" of some sort.
Here is a list of all the green verses in 1 John in case you would like to look them up:
1:4, 2:10, 3:1, 3:11, 3:14, 3:16-18, 4:7-12, 4:17-19, 4:21, 5:1-3
The word joy is mentioned only once in this book. Loveth is mentioned five times. The word loved is mentioned twice. And the word love is mentioned seventeen times!! Just in this one book.
Agape and Agapao love are the only two words mentioned for most of the New Testament.
Agape love means unconditional love and Agapao love means brotherly love. So I think what John was saying in his letters to "all Christians" was that we need to love one another. And that without love (of any form) we can not really be true believers. It must truly be that important since love is talked about so much in the bible.
Dear Lord,
I pray this prayer to you today in hopes that we can all show our husbands that we love them unconditionally. Just as you are love, may we also be love thru what we have learned in the book we are studying and thru your word. I pray, Father, that you give us all the wisdom that we need to obtain "heavenly" marriages and to have peace in Jesus Christ. I pray that we may find strength and comfort in each other over the next few months as we continue to learn more about the importance of having our "heavenly" marriages. I pray that we may be content in the decisions our husbands make for our lives. I pray for discernment and discreetness as well. That we may remain in the Spirit and choose to do (and respond) what is right by You. All these things we pray in Jesus' name, amen!
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