1 John 4:11–16 (ESV) 11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 12 No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us. 13 By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. 14 And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. 15 Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. 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.
In this text, theApostle John lists three key pieces of evidence that indicate whether one is abiding in God and God abiding in him. The first piece of evidence is love for other Christians (v. 11-12). The type of love is a godly love. It is defined by God, originates in God, and returns to God. God defined love and demonstrated it for us at Calvary in the death of Christ. Love is self-giving, sacrificial, and wants the best for others. Because of what God did for us at Calvary, we have a debt to love others. If we love others like God has loved us, it shows that we truly love him and are abiding in him. Loving one another is not the condition for God abiding in us—it is the confirmation that he does.
The second piece of evidence is the indwelling of the Holy Spirit (v. 13). At conversion, Christians are given “of his Spirit.” We don’t receive all of the Holy Spirit. “But will God indeed live on earth? Even heaven, the highest heaven, cannot contain you, much less this temple I have built.” (1 Kings 8:27). We receive a portion of the Holy Spirit. But the portion we receive is all Holy Spirit. Notice the plural pronouns: we…us.The Holy Spirit not only indwells individual believers, but congregations of believers. Verse 13 reinforces that the church is indelibly marked by the presence of the Holy Spirit.
The third piece of evidence is confessing that Jesus Christ is the Son of God (vv. 14-16). To confess Christ is to confess that the Son of God, whom the Father has sent as the world’s Savior, is the man Jesus. Jesus, the Eternal Son, became the Incarnate Son, taking on human flesh. He lived a perfect life for sinners. He died the sinner’s death on their behalf. He rose again on the third day, finishing the work necessary for salvation. He alone is the Savior. He alone are we to confess.
When the Spirit brings new birth and spiritual life to a sinner, that person confesses Jesus… which leads to the indwelling of the Spirit…which leads love for other Christians. The Spirit is the link here. Apart from the Spirit, we have no genuine belief in Christ, no genuine Christian behavior, and no love for others. It is divine presence and not merely human impulse that moves us to selfless regard for one another.
It's easy to love God. We know we should love other Christians, but they’re harder to love than God. We should love them, but we can’t because it’s too hard, so we let ourselves off the hook. Isn’t it better, and more glorifying to the Lord to say, “I must love other Christians, no matter how hard. I know I can’t on my own. But with the Spirit’s help, I can!” May God be glorified in his people as they rely on the Spirit to love each other as God has loved them in Christ.