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1 John 4:7–12
“Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us” (vv. 11–12).
First John certainly ranks among the most important books of the Bible regarding our assurance of salvation. John tells us that he wrote specifically so that his readers would know that they have eternal life (1 John 5:13), and the epistle features three key indicators of true saving faith. We have already considered two of these indicators, right doctrine and right ethics (2:18–25; 3:4–10). Assurance of salvation is for those who believe the right things about Jesus and who seek to practice holiness.
The third evidence of true faith that John gives us can be called “right love.” In 1 John 4:7–12, we read that true Christians love other people and especially love other Christians. Those who do not love fellow believers do not actually know God, for God is love, but if we love one another, we are in God and God is in us.
Our love for other Christians includes feelings of affection for them, but it cannot be limited to that. We are called to love in deed and in truth (3:16–18). Our love and our faith are not genuine if we see other believers in need and do not seek to help them as we are able (v. 17; see also James 2:14–26). We have noted that a scriptural definition of love sees it as a verb, as an action wherein we actively seek the good of another.
Practically speaking, John’s teaching shows us that having sound theology and paying diligent attention to personal holiness are necessary but insufficient to discern the presence of saving faith in our hearts. It is important to get our doctrine and ethics right, but if we let such concerns isolate us from other Christians or make us perpetually argumentative, then our assurance of salvation will likely be diminished. As we grow in our love for other believers, especially for those believers whom we find hardest to love, our assurance will grow as well.
John’s exhortation to love also means that we cannot have true assurance of salvation without active involvement in the church. We need to be members of the visible church to have other Christians to love. There are many people who claim to trust in Jesus but never darken the door of a local church. How, then, can they really love other Christians? The call to love is not merely theoretical; it must take on flesh in the form of acts of service to others who profess faith in Christ. This occurs only in the context of the fellowship of the saints.
Coram Deo Living before the face of God
As Christians, we are called to love other believers no matter how annoying or unlovable we may find them. Such love is not easy to practice, but the Lord will give us strength to do so as we seek His face and involve ourselves in the local church. If we want to grow in our assurance, we will show love to other Christians and look for opportunities to fellowship with them.
For further study
- Proverbs 17:17
- Romans 12:10
- 1 Thessalonians 4:9–12
- 1 John 4:20
The bible in a year
- Jeremiah 25–26
- 2 Timothy 4