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1 John 4:13–16
“By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. . . . Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God” (vv. 13, 15).
In several places in his first epistle, the Apostle John makes clear that if we obey Jesus and love our brethren, we truly abide in God (1 John 3:24; 4:12). Yet we would be mistaken to conclude that our love and obedience are what cause Christ to dwell in us and us in Him. In his gospel (John 3:5), as in passages such as today’s, John teaches that the Spirit’s work is what brings about this mutual indwelling. Love and obedience are the inevitable and inseparable fruits of the faith that the Spirit produces (James 2:14–26), but the initiative in regeneration always belongs to God.
First John 4:13 tells us, “By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit.” This verse is not meant to be read in isolation from the rest of the letter. Because John sets the Spirit’s role alongside his three tests for assurance, we know that the Spirit’s inward witness will always be confirmed by the outward marks of confession, love, and holiness. The Spirit gives assurance by enabling us to believe in and confess the true Christ, love God and His people, and pursue holiness.
John goes on in verses 14–15 by assuming the Spirit’s priority and turns to the outward mark of a true confession. “Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God”—whoever acknowledges His true deity and true humanity according to Apostolic teaching—“God abides in him, and he in God” (v. 15). Our open confession of God’s Son, in other words, shows that His Spirit dwells within us (v. 13). We may claim to have the Spirit, but if the biblical Christ is denied, our claim is an empty one and our assurance is false.
In verse 16, John reminds us that we have come to know and believe the love that God has for us, and the surrounding verses show that we know this love because God was willing to send His Son for our salvation. He adds, “God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him” (v. 16). Commentators debate whether John means abiding in the love that God has for us, in our love for God, or in our love for others. Yet these three cannot be strictly separated, so John likely has all of them in view.
John directs his readers to the love of God in order to stir up their love for God and for His people. May the Spirit do that work in us as well.
Coram Deo Living before the face of God
Are you abiding in Christ? Do you hold fast to a clear confession of the biblical Jesus? Think of your family, friends, and coworkers, and ask whether it is evident to them that your life and your words belong to Christ. Let us endeavor to confess Him truly before them all today.
For further study
- Matthew 16:13–17
- John 15:1–7
- Romans 8:9–11
- 1 Corinthians 12:3
The bible in a year
- Jeremiah 44–45
- Hebrews 5:11–6:12