I John 4:20-21
19 We love, because He first loved us.
20 If anyone should say, “I love God,” yet hates his brother, he is a liar;
because the one who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen.
21 And this commandment we have from Him,
namely that the one who loves God is to love his brother also.
Introduction
Our text this morning continues our study of John’s first Epistle
Now remember, in this current section John has given us the two definitive marks by which we can distinguish with certainty that which is from God and that which is not. Now already John has unfolded the first mark (a true confession). John says that any teaching which says the same thing about Jesus as God does is from God.
At our present location in the epistle, John is in the process of explaining the second mark (vertical love). John says that which loves God and the things that God loves is from God.
Notice then, last week, John showed us that God’s love is the single source of our salvation and security. John says that God’s love for us has reached its goal in the full salvation that Christ accomplished for us. Therefore, as Christ is in God’s eyes so also are we right now today.
In our text this morning John turns to consider our love. That is, John turns to show us the reflection of God’s love that grace unfolds in every believer.
Verse 19 (review)
Notice at once, John says that we love because God first loved us. Importance: at once verse 19 tells us two very important things about God’s love: first, God’s love goes first. That is, our love does not initiate, pursue, nor does it strive to earn or keep God’s love. Instead, God’s love pursues us (God always takes the initiative with His people). Second, God’s love is transformative. That is, God not only loves us but His love is the basis/cause of our own love. In other words, the grace that saves you is a grace that changes you. As such, God’s love and salvation result in new life and a new heart in every believer. Not only that, this new life and heart reflect their source. Importance: at once verse 19 establishes the definitive frame of reference for our entire passage. Notice then, if God’s love is the single source of our love, then the presence of true vertical love is a sure sign/indicator of the grace and salvation that is its singular cause (where there is one there is the other). In turn, the absence of true vertical love is also a sign/indicator of the absence of (or inconsistency with) the grace and salvation that God provides. Simply put, verse 19 stresses that vertical love is a key mark of true grace and salvation (the very point of this current portion of the epistle). In fact, understanding this point of reference is essential to understanding every detail that follows.
Verse 20
Next, notice John opens verse 20 with a picture of people who claim to love God and yet hate their brother. However, please note what John is not describing: John is not describing people who have acted unlovingly or who are struggling to forgive someone who has hurt them (we all act inconsistently with God’s love and grace). Instead, John is describing someone who persistently/regularly disregards the wellbeing of others. Notice then the verb tense that John uses here for “hates” is a customary present tense verb. As such, it points to a standard or normal practice and attitude. In other words, the picture in verse 20 is not of a person who stumbles and repents. Rather, it is a picture of someone who has an underlying and unchecked enmity for others. Importance: remember the false teachers in John’s day claim to know and love God. However, their persistent self-serving manipulation and harm of others says otherwise. Notice the result: John says that anyone who claims to love God and yet hates his brother is a liar. That is, despite their claims, they actually do not know or love God. Simply put, verse 20 reminds me that hatred (treating others poorly in both though and deed) is inconsistent with God and who God calls His people to be. Therefore, we are to avoid hatred both in what we practice and who we follow.
Next, notice the reason that the one who hates his brother does not love God: John says the one who does not love his brother, whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. Notice then John’s argument: John says it is easier to show love to the ones you see every day. Therefore, if love is not present where it is easy, it will not be present where it is more difficult. However, that said, there is a deeper theology at work here: first, remember the bearings that verse 19 just gave us. God’s love is transformative. As such, God’s love/grace yields a like love in His children. As such, those who are redeemed by God’s love will love God and those whom God loves (love is what grace does in every believer). However, the absence of this vertical/reflective love for others points to an absence of its source. That is, it points to an absence of God’s indwelling presence, grace, and salvation. The result is that the one who does not love (more and more) as God loves does not love God or know His salvation. Not only that, remember verse 12 told us that no one has seen God. However, God’s love for them is made complete/visible by our (reflected) love for them. Notice then, in the same way, here in verse 20 our salvation and our love for an unseen God is made visible by our concrete love for those who God loves. In other words, one of the main ways we express/show our love for God is by loving those whom God loves (Jn 13:35). Simply put: the grace that save us is a grace that changes us. Therefore, the lack of John’s second mark (vertical love- a love for God and all that God loves) is a sure indication of the lack of the true salvation that would have brought it about.
Verse 21
Next, notice John says that we have this command from God, namely that the one who loves God is to love his brother also. Importance: at once verse 21 reminds me that love for others is not optional, peripheral, or open-ended. Instead, God commands us, tells us point blank, that a major part of loving, serving, and faithfully following God is loving others. In other words, God makes it clear that loving as we have first been loved is a key part of the new life and Kingdom that God has given us. Not only that, remember every command of Scripture is at once both a requirement and a promise. In other words, what God requires of us, Christ fulfilled for us, and now God’s grace and Holy Spirit are unfolding in us. As such, salvation means that grace is writing this (and every other command) on our hearts. Therefore, as we grow in Christ we come to reflect more and more the new life that Christ accomplished for us. Notice the result: love for other is not optional or peripheral. Rather, it is both what God commands/requires of us as well as what grace is doing in us. As such, vertical love is a key component of the Christian life and thus a key mark of those who are truly from God.
Bottom line: John reminds me that a genuine and reflected love for others is a central part of who God has redeemed and called us to be. In turn, this vertical love is a key identifying mark of those who are genuinely from God. As such, the lack of vertical love is a warning not to follow, be taken in by, or imitate such men.