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We can imagine Jesus being bold before the throne of God, but us? Yet, if we abide in Him, and He in us (1 John 4:13), then our identity is bound up in Jesus: as He is, so are we in the world. i. How is Jesus now? He is glorified, justified, forever righteous and bold, sitting at the right hand of God the Father.
What does 1 John 4:12 mean? John reminds his readers of an important biblical truth. No person has ever seen God in His full divine essence. Even Moses saw only the back of God (Exodus 33:18–23). However God's love allows humanity to "see" Him through the actions of His people. This echoes statements made in 1 John 2:5, and coming up in verse 17.
Inductive Bible study on 1 John chapter 4. Cross references, questions, verse by verse commentary, outline, on 1 John. Great for Christian small group studies.
What does 1 John chapter 4 mean? Chapter 4 includes two major ideas. The first is that believers ought to "test the spirits" to see whether they are from God (1 John 4:1–6). The second theme is that God both loves us and "God is love" (1 John 4:7–21), leading believers to love one another.
1 John 4:12. “God—no one hath ever yet beheld Him”. By and by “we shall see Him even as He is” , but even now, if we love, we are no strangers to Him: He abides and works in us. τετελειωμένη, “carried to its end”; see note on 1 John 2:5.
First, love is of God—He is its Source. This love the apostles write about comes from God and is not normally a part of man's nature. It is agape love. Human love apart from God is at its best a mere pale and vague reflection of what God is eternally. Next, John says "God is love."
John goes on now in this next section to show us the tremendous practical accomplishments of this kind of love. First, there is confidence in the day of judgment: In this is love perfected with us, that we may have confidence in the day of judgment, because as he is so are we in this world. (1 John 4:17 RSV)
