DIVINE LOVE AND OUR HISTORY HERE
[p. 96] DIVINE LOVE AND OUR HISTORY HERE
It has been said, beloved friends, that in the first epistle of John a great point is fellowship, and hence it is that we have what is hardly alluded to in John’s gospel — the cleansing of sins by the blood of Jesus Christ. But what I wanted to dwell upon is what is unfolded in this chapter, namely, the way in which divine love is connected with us in all our history here; first as sinners, then as saints, and finally in respect of the day of judgment.
And here I may remark that in 1 John 4 the great point as regards the soul is knowledge, he that loves is born of God, and knows God. And knowledge, rightly understood, is an all-important element of the blessing that is peculiar to us as Christians. The shape that our blessing takes practically is knowledge, as we see in John 17: 3.
The chapter before us supposes an ability to know which lies in the possession of a kindred nature, and hence we have unfolded here the whole economy of divine love in its application to us. The passage is plain enough. It is not here the question of relief, but of putting us in line with the wonderful way in which the love of God connects itself with the course of a Christian all along to the end, until all responsibility is over, and God will rest in His love. The line that John takes is to connect the love of God with the believer down here. He does not see him set in heavenly places; but he is not of the world, and is in the enjoyment of heavenly things. Some have said that John does not speak of heaven. Anyway he unfolds more distinctly than anyone what is essentially heavenly, and at the same time he gives us the moral judgment of the world. He tells the young men that [p. 97] all that is in the world is not of the Father, and gives them the means of forming a moral estimate of what is in the world; and the things which we have judged we are freed from the power of. If a man is not free of a thing it proves that he has never really judged it.
But to return to our chapter: we see how love connects itself with us all the way through. Knowledge, as I said before, is an essential element of Christian blessing. It is the form which eternal life takes in regard to us — to know the Father, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, His sent one. But then it is love that knows love; and the man that does not love does not know God, for God is love. We see the character of the knowledge in John 10: 14, 15, where Jesus says, “I know my sheep, and am known of mine; as the Father knows me, and I also know the Father”. It all lies in the new being, in what we are as quickened of the Son. Apart from this the knowledge could not be, however fully God might be revealed.
There are two principal elements in our blessing; namely, the relationship which we have in chapter 3 and the knowledge in chapter 4. The relationship peculiar to John is that of children of God unknown of the world, partners of Christ’s rejection. The relationship of sons refers more to association with Christ in glory.
But now as to knowledge. In verse 7 we have, “He that loveth is born of God”, and, the apostle adds, “knows God”. Then immediately the love of God, in its application to us, is unfolded. It is long before we really come to the acceptance of the great truth that we love God because He first loved us. We are so much hindered by thoughts of self, and what we are for God, that we are little able to look at the love of God in itself. First, we see the love in its application to us as sinners — when there was total insensibility as to God and His goodness. Then it was that He, of [p. 98] His love, sent His only begotten Son into the world that we might live through Him. And not only so, but the apostle adds, “herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins”. Though spiritually there was total insensibility in our souls to God, there was at the same time responsibility, for we had consciences; and God sent His Son to meet the whole case, both as to our state and our sins.
The next point is the love that is toward us as saints. “We have known and believed the love that God has to us”. Here it is love to us not as sinners, but as saints in our pathway here. The apostle had just said, “We have seen and bear witness that the Father sent the Son as Saviour of the world”. Saints are viewed as being in this blessed circle, and the secrets of divine grace come out and enlarge the heart. “God is love; and he that abides in love abides in God, and God in him”. I have thought that the Son by coming here, not only brought divine affections here — for He was their object, and they rested on Him as man — but He left them here; for He left objects of them, and hence the affections remained, resting on those who were loved with the love with which He was loved as a Man here. It was indeed a small beginning, but what great things have come out of it! The Son brought here the greatest thing he could bring — the Father’s love; and He left it here, while never Himself ceasing to be the supreme object of it.
And now, finally, we have love made perfect with us in regard to the day of judgment — that which closes for ever the chapter of our responsibility. And here it is “that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; for as he is, so are we in this world”. The object is that we may be without fear; for fear hath torment. The thought of the judgment-seat might bring some sense of fear, and that is met by the truth that as He [p. 99] who is Judge is, so are we in this world. We are in the acceptance and favour already in which the One is who is Himself Judge. Every bit of fear has to be dispelled from the heart of saints; they are to be made perfect in love. And when we have reached this, it is then we are free to recognise that we love Him because He first loved us.