1 John 4:19 - Forerunner Commentary

1 John 4:19

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Articles, Bible studies, and sermons that contain The First Epistle of John 4:19:

I John 4:18-19
Excerpted from: Love's Emotional Dimension

What we are seeing here, in very simple terms, is probably the major reason (other than the fact that mankind is cut off from God) why we do not love more and better: We are afraid. We are afraid it is going to cost us something. We are afraid we are going to get hurt. We are afraid we are going to lose something. We are afraid we are going to be humbled. We are afraid we are going to look bad. We are afraid our neighbors will not accept us. We are afraid we are going to be rejected. We are afraid we are going to be put down. "Fear involves torment."

Do you know why there is no fear in perfect love? Because there is perfect trust. Think about that. Think about a good marriage. The mates do not fear that the other is going to run off on them, do they? Of course not. They trust one another. You see, this perfect trust is something that is developed by abiding in the relationship. Here is scriptural proof (verse 19) that this kind of love does not come naturally. It is only in anybody because God initiated it and is also the prime mover in maintaining it.

I John 4:19
Excerpted from: Passover (Part 1)

That takes cooperation on our part - because God has given us free moral agency. So we have to choose. (Back to Deuteronomy 30 again.) And life becomes a matter of choices that, by faith, we will ourselves to submit to the rule - to the government - of God. So our response has to be loving obedience. We should be able to do this. In fact, the apostle John said:
He [God] stuck His neck out. It is almost as if there is no guarantee of 'a return.' But He was willing to sacrifice Himself in the hope that our response to the demonstration of His love, through His Son, would fill us with such a sense of obligation and admiration that we, in turn, would dedicate our lives in obedience to Him.

I John 4:19
Excerpted from: Reconciliation and the Day of Atonement

Here is the pattern. Even as Christ loved us while we were enemies, so do we have to love others first. It takes humility to do this—willingly submitting ourselves to God before others and understanding why we do what we do. Then they will understand and come to love us even as we now love God—because He first loved us.

Articles
Faith to Face Our Trials
Faith to Face Our Trials
How Much Does God Love Us? (Part One)
Pentecost, Consistency, and Honesty
Praying Always (Part Five)
The Defense Against Offense
The Fruit of the Spirit: Love

Bible Studies
Love

Essays
Reciprocity (Part Two)

Sermons
Letters to Seven Churches (Part Nine): Philadelphia
John (Part 25)
The Feast Brings Hope
Whatever We Ask
Marriage and the Bride of Christ (Part 8)
Be Prepared
The Book of Daniel (Part One)
Tests of True Knowledge
Offerings (Part Two)
Scripture Fulfilled in Christ's Death
Assurance (Part Two): Of the Path to Glory
Our Part in the Sanctification Process (Part Two): Cultivating Love
Childrearing (Part Three)
Our Part in the Sanctification Process (Part Six): Cultivating Kindness
We are Called to Liberty
Abraham (Part Eight)
Does Doctrine Really Matter? (Part 1)
Does Doctrine Really Matter? (Part 1)
Passionate Patience
No Failsafe Needed
Deuteronomy (Part 3) (1994)
Strategies for Escaping Babylon (Part Seven)
Tithing: 'Try Me Now!' (Part One)
Judgment is a Merciful Blessing
God Expects a Return on His Investment (Part One)
The Lord's Nourishing and Cherishing
Isaac and the Day of Small Things
Faith (Part Five)
Loving Christ and Revelation 2:1-7
The Chemistry of Government
No Real Love Without God
The Covenants, Grace, and Law (Part 6)
Forms vs. Spirituality (Part 4)
Prepare for Your Future Now
Maintaining Good Health (Part 12)
More Than Conquerors
Philippians (Part Five)
Psalm 23 (Part 3)
Strategies for Interfacing with Babylon without Becoming Assimilated (Part Seven)
Childrearing (Part Four)

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