1 John 4:17

1 John 4:17 says, Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world.  John said our love is made perfect by loving God and loving as He loves.  He said if we have this type of love that we can have boldness on judgement day.  We will not have to stand in fear before God if we love as He does, and we can only love this way by accepting Jesus Christ as our Saviour and Lord and then being led by the Holy Spirit.  

Verse eighteen adds, There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.  John then says there is no fear in love, which I believe means a God like love.  He said love casts out fear, and that if we live in fear, then we are not made perfect in love.  I think too often we let fear cast out love in our lives, and we are not made perfect in the love that God expects us to have for others if we are Christians.  

Verse nineteen continues, We love him, because he first loved us.  John says we love God because He first loved us.  We were all sinners, some more so than others when God sent His only begotten Son to die for us, and He expects us to love others even when they are sinners.  

Verse twenty states, If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?  John then makes it very plain.  If we say that we love God, but we don't love our brother, which means all people, then we are liars.  He asks if we don't love our brother who we have seen, how can we love God Whom we haven't seen.  Followers of Christ should show the same love for people that He did, and He died for all people, even the worst of sinners.  

Verse twenty-one adds, And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also.  John said it is God's commandment that if we are His people, then we will love our brother.  This is not an optional thing but a commandment. 

1 John 4:12

 1 John 4;12 says, No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us.  John tells us that no one has seen God at any time. Even those who walked and talked with Jesus did not see the entirety of God, nor do we today who have the Holy Spirit indwelling us.  We will not see God in this lifetime, but we can feel His presence by accepting Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord and being indwelled by the Holy Spirit.   

Verse eleven adds, Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit.  John added that even though we could not see God, we could know that we dwelled in Him by the Holy Spirit dwelling in us.  The moment we accept Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord, the Holy Spirit indwells us and will lead us to do what God expects us to do, which begins to be shown by our loving others.  

Verse fourteen continues, And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world.  John said that they had seen and did testify to the fact that they had seen the Son, Jesus Christ, and that He was sent by the Father to be the Savior of mankind.  This was not just certain people, but all people for all time, but they must accept this gift for it to save them.  

Verse fifteen states, Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God.  John said that anyone who confessed by faith that Jesus Christ is the Son of God dwells in God and God in Him through the presence of the Holy Spirit.   

Verse sixteen adds, And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.  John said that as followers of Christ we know and believe in the love that God has for us and then we dwell in that love.    

1John 4:7

1 John 4:7 says, Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God.  John then calls on us to love one another if we are followers of Christ.  This is not just a good feeling we have about other people, but a willingness to lay down our life for them, even if they don't like or even hate us.  This is the love that Jesus Christ displayed on the cross.  He loved sinners enough to die for them, and this includes you and me.  John said that people who truly love other people with this type of love are born of God.  When we accept Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord, then we are born of God.  

Verse eight adds, He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.  John then said the opposite is true.  If we don't have this type of love for others, then we are not of God.  We cannot profess to be a Chrisitan and at the same time display hatred toward anyone.  

Verse nine continues, In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him.  John said that we could know God's love is manifested toward us because He sent His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to die for our sins so that we might live spiritually through Him.  If we are born again Christians, which is the only way to be a Chrisitan, then we should live under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.   

Verse ten states, Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.  John said that love is not known by the fact that we love God, but that He loved us enough to send His only begotten Son to die for our sins.  Love comes down from God to us by faith in the Son.  

Verse eleven adds, Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.  John then says that if God loved us this much, then if we have accepted His gift of salvation, then we should love everyone the same way.  Yet, too often we don't even love our fellow believers. 

1 John 4:1

1 John 4:1 says, Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.  John tells us that there are many false spirits in the world and people who would lead us to believe in them.  Anytime we are led to do something that opposes what God's word teaches us, we are led by a false spirit.  I believe that this can be either a spirit of desire that lives in us or a false spirit found in the world and proclaimed by some individual under the leadership of a false spirit.  

Verse two adds, Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God:  John then tells us how to know that we are led by the Holy Spirit and not a false spirit.  He said that we can know this if we confess that Jesus came in the flesh and was sent by God to be the Redeemer of all.  Of course, we must confess that Jesus Christ is not only a Man sent from God but is Himself God.  Also, even though He died for everyone, we must personally accept Him as our Savior and Lord.  

Verse three continues, And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.  The opposite is also true.  If anyone doesn't acknowledge Jesus Christ came in the flesh as their personal Savior and Lord, they are not of God, but of the antichrist.  He added that people had heard that the antichrist was to come and that he was already in the world.  As long as we put our faith in Jesus Christ, we don't have to worry about the antichrist.

Verse four states, Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.  John then referred to those he was writing to as little children and said they had overcome the world because the Holy Spirit that lived in them is greater than anything in the world.  As followers of Christ, we aren't secure spiritually because of anything we have done, but we are spiritually secure because of what Jesus did.  He paid the penalty for our sins, once and forever.  

Verse five adds, They are of the world: therefore speak they of the world, and the world heareth them.  John said that those who were of the world and not of God spoke of things of the world and the unsaved people of the world heard them and believed them.  We as Christians may hear unsaved people talk, but we should never believe them if what they are saying opposes the word of God.  

Verse six continues, We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error.  John added that if we are of God that those who are also of God will hear us.  He then said that those who were not of God would not hear us.  I believe this means hearing and understanding what we speak about God.  He concluded by saying this is the way we know the Spirit of Truth and the spirit of error.