Page 78 - General Epistles (James through Jude) Textbook

only was love going to show that they are responding to the fact that they are in the fellowship with the
Triune God, but also, that would show that they are living in God and God is living in them.

The second response to the fact that someone is in the fellowship with the Triune God is his/her
continued acceptance that Jesus Christ is the Son of God (1 John 4:13-16). If someone claims that he/she
is living in God (or he/she is living according to God’s demands), that person should be able to tell that
there is the presence of the Holy Spirit in him/her. Based on John’s testimony (and that of the other
apostles), he is able to testify that God the Father send His Son to be the Savior of the World.
Acknowledgement of that fact demonstrates that one is living in God and God is living in that person.

The third response to the fact that someone is in the fellowship with the
Triune God is his/her continued living in the love of God, evidenced by
his/her love for the brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus (1 John 4:17—5:1).
The fact that those who are in the fellowship with God the Father are like
Jesus allows them to have confidence to stand before God on the day of
Judgement. In that sense, love is made complete. This is the third of the
four references to love being made complete. The first reference is found in
1 John 2:5, the second and third in 1 John 4:12, 18 respectively. And the
fourth one is in 1 John 4:17. If we have love, then, God lives in us. And if
God lives in us, then, we have no fear for the coming judgement.

So, in that sense, love drives out fear as a result of the coming judgement because the one who will
judge is already in us. So, Christians love because God shown them what love looks like. Since the love of
God is demonstrated by loving our brothers and sisters, therefore, if we continue to hate our brothers
and sisters, that simply means we are not in love with God the Father because it is not possible to love
the one you have not seen when you are terribly failing to continue to love your brother and sister
whom you are seeing. If we continue to believe that Jesus is the Christ, we are born of God and
everyone who loves God the Father, loves God the Son as well. Why? It is because Jesus said that “I and
the Father are one” (see John 10:30).

The fourth response to the fact that someone is in the fellowship with the Triune God is his/her
continued obedience to God’s commands (1 John 5:2-4). You cannot say that you love the children of
God without loving God Himself and carrying out His commands. So, the fact that you love the children
of God demonstrates that you are loving God by living out of God’s commands. His commands are not
burdensome. Why? Because the anticipated cause to the burdensome of carrying out God’s commands
is being overcome but not yet completely overcome. That is the world itself. World here should
represent anything that is evil. Simply put, it could be anything that vehemently opposes our Triune
God. If this can be overcome, then, we would be expected to enjoy life and the obedience of God’s
commands.

The fifth response to the fact that someone is in the fellowship with the Triune God is the continued
belief in Jesus Christ as the Son of God (1 John 5:5-12). Already now but not yet complete triumph over
the influence of the evil world is our continued belief in the Son of God, Jesus Christ. Jesus’ coming by
water and blood could refer to His baptism in water by John the Baptist and the accompanying
endowment with the Spirit He experienced, which marked the commencement of his public ministry.
“By blood” may refer to His death on the cross as the atoning sacrifice for our sins (cf. 1 John 1:7; 2:2).
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There are three witnessing to the coming of Jesus by water and blood. These are Spirit, water, and
Blood. In both the Old and the New Testament, issues were decided by either two to three witnesses (cf.

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