1 John 4

1 John 4:1

Ye have condemned [and] killed the just. The murder of the Just One, Jesus, was the crowning sin of Israel which brought upon them destruction. It was the rich and influential, not the poor, who sought his death. [And] he doth not resist you. Compare Isaiah 53:7.

1 John 4:2

Be patient therefore, brethren. James now turns from the rich, wicked Jews, to his suffering brethren. Let them be patient. Unto the coming of the Lord. That would bring relief. The primary reference is to the relief from Jewish persecution which followed the Lord’s coming in judgment on the Jewish nation. Behold, the husbandman . . . hath patience. The tiller of the soil has to sow and wait long in patience for fruit. Be you like him. Until he receive the early and latter rain. The early rain was the November showers which prepared the ground for the seed; the latter rain, the spring showers needed to bring the harvest to maturity. Compare Deuteronomy 11:14.

1 John 4:3

Be ye also patient. Wait, like the husbandmen for your harvest of joy. The coming of the Lord draweth nigh. The relief which the Lord’s coming will bring is near. See PNT James 5:7.

1 John 4:4

Grudge not one against another, brethren. “Murmur not” (Revised Version). Do not bear grudges against one another. Lest ye be condemned. The Lord will condemn this, and the judge standeth before the door, for the “coming of the Lord draweth near” (James 5:8).

1 John 4:5

Take, my brethren, the prophets . . . for an example. They suffered, were patient, endured to the end and secured the blessing.

1 John 4:6

We count them happy which endure. We believe of them that all such have a final reward. Ye have heard of the patience of Job. The enduring patience, which refused to distrust God, is meant. And have seen the end of the Lord. The conclusion in the case of Job wrought by the Lord, and how his endurance was blessed. See Job 42:10 The blessing that came on him is a demonstration that “the Lord is full of pity, and merciful” (Revised Version).

1 John 4:7

Above all things, my brethren, swear not. This verse is an appropriation of the words of Christ (Matthew 5:33-37). See notes there. Swearing is a besetting sin of the East unto this day.

1 John 4:8

Is any among you afflicted? Let him not swear, or engage in any improper use of the tongue, but “let him pray”. God is the Helper in such an hour. Is any cheerful? Let him sing psalms. Let his joy be shown, not in wanton speech, but in singing praises. Prayer and thanksgiving are the appropriate expressions for each condition.

1 John 4:9

Is any sick among you. In the early church, when miraculous gifts were imparted by the laying on of apostolic hands “as a sign to unbelievers” (see 1 Corinthians 14:22), one of these was the gift of healing. Let him call for the elders. In most early churches founded by the apostles some one of the elders would have this gift. There is no more reason for the descent of this gift to our times than of any other miraculous power. Let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. This passage, then, describes what was peculiar to the early church. The sick were anointed by the elders with oil, a symbol of the Spirit, which effected the healing, hands were laid, and prayer offered. See Mr 6:13 Isaiah 1:6 Lu 10:34.

1 John 4:10

And the prayer of faith shall save the sick. The prayer for the sick must be offered in faith to be effectual. If he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him. Often our sickness is due to sins against our body. The Lord, who raises the sick in answer to prayer, will forgive these.

1 John 4:11

Confess [your] faults one to another, and pray one for another. This verse springs from James 5:15. We all need healing of our sins. Let the brother confess his faults as a demonstration of repentance and let brethren pray for each other. Repentance, confession and prayer are the conditions of the forgiveness of sins committed by church members.

1 John 4:12

Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are. James 5:16 has affirmed the power of the prayer of a righteous man. An example of its power is now given. Elijah was a man like ourselves, yet great results followed his prayer. See 1 Kings 17:1 and following chapters. He prayed earnestly that it might not rain. No mention is made in the Old Testament of the prayer, but it is announced prophetically. He prayed, either before or after, that rain might be withheld until Israel repented. And it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months. See Lu 4:25 In the Old Testament the time is not exactly stated. “In the third year” the Lord spoke to Elijah about rain, 1 Kings 18:1 but we are not informed whether the beginning of the “third year” was when rain ceased to fall, or when he went to Zarephath. It is probable that the latter is meant.

1 John 4:13

And he prayed again. See 1 Kings 18:42. This prayer was on Mt. Carmel after the trial which ended in the overthrow of the priests of Baal, and was followed the same day by rain.

1 John 4:14

If any one of you do err from the truth. If a brother is led away from the gospel. One might be led into false doctrine, or into false practice. And one convert him. Bring him back from his errors and restore him.

1 John 4:15

Let him know. As an inducement to engage in this work of love let him know how great a work has been done. Save a soul from death. Not physical but eternal death. Hide a multitude of sins. The sins of those forgiven are said to be covered or hidden. This passage means that all the sins of the restored sinner, though many, shall be blotted out. See Psalms 32:1.

1 John 4:17

To him that knoweth to do good, and doeth [it] not, to him it is sin. The connection of thought is probably as follows: “I have warned you that such boasting is wrong, and that the right way is to speak submissively. If you know how to do the right and yet do it not, the sin is the greater on account of your knowledge”. See James 4:15.

1 John 4:18

The Gospel the Foreordained Purpose of God SUMMARY OF I PETER 1: The Salutation. The Glorious Hope in Christ. It a Strength in Trial. The Prophets Looking Forward Earnestly to Its Revelation. Even the Angels Desiring to Look into the Mystery. A Godly Life Becometh Those Who Have Such a Hope. Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ. The first letter of Peter opens as do the other apostolic letters. Peter claims no superiority. The New Testament knows nothing of his succession to Christ as the first of the Popes. To the strangers. He does not address Jews generally but Jewish Christians primarily, though in portions of the letter he seems to embrace Gentile Christians also. Scattered. “Of the Dispersion” (Revised Version). The Jewish race outside of Judea. Throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia. The letter is directed to the churches in five provinces of the Roman empire which Paul had evangelized, all lying in a group south of the Euxine Sea and east of the Caspian. See map of Paul’s travels.

1 John 4:19

Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father. Their election and salvation was in accordance with God’s predetermined purpose to save men through the gospel, and hence, according to foreknowledge. Through sanctification of the Spirit. The means by which they become elect are pointed out. They were separated from the world by the gospel, the word of the Spirit, a sanctification which signifies “a setting apart to holy uses”. They were thus separated unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ. In obeying this they were “baptized into the death of Christ”, Romans 6:1-4 and their sins were pardoned. The sanctification in this case precedes obedience and pardon.

1 John 4:20

Blessed [be] the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. The ground of special thanksgiving is that the Father, out of his overflowing mercy, hath begotten us again. Has caused us to be born again as his children. Unto a lively hope. As children we have a glorious hope of eternal life through the resurrection of Jesus.

1 John 4:21

To an inheritance. The hope is not merely of eternal existence, but we become heirs of God, joint heirs with Christ. Incorruptible. It can never decay. Undefiled. It is sinless and eternal.