By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments.
Love for God's children is known when God Himself is loved and His commandments are kept, for love to brethren cannot be separated from love to God and obedience to His law. Mere talk of love for God, feeling, and claims to holiness and sanctification while the heart rebels against His law are spurious and a delusion, without truth within. His commandments express His loving character and are not grievous or burdensome, and true obedience growing out of oneness with Christ and the Father brings God's love to maturity. What is born of God overcomes the world, and the victory that overcomes is faith that Jesus is the Son of God, giving vantage ground with spiritual dominion over darkness for victory, freedom, and happiness in Christ, who restores sinners by His atoning death and prevailing intercession. This love lived out purifies from contention and strife, ends criticism and alienation, blends soul with soul even across opposite temperaments, and shows itself in tender sympathy for poor, suffering, struggling and erring souls.
Test of Genuine Love
By this is known love for the children of God: when God is loved and His commandments are kept. Love for brethren cannot be separated from love for God and obedience to His law, so true love to God and to fellow believers is shown by obedience. Mere talk of love for God, feeling, professed holiness and claims to be sanctified while the heart is in rebellion against God's law are spurious and a delusion of the enemy that God does not recognize. Those who know God yet refuse to keep His commandments do not have the truth in them, but boast of their freedom with great swelling words of vanity, aid Satan and apostasy, and will receive the reward of disobedience.
True obedience grows out of oneness with Christ and the Father. God's commandments express His loving character and are not grievous or burdensome. Keeping His word brings God's love to maturity. Cultivating this love puts believers on vantage ground with spiritual dominion over the powers of darkness for victory, freedom, and happiness in Christ.
What is born of God overcomes the world, and the victory that overcomes the world is faith, even belief that Jesus is the Son of God. In its wider context in 1 John 5:1-5, belief in Christ as a personal Saviour is the only salvation provided for the sinner. Those made aliens from God by sin are restored by His atoning death for sins and His prevailing pleading at His Father's right hand to take away sins. All who receive Him are given power to become sons of God, and because He lives to make intercession they shall live also if obedient to His will, and He will keep them from falling.
Love Lived in Community
Loving God and keeping His commandments purifies the church from all contention and strife and brings every phase of character into harmony with the character of Christ, with unity as the sure result. Those who so love and obey reveal the meekness and lowliness of Christ because they have learned in His school, being worked by the Holy Spirit with daily increased faith and increased power to represent Him to the world. Oneness with Christ through constant exercise of faith that works by love and purifies the soul leads to unity with and love toward one another, so that obedience and brotherly love belong together, criticism ceases, and unity becomes the peculiarity distinguishing Christians from all others. Those who love God and keep His commandments just as conscientiously are brethren to be loved and not hurt by harsh, critical words, for when the love of Christ pervades the soul such words are not spoken but there is reconciliation, pity, courtesy, and unity with no alienation, because Christ died to save those brethren as surely as others. Divisions are the fruit of Satan's work.
Those who love God and keep His law are His denominated people called out from the world, and they are to unify on the truths that called them out, practicing the truth and bearing the precious fruit of love, because God is love. Their harmony and mutual love will convince those in the world that God sent His Son to save sinners. All who love God and keep His commandments are told the wonderful secret of redemption, and through Christ who reveals the Father full of grace and truth they receive the only light that makes them lights in the world and a blessing and Christian influence to others.
Love for God and obedience to His commandments are known through practical godliness, especially in the home. Children, servants, and workmen can best judge whether a professed Christian truly loves God by seeing how that faith shapes daily life. If the household and workers are not better for a person's Christianity, the truth has not done its intended work in that person, and neglecting family prayer and allowing work to crowd out Sabbath observance show failure to live out that faith. Loving God and keeping His commandments makes possible a well-doing that everyone can live out and that others can see, lived moment by moment in trustful dependence on Christ, with the obligation of sons of God to honor His name as the incentive to earnest, sanctified effort. It glorifies God on earth by walking before Him in all humility of mind and by Christlike usefulness and holiness as living witnesses for Him.
Loving God and keeping His commandments means a life of self-denial and sacrifice for Christ, even being counted fools for Christ's sake, and those who live this way have their names recorded in heaven as those who love God. This love and obedience is tested by working to win souls to Christ, for those who truly have the truth and are truly converted become living, working agencies together with Christ to draw souls to Him, and no one who is truly converted stands as an idle looker-on. Those who love Jesus will love all the children of God, and the love of God alone opens and expands the heart and gives love and sympathy a breadth and height without measure. A sense of personal infirmity and imperfection leads the believer to look away from self to Christ, and the Saviour's love breaks down every cold, Pharisaical barrier, banishes all harshness and selfishness, and blends soul with soul even with those opposite in temperament. This love is shown in pure, Christlike sympathy not for those who are perfect, who do not need it, but for poor, suffering, struggling souls who are often overtaken in fault, sinning and repenting, tempted and discouraged, manifesting God's goodness, forbearance, and self-sacrificing love toward sinful men, entering with matchless tenderness into the feelings of the oppressed soul, weeping with those who weep and rejoicing with those who rejoice. The effect of grace softens and subdues the soul, melts all cold unapproachableness, and reveals Christ.
Where loving God and keeping His commandments is practiced among workers together in institutions, souls are surrounded by a healthful atmosphere, a savor of life unto life. Love for brethren cannot be separated from love for God and obedience to His law, and His commandments are not grievous. This forbids loud, determined decisions against those who are chosen of God and precious, and dealing with them by human prejudice over things that displease men in authority instead of dealing with them according to the law of God in kindness. The teaching requires practical care: those who love God and keep His commandments are not to be left without food or clothing when help can be given. Love for God's children known by loving God and keeping His commandments means recognizing that students belong to Jesus Christ and are not owned in soul and body by their teachers, and joining with others who love God and keep His commandments to establish schools for them.
Love proved by obedience to His commandments marks the very best persons. Such people are the ones to bring in to live near God's large institutions, to give and receive help in various lines of work and to make homes for workers and for worn, discouraged ministers who have no homes of their own and need to be upheld. God's people are those who love God and keep His commandments, and God meets with them when they assemble. Honoring God means presenting Him the very best offering in preparing a place for that meeting, a neat, humble, attractive and convenient house of worship that represents the elevated character of His work and reveals the refining influence of truth, not cheap, half-hearted work. New believers show this when they come to love God and keep His commandments, accepting the Sabbath as His memorial even though doing so puts their jobs at risk, as did the new believers in Brisbane.
All who love God and keep His commandments find great encouragement in hearing how others have received the light of justification through faith, been delivered from bondage, gained clearer and more distinct views of the love of Jesus, been made joyful in God, advanced in their labor, and experienced God's preserving and protecting care and matchless love. The church's experience will benefit those who love God and keep His commandments, while abandoning the commandments is part of turning away from saving truth. Those whom God owns as loving Him and keeping His commandments are to have their words accepted as truth and their course not denounced, and to question them in favor of a disobedient child who fears not God strengthens evil and deception. Those who profess to love God and keep His commandments stand now upon the field of conflict where battle after battle must be fought with the enemy of God and man, and they must stand firmly and meet dangers whatever the consequences may be. They must be very careful of their words, proclaim the message of truth more decidedly and present the gospel as the power of God unto salvation to souls who have been deceived and are being deceived, call those who have erred to take their stand on the platform of eternal truth in thorough work of preparation for the future immortal life, seek never to vindicate the course of those who continue to walk in opposition to a plain Thus saith the Lord, and refrain from words of condemnation of their brethren lest a spirit of retaliation be stirred up.
Love for God's children is known when God Himself is loved and His commandments are kept, for love to brethren cannot be separated from love to God and obedience to His law. Mere talk of love for God, feeling, and claims to holiness and sanctification while the heart rebels against His law are spurious and a delusion, without truth within. His commandments express His loving character and are not grievous or burdensome, and true obedience growing out of oneness with Christ and the Father brings God's love to maturity. What is born of God overcomes the world, and the victory that overcomes is faith that Jesus is the Son of God, giving vantage ground with spiritual dominion over darkness for victory, freedom, and happiness in Christ, who restores sinners by His atoning death and prevailing intercession. This love lived out purifies from contention and strife, ends criticism and alienation, blends soul with soul even across opposite temperaments, and shows itself in tender sympathy for poor, suffering, struggling and erring souls.
Test of Genuine Love
By this is known love for the children of God: when God is loved and His commandments are kept. Love for brethren cannot be separated from love for God and obedience to His law, so true love to God and to fellow believers is shown by obedience. Mere talk of love for God, feeling, professed holiness and claims to be sanctified while the heart is in rebellion against God's law are spurious and a delusion of the enemy that God does not recognize. Those who know God yet refuse to keep His commandments do not have the truth in them, but boast of their freedom with great swelling words of vanity, aid Satan and apostasy, and will receive the reward of disobedience.
True obedience grows out of oneness with Christ and the Father. God's commandments express His loving character and are not grievous or burdensome. Keeping His word brings God's love to maturity. Cultivating this love puts believers on vantage ground with spiritual dominion over the powers of darkness for victory, freedom, and happiness in Christ.
What is born of God overcomes the world, and the victory that overcomes the world is faith, even belief that Jesus is the Son of God. In its wider context in 1 John 5:1-5, belief in Christ as a personal Saviour is the only salvation provided for the sinner. Those made aliens from God by sin are restored by His atoning death for sins and His prevailing pleading at His Father's right hand to take away sins. All who receive Him are given power to become sons of God, and because He lives to make intercession they shall live also if obedient to His will, and He will keep them from falling.
Love Lived in Community
Loving God and keeping His commandments purifies the church from all contention and strife and brings every phase of character into harmony with the character of Christ, with unity as the sure result. Those who so love and obey reveal the meekness and lowliness of Christ because they have learned in His school, being worked by the Holy Spirit with daily increased faith and increased power to represent Him to the world. Oneness with Christ through constant exercise of faith that works by love and purifies the soul leads to unity with and love toward one another, so that obedience and brotherly love belong together, criticism ceases, and unity becomes the peculiarity distinguishing Christians from all others. Those who love God and keep His commandments just as conscientiously are brethren to be loved and not hurt by harsh, critical words, for when the love of Christ pervades the soul such words are not spoken but there is reconciliation, pity, courtesy, and unity with no alienation, because Christ died to save those brethren as surely as others. Divisions are the fruit of Satan's work.
Those who love God and keep His law are His denominated people called out from the world, and they are to unify on the truths that called them out, practicing the truth and bearing the precious fruit of love, because God is love. Their harmony and mutual love will convince those in the world that God sent His Son to save sinners. All who love God and keep His commandments are told the wonderful secret of redemption, and through Christ who reveals the Father full of grace and truth they receive the only light that makes them lights in the world and a blessing and Christian influence to others.
Love for God and obedience to His commandments are known through practical godliness, especially in the home. Children, servants, and workmen can best judge whether a professed Christian truly loves God by seeing how that faith shapes daily life. If the household and workers are not better for a person's Christianity, the truth has not done its intended work in that person, and neglecting family prayer and allowing work to crowd out Sabbath observance show failure to live out that faith. Loving God and keeping His commandments makes possible a well-doing that everyone can live out and that others can see, lived moment by moment in trustful dependence on Christ, with the obligation of sons of God to honor His name as the incentive to earnest, sanctified effort. It glorifies God on earth by walking before Him in all humility of mind and by Christlike usefulness and holiness as living witnesses for Him.
Loving God and keeping His commandments means a life of self-denial and sacrifice for Christ, even being counted fools for Christ's sake, and those who live this way have their names recorded in heaven as those who love God. This love and obedience is tested by working to win souls to Christ, for those who truly have the truth and are truly converted become living, working agencies together with Christ to draw souls to Him, and no one who is truly converted stands as an idle looker-on. Those who love Jesus will love all the children of God, and the love of God alone opens and expands the heart and gives love and sympathy a breadth and height without measure. A sense of personal infirmity and imperfection leads the believer to look away from self to Christ, and the Saviour's love breaks down every cold, Pharisaical barrier, banishes all harshness and selfishness, and blends soul with soul even with those opposite in temperament. This love is shown in pure, Christlike sympathy not for those who are perfect, who do not need it, but for poor, suffering, struggling souls who are often overtaken in fault, sinning and repenting, tempted and discouraged, manifesting God's goodness, forbearance, and self-sacrificing love toward sinful men, entering with matchless tenderness into the feelings of the oppressed soul, weeping with those who weep and rejoicing with those who rejoice. The effect of grace softens and subdues the soul, melts all cold unapproachableness, and reveals Christ.
Where loving God and keeping His commandments is practiced among workers together in institutions, souls are surrounded by a healthful atmosphere, a savor of life unto life. Love for brethren cannot be separated from love for God and obedience to His law, and His commandments are not grievous. This forbids loud, determined decisions against those who are chosen of God and precious, and dealing with them by human prejudice over things that displease men in authority instead of dealing with them according to the law of God in kindness. The teaching requires practical care: those who love God and keep His commandments are not to be left without food or clothing when help can be given. Love for God's children known by loving God and keeping His commandments means recognizing that students belong to Jesus Christ and are not owned in soul and body by their teachers, and joining with others who love God and keep His commandments to establish schools for them.
Love proved by obedience to His commandments marks the very best persons. Such people are the ones to bring in to live near God's large institutions, to give and receive help in various lines of work and to make homes for workers and for worn, discouraged ministers who have no homes of their own and need to be upheld. God's people are those who love God and keep His commandments, and God meets with them when they assemble. Honoring God means presenting Him the very best offering in preparing a place for that meeting, a neat, humble, attractive and convenient house of worship that represents the elevated character of His work and reveals the refining influence of truth, not cheap, half-hearted work. New believers show this when they come to love God and keep His commandments, accepting the Sabbath as His memorial even though doing so puts their jobs at risk, as did the new believers in Brisbane.
All who love God and keep His commandments find great encouragement in hearing how others have received the light of justification through faith, been delivered from bondage, gained clearer and more distinct views of the love of Jesus, been made joyful in God, advanced in their labor, and experienced God's preserving and protecting care and matchless love. The church's experience will benefit those who love God and keep His commandments, while abandoning the commandments is part of turning away from saving truth. Those whom God owns as loving Him and keeping His commandments are to have their words accepted as truth and their course not denounced, and to question them in favor of a disobedient child who fears not God strengthens evil and deception. Those who profess to love God and keep His commandments stand now upon the field of conflict where battle after battle must be fought with the enemy of God and man, and they must stand firmly and meet dangers whatever the consequences may be. They must be very careful of their words, proclaim the message of truth more decidedly and present the gospel as the power of God unto salvation to souls who have been deceived and are being deceived, call those who have erred to take their stand on the platform of eternal truth in thorough work of preparation for the future immortal life, seek never to vindicate the course of those who continue to walk in opposition to a plain Thus saith the Lord, and refrain from words of condemnation of their brethren lest a spirit of retaliation be stirred up.