If anyone says, ?I love God,? and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother. 1 John 4:20-21
It’s very simple, our love must be horizontal as well as vertical.
Discussion Questions
- Have you known the kind of person John describes in verse 20? Describe him or her.
- Who is John referring to by “brother”?
- Why do you think John refers specifically to “brothers” as opposed to everyone?
- In what ways has John insisted that our love for God be expressed in practical terms toward our brother?
- Is it optional that we love our brother?
Translation
20 ??? ??? ???? ??? ????? ??? ????, ??? ??? ??????? ????? ????, ??????? ?????? ? ??? ?? ?????? ??? ??????? ????? ?? ???????, ??? ???? ?? ??? ??????? ??? ??????? ??????. 21 ??? ?????? ??? ??????? ?????? ??? ?????, ??? ? ?????? ??? ???? ????? ??? ??? ??????? ?????.
20 If anyone says, I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar. For the one who does not love his brother whom he sees, is not able to love God, whom he has not seen. 21 And this is the commandment we have from him, that the one who loves God must love his brother also.
Observation – What does the text say?
Verse 20
????? ??? ???? – “agapo ton Theon” – “I love God.” A direct quote. Someone who says, “I love God.”
???? – “mise” – “hate”
??????? ????? – “psestes estin,” “is a liar”
?? ??????? – “hon heuraken,” “whom he has seen.”
Verse 21
??? ??????? – ten entolen,” “the commandment.” I.e., the command to love one another as Christ has loved us.
? ?????? ??? ???? – “ho agapon ton theon,” “the one who loves God.”
Interpretation – What did the text mean to the original audience in its context?
The Epistle of I John is renowned for it’s profound truths expressed in simple, declarative statements. The result is an inescapable logic: if A and B, then C. If someone claims to love God (A) and hates his brother (B), then he is a liar (C). John insists that his readers be consistent in their love; that it not devolve into a merely mystical experience, but that it be expressed concretely and consistently with real people.
Application – What does the text mean to our audience in our context?
If the First Epistle of John expresses similar concepts over and over again, it is because they are extremely important truths for every Christian. God is love. And the one thing this God who is love is concerned about regarding his children is that we love too. Specifically, this God who is love is concerned about whether we love each other. He wants the world to be able to see this unique and special love expressed between those who know and love him.
Teach – How do we communicate these truths in such a way that our audience understands them, remembers them and responds to them appropriately?
Difficult people do not excuse one from loving them if one also claims to love God. Drive the point home that God insists that we be consistent. Our mere presence in church indicates that we profess to love God. Make this explicit to your audience. But if we claim to be lovers of God, then we must also love our brothers around us. This love must also include our difficult brothers. Describe vividly this type of person. Include personal struggles with the difficult people in your life. Be honest about your own hypocrisy and how the Lord has enabled you to be genuine in your love for your difficult brother and how that struggle in turn allowed you to grow in your love for the Lord.