We are like Christ in this tumultuous world because love is perfected in us through His Spirit

1 John 4:12-21

Click for a description of the mark of the beast.
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• No one has seen God, but we know Him by His Spirit within us.
• Love is perfected in that we are like our Lord Jesus in this world.

No one has seen God, but we know Him by His Spirit within us. “No one has seen God at any time. If we love one another, God abides in us, and His love has been perfected in us. By this we know that we abide in Him, and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit. And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son as Savior of the world. Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God.  And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him.” 1 John 4:12-16

No one has ever seen God because He is Spirit. As stated in John 1:18, “No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him.” Love for one another is evidence of God’s presence in us because God is love. By loving one another, His love is perfected in us. We are assured that we live in God and He in us because He has given us the Holy Spirit.

With His Spirit living in us, we testify that God the Father sent His Son Jesus Christ as the Savior of the world, “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me…” Acts 1:8 Anyone who acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God is showing that God lives in them, and they in God. As believers in Jesus Christ, we know the love of God and believe the love that He has for us, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” John 3:16

Jesus said, “He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who lives in Me does the works. John 14:9-10

The atheistic entity, with power over physiology, mimics all that God does, desiring to be established within the temple of God—our body—as though is God, 2 Thessalonians 2:4. This entity does that by living within people’s thoughts, feelings, words, and behaviors. This entity is unseen because of lacking a physical form, being invisible except for what we sense from within us. This atheistic entity detests people who testify that God the Father has sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to atone for sin. This entity opposes the presence of the Holy Spirit living within the mind, soul, and spirit of people and detests the testimony of the love of God.

Love is perfected in that we are like our Lord Jesus in this world. “Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love. We love Him because He first loved us. If someone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen? And this commandment we have from Him: that he who loves God must love his brother also.” 1 John 4:17-21

Many of us are quite aware of how fear can cause torment. However, with the love of God within us, we can shake that fear and confidently say, “There is no fear in love.” As an example, we live in a culture today that will use the fear a person feels to coerce them to cooperate with the entity that insists on governing through people’s thoughts, feelings, words, and behaviors. Fear is used to “arm twist” someone into submission. As many of us know, that atheistic entity fills people with despise and hatred towards others in words and behaviors. We choose to follow the love we find in God through Jesus Christ and not to live by the ways of this world. Because we choose love over the entity with power over physiology, we know what it means that there is no fear in love. Those who fear has not been made perfect in love.

In today’s society, many claim that they “see”, or they “know”, or they “can be” [and there’s a television in every home], but neighborhoods everywhere are filled with conflict, hatred, violence, and hostilities of every type. Whatever they are seeing, knowing, or what they are being, there is a huge amount of destruction happening under their watch. As followers of Jesus Christ, we choose to live in God’s love, we want nothing to do with contributing to the turmoil. Like Moses, we have learned that faithfulness to God casts out fear, “By faith Moses, when he became of age, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin, esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt; for he looked to the reward.” Hebrews 11:24-26

We love God because He loved us first. If a person claims to love God but has hatred for others, they are not truthful; if one cannot love others whom they have seen, how can they love God whom they have not seen? This command we have received from Him: whoever loves God must also love one another.

As believers in Jesus Christ, we are like Him in this world, and as He said, “If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you.” John 15:18 Living for Jesus Christ perfects love within us, discovering that there is no fear in love. Perfect love casts out fear, and instead of torment we have the peace given by Christ Jesus. With Paul, we are able to say in the Spirit of love, “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. Romans 8:18

“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven Matthew 5:10-12

The phrase, “Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgment…”, refers to having a clean conscience when thinking about the judgment we will face beyond the grave. We know the love of God lives in us because we live in the light of Jesus Christ and that brings life and Salvation to others. We love one another and want to share life. God’s love is perfected within us to give us confidence in the day of judgment.

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“….to you who do not hold to her teaching and have not learned Satan’s so-called deep secrets,
‘I will not impose any other burden on you, except to hold on to what you have until I come.’
“I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown.”
Revelation 2:24-25, 3:1