Gems from John 2: The Temple

Posted on July 24, 2026 by Steve Husting

When the Jews asked for a sign that showed He had authority to drive out the moneymakers, Jesus pointed to the temple of His body. “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up” (John 2:18-19). Why did Jesus point to His body? 1) Because His body was the incarnation of the divine with the human. The tabernacle and temples were merely signs pointing to the true tabernacle of God’s presence. The Son of God “tabernacled” in the human body of Jesus. His was the true and superior dwelling place of God’s presence, v. 21, like a flame of fire that outshines a mere drawing of a match. God was working through Him.

2) Because the true light now shines to help people see the “real world” of God’s kingdom. Role-reversals like those of Christ ruling over the temple become commonplace in the kingdom of light. Christ and His work of preaching the kingdom with its healings exposes the darkness of men’s hearts, who are valuing things and activities over God Himself. Idols become apparent next to the character and power of God in Jesus. Who should you base your life on, God’s incarnate Son, or a man-made thing?

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Gems from John 2: Vision Lost

Posted on July 17, 2026 by Steve Husting

When Jesus came to Jerusalem one Passover, He found that the temple caretakers had lost their vision. What was to be a place for worshipers to pray on holy ground, became an opportunity for the caretakers to prey on the pilgrims.

What should have been a quiet place for reflection and prayer was full of noise and distracting commotion from the buying and selling of animals in the courtyard.

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Gems from John 2: Water to Wine

Posted on July 10, 2026 by Steve Husting

At a wedding at Cana in Galilee, Jesus miraculously turned water into wine. But John inserts a significant piece of detail that I’ve often overlooked: “Now there were set there six waterpots of stone, according to the manner of purification of the Jews, containing 20 or 30 gallons apiece” (John 2:6 NKJV).

The details of “waterpots of stone” for “purification of the Jews” points directly to rituals the Jews relied on to be pure before the Lord. Since John used metaphors throughout his book, we can do the same here. We just need to keep to John’s emphasis given in 20:31, lest we be unfaithful to the word.

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Gems from John 1: Heaven is Opened

Posted on July 3, 2026 by Steve Husting

The Bible reveals the state of our hearts. We may come to the Scriptures initially skeptical of Jesus, as Nathaniel did in v. 46 (“Can anything good come out of Nazareth?”). But when the Lord reveals His grace, He turns us around.

When Philip approached Jesus accompanied by Nathanael, Jesus told Nathanael that he was an Israelite without deceit. When Nathanael asked how He knew him, Jesus said He saw him under the fig tree before Philip called him (vv. 47-48).

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Gems from John 1: Come and See

Posted on June 26, 2026 by Steve Husting

“The two disciples heard him [the baptizer] speak, and they followed Jesus” (John 1:37). John’s goal was to turn people to Jesus, not to build up a large following of his own. His job was to be the voice in the wilderness prophesied in Isaiah 40:3 to prepare the people for Christ’s coming.

These two disciples paid attention as John turned their allegiance from him to follow Jesus. This is the goal of all those who earnestly want to be witnesses of Jesus. People notice and hear you, and follow Jesus, not you. What kind of life is this where people turn from you to Christ? A holy life. First we ourselves need to be with Jesus.

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When Life is a Hassle

Posted on June 22, 2026 by Steve Husting

Paul wrote, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13). This verse is probably at the top of everyone’s memory verse list. As I was reviewing it for myself, I wondered, is it true of my efforts? Am I not settled into a routine, doing what I know I can do by myself? Am I not skipping over some duties because they are more than I want to tackle at this time? If so, whatever happened to the strength which God supplies?

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Gems from John: Witnesses

Posted on June 19, 2026 by Steve Husting

The Pharisees were doing their job when they investigated this man in unusual garb who preached an unusual message. They were expecting a Prophet like Moses (Deut. 18:15, Acts 3:20-23), Elijah the prophet (Malachi 4:5), and the Chosen One (Isaiah 42:1) as God promised, before the coming of the Lord.

“Now this is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, ‘Who are you?’ ” (John 1:19). He said: “I am ‘The voice of one crying in the wilderness: “Make straight the way of the Lord,” ’ as the prophet Isaiah said” (John 1:23). (Luke 3:4-6 gives the fuller quote in his parallel passage.)

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Gems from John 1: Witness

Posted on June 12, 2026 by Steve Husting

“John bore witness of Him and cried out, saying, ‘This was He of whom I said, “He who comes after me is preferred before me, for He was before me” ‘ ” (John 1:15). John the baptizer testified of the Son, that He had existed before the baptizer did, although the baptizer was born first (see the sequence of John-then-Jesus birth order in Luke 1-2). The infant John had leaped in recognition of the baby Jesus that was in Mary’s womb when she visited him while he was in his pregnant mother Elizabeth in Luke 1. 

After 400 years of prophetic silence, God raised up a prophet called John and gave him unusual clarity about the coming one. The baptizer knew He existed before himself, so he elevated Him. The God of ages past had entered history and visited His people through the Son.

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Gems from John 1: Word Made Flesh

Posted on June 5, 2026 by Steve Husting

“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us” (John 1:14). John opened this first chapter with the Word, the one who is God and also Creator. He was with God in the beginning, showing that He, being divine, was separate from God in His own right. This idea opens the door to the trinity, which John will unfold over time in his gospel.

With this verse, John gives us a surprising twist–that the Word that was God and was with God, the Creator of all things back in the beginning of space, time, and matter–this Word visited us in a human body and lived among us for a time.

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Gems from John 1: Beginnings

Posted on May 29, 2026 by Steve Husting

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1 WEB). With the use of “Word,” John seems to be addressing Greek and Jewish readers. For the Greek reader, the Word is a higher power; for the Jew it is the Word of the Lord, the God the the Hebrew Scriptures. John writes that the Word was at the beginning, which is the same opening as Genesis 1:1, “In the beginning, God.”

John is opening up the identity of the Word gradually throughout this chapter, starting with the Word was with God and the Word was God. So the Word being with God is separate from God in some way, and He is still God Himself in some way.

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Names of Christ in Revelation: Philadelphia

Posted on May 1, 2026 by Steve Husting

The Church of Philadelphia, Rev. 3:7-13

Rev. 3:7 “And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write, ‘These things says He who is holy, He who is true, “He who has the key of David, He who opens and no one shuts, and shuts and no one opens” ’ ” The Scriptures tell us that the Lord is holy, so we should also be holy in all our conduct (1 Pet. 1:15). After all, we are to become more and more like Jesus. God formed us after His own image, so the more we learn of Jesus, the more we may give ourselves to that vision and be transformed. Jesus was holy, meaning set apart for God’s purpose. Jesus knew His purpose and gave Himself to it. He is so set on his purpose as our Savior, that even now He is interceding for us, washing us from sin, blessing us with gifts to build His church, and more. He is completely devoted to the purpose of saving us and preparing us for an abundant entrance into His kingdom. Blessed are those who discover their gifts and direction in life, and pursue it. They will have many blessed moments of illumination and empowering as they follow the Lord’s will with all their hearts.

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Names of Christ in Revelation: Laodicea

Posted on May 1, 2026 by Steve Husting

The Church of Laodicea, Rev. 3:14-22

Rev. 3:14 “The Amen, the Faithful and True Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God”

Jesus used “amen” often in His sayings, though they are usually translated as “verily, verily” or “truly” in our bibles. No-one else uses it this way. The New Bible Dictionary defines it as “to be firm, steady, trustworthy.” So when we say “amen” afterwards, we are asserting the truthfulness of what we heard. Jesus is the source of every trustworthy saying He ever uttered. He Himself is the Amen, and whatever He said will come about exactly as He said. We who are believers have a trustworthy source that pictures exactly what life is all about, right there in the Bible. The God who cannot lie has given us the truth of all things.

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Names of Christ in Revelation: Sardis

Posted on April 24, 2026 by Steve Husting

The Church of Sardis, Rev. 3:1-6

Rev. 3:1 “He who has the seven Spirits of God and the seven stars” What an intriguing picture of Christ. He’s pointing us to what He has, something no one else has. Commentators say the seven Spirits represent the seven-fold traits of the Holy Spirit listed in Isaiah 11:2—Spirit, wisdom, understanding, counsel, might, knowledge, fear of the Lord. He also has the seven stars, which is explained in Rev. 1:20, “The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches.” When something is in His hand, it’s in His protection, and the angels, or messengers of the churches, are in His protective care. Why should these be important to us?

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Names of Christ in Revelation: Thyatira

Posted on April 17, 2026 by Steve Husting

The Church of Thyatira, Rev. 2:18-29

Rev. 2:18 “Son of God, who has eyes like a flame of fire, and His feet like fine brass” Looking up bronze and brass in the OT and NT (KJV and NKJV), many uses of bronze refer to joining together the tabernacle furnishings. Two verses mention crushing enemies with the feet, but not with bronze or brass feet (2 Sam. 22:39, Psa. 18:38). There is the bronze serpent of Moses in Num. 21:9. Two verses linking bronze and God’s judgment on Israel are found in Ezek. 22:30, Ezek. 24:11. These five latter verses, along with the Son of God’s eyes like a flame of fire, paint an ominous picture, perhaps not one we readily associate with the Son of God. Do you see Him as a judge of your church with this picture?

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Names of Christ in Revelation: Pergamos

Posted on April 10, 2026 by Steve Husting

The Church of Pergamos, Rev. 2:12-17

Rev. 2:12 “He who has the sharp, two-edged sword” This church was compromising their faith. On the one hand, they believed in the sacrifice of Christ on their behalf; on the other hand, they sacrificed to idols. They knew God was holy and He merits all they have, yet they commit sexual immorality, giving their bodies to another, Rev. 2:14. Where Jesus is to be their shepherd and lead them, they have instead placed leaders who pointed them to these wrong practices and beliefs, Rev. 2:15, following the doctrine of Nicolaitans in their church structure. Their false leaders were taking the place of the Spirit’s leading in their lives.

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Names of Christ in Revelation: Smyrna

Posted on April 3, 2026 by Steve Husting

The Church of Smyrna, Rev. 2:8-11

Rev. 2:8 “The First and the Last, who was dead, and came to life” The names[1] given in place of Christ fit the situation facing the church in which it is used. Smyrna is undergoing persecution, Rev. 2:9, and many are going to die, 2:10. This title of Jesus is to encourage them that He is the one who always existed in eternity past and eternity future, then in His human incarnation was alive, suffered death, and returned to life again. The suffering church, already holding to the ground of their faith—Christ—is encouraged to keep believing to the end, knowing that He who rose again will raise them to life as well. It’s OK to let my mortal life go, because it will continue in the next world forever.

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Names of Christ in Revelation: Ephesus

Posted on March 27, 2026 by Steve Husting

I made these studies to focus on Jesus and get a better grasp on who He is and what He’s done for us. The Book of Revelation is an unveiling of Christ. It has many doctrinal statements about Christ that are hard to find anywhere else. The point is to take these names and worship Him and place Him above anything else I have. Nothing I have will give me life like He can. Nothing I own will result in everlasting glory and rewards—it all comes from a loving, obedient relationship with Jesus the Christ, who loved me and gave Himself for me.

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Meditations on 1 John 5:18, with Notes

Posted on March 6, 2026 by Steve Husting

For an explanation of this layout and the key to the books referenced, read here. https://stevehusting.com/alivetogod/meditations-on-1-john-11-4-with-notes/

v. 18 We know that everyone who has been born of God does not sin, but the one who is born of God keeps him, and the evil one does not touch him.

(Bible Knowl Comm NT) “Each verse in John 5:18-20 begins with ‘we know.’ ” This ‘we’ is “probably fundamentally apostolic. … anyone born of God is a person whose true, inward nature is inherently sinless. … the one who has been born of God keeps himself. … A believer’s new man (or ‘new self’; Eph. 4:24; Col. 3:10) is fundamentally impervious to sin and hence the evil one, Satan, does not touch him.”

(Vincent’s II) “Toucheth. … express a touch which exerts a modifying influence upon the object.” (Life) “5:18-19 God has freed believers from their slavery to Satan, and he keeps them safe from Satan’s continued attacks.”

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Jews, Gentiles, and Jesus

Posted on March 4, 2026 by Steve Husting

Thesis

This Bible College paper will seek to demonstrate that the conversion of Gentiles in the book of Acts was according to the preordained plan of God. It examines OT prophecies of Gentile inclusion in the kingdom as part of God’s plan, Christ’s preemptive messages of the Gentile inclusion in the kingdom, a few representative samples of the gospel validating OT Scriptures to the Gentiles, and Paul’s motivation to reach the Gentiles to fulfill God’s plan. We will note the agreement between all these sections, which reflect the Jewish heritage underpinning the spread of the gospel. So now “the sphere in which we must look for God at work in salvation is no longer the nation of Israel but another nation. This is not the Gentiles as such … but a people of God derived from all nations, Jew and Gentile.”[1]

[1] R. T. France, Matthew: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 1, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1985), 313.

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Meditations on 1 John 5:14-17, with Notes

Posted on February 27, 2026 by Steve Husting

For an explanation of this layout and the key to the books referenced, read here. https://stevehusting.com/alivetogod/meditations-on-1-john-11-4-with-notes/

v. 14, This is the confidence we have before him: If we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.

(Bible Knowl Comm NT) “5:14-15. … Christians today discern God’s will through the Scriptures and ask accordingly. But the unit of thought that commences with 5:3b has focused on the truth that God’s commands are not a burden because faith in God’s Son is the secret of spiritual victory over the world.”

(Vincent’s II) “Confidence. Rev., boldness.”

(Life) “5:14-15 The emphasis here is on God’s will, not our will. If we align our prayers with his will, he will listen; and we can be certain that if he listens, he will give us a definite answer.” (ESV) “5:14 … does not mean that, before Christians can pray effectively, they need somehow to discover God’s secret plans for the future. … they should ask according to what the Bible teaches about God’s will.”

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Receiving Power

Posted on February 25, 2026 by Steve Husting

“But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth” (Acts 1:8).

The people gathered in the upper room were waiting to receive power (120 people, not just the 12 apostles). When a mighty rushing wind came through the room, they were filled with the Holy Spirit and received power. That power was to enable them to “be witnesses to Me” wherever they go, Jesus said. As we examine the book of Acts and the way the power was used, we can get an idea of how the power can be experienced in our lives—if we keep in mind that we can’t make formulas for confidently telling when and how the Spirit will work in us.

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Meditations on 1 John 5:6-13, with Notes

Posted on February 20, 2026 by Steve Husting

For an explanation of this layout and the key to the books referenced, read here. https://stevehusting.com/alivetogod/meditations-on-1-john-11-4-with-notes/

v. 6, Jesus Christ ​— ​he is the one who came by water and blood, not by water only, but by water and by blood. And the Spirit is the one who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth.

(Bible Knowl Comm NT) Water = baptism. Blood = death. “5:6-8. But the object of this faith must aways be the One who came by water and blood—Jesus Christ. … suggests that he was refuting a false notion of the type held by Cerinthus. … taught that the divine Christ descended on the man Jesus at His baptism and left Him before His crucifixion. Thus he denied … [Jesus] came by both water and blood.”

(Vincent’s II) “By water and blood. Water refers to Christ’s baptism at the beginning of His Messianic work … Blood refers to His bloody death upon the cross.” Here are two principles of interpretation: “(1.) Water and blood must point both to some purely historical facts in the life of our Lord on earth… (2.) They must not be interpreted symbolically, but understood of something so real and powerful.” (Recovery) “… and the Spirit, who is the truth, the reality in life (Rom. 8:2), germinates those whom God has redeemed out of the old creation, by regenerating them with the divine life. Thus they are born of God and become His children.”

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Christ in All the Scriptures

Posted on February 16, 2026 by Steve Husting

“And beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself” (Luke 24:27).

I’m sure many of us, having read those words, wished Luke had spelled out those Scriptures Jesus used. Many of us who study the word and already know about the prophecies of Christ will be able to point out several, such as His birthplace, His manner of death, His resurrection, and His ancestor King David. Yet Luke actually recorded many places where the Lord had revealed verses about Himself to His apostles—in Luke’s other account, Acts! They are given in prayers, visions, gospel proclamations, and speeches. Let’s look at a sampling of each.

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Meditations on 1 John 5:4-5, with Notes

Posted on February 13, 2026 by Steve Husting

For an explanation of this layout and the key to the books referenced, read here. https://stevehusting.com/alivetogod/meditations-on-1-john-11-4-with-notes/

(Bible Knowl Comm NT) “If love for God and one’s fellow Christians is at its core obedience to God’s commands, how can these be carried out? … John pointed to faith as the secret of a victorious obedient life.”

v. 4, because everyone who has been born of God conquers the world. This is the victory that has conquered the world: our faith.

(Bible Knowl Comm NT) “This [God’s commands are not burdensome] is because the principle of victory resides in everyone born of God. … His faith in Christ, … constitutes a victory over the world system which is satanically blinded.”

(Vincent’s II) “That overcometh. The aorist tense, overcame. The victory over the world was, potentially, won when we believed in Jesus. … We overcome the world by being brought into union with Christ. On becoming as He is (iii. 17) we become partakers of His victory.” “Our faith. …the confession that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God.”

(Life) “5:3-4 Jesus never promised that obeying him would be easy.” (ESV) “Genuine Christians are not defeated by the world’s hostility or compelled by it to turn from Christ.”

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The Kingdom of Heaven is Here and Now

Posted on February 11, 2026 by Steve Husting

A friend was telling me that he could hardly wait for heaven so he could escape all that’s going on in the world. I stopped him and asked, “But what about Jesus? He said that the kingdom of God is here in the present, and therefore to repent (change your mind) and believe the good news” (Mark 1:15).

When Jesus came, He radically changed the concept of the kingdom of heaven. On the one hand, Jesus is in heaven at the right hand of the Father. This is true. On the other hand, He brought a kind of heaven to earth, calling it the kingdom of heaven. This also is true. Jesus challenges us to repent, to change our minds regarding what the kingdom of God is. He insists it is good news, the gospel, and we are to believe it. What exactly is Jesus asking us to believe? What good news have we missed?

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A Chosen Disciple

Posted on February 9, 2026 by Steve Husting

Jesus “had given commandments to the apostles whom He had chosen” (Acts 1:2).

Jesus Himself had chosen the final 12 apostles. Who were these apostles whom He chose? They were chosen out from His disciples (Matthew 10:3-5). A disciple is a learner, a student. They had committed themselves to following Him as their Rabbi, to go where He went, to do what He did. Ultimately, their whole mission was to communicate Him, the Savior of the World. So they needed to learn of Him, believe in Him, follow Him, be like Him. They needed to know Him and have a strong relationship with Him. We must do the same if we are to carry out our Christian mission as images of God who are the light of the world. Not only to speak of Him, but to live like Him. To share the message and to model the message. Christ is the message.

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Meditations on 1 John 5:1-3, with Notes

Posted on February 6, 2026 by Steve Husting

For an explanation of this layout and the key to the books referenced, read here. https://stevehusting.com/alivetogod/meditations-on-1-john-11-4-with-notes/

Chapter 5 (CSB–the verses in this chapter were taken from this version. Each chapter will be from a different version to avoid copyright issues.)

(Bible Knowl Comm NT) “But the experience described there [4:11-19], with its astounding concept of boldness on the day of judgment, can be reached only in a most practical way.” The concluding verses are a summary of that way.

v. 1, Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and everyone who loves the Father also loves the one born of him.

(Bible Knowl Comm NT) How do I know he’s a Christian? He believes that Jesus is the Christ. “5:1-3a. … Whether or not a believer exhibits an admirable life, he should be an object of his fellow Christian’s love.”

(ESV) “5:1-5 Faith Keeps the Commandment of God. The road to love—such a great concern of John’s—is paved with faith in Christ.” (Recovery) “The Gnostics and the Cerinthians did not believe that Jesus and the Christ were identical.”

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Meditations on 1 John 4:16-21, with Notes

Posted on January 30, 2026 by Steve Husting

For an explanation of this layout and the key to the books referenced, read here.

God’s Love and Ours (cont.), 4:16-21 NIV

v. 16, And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them.

(Bible Knowl Comm NT) “We know and rely on (lit., ‘have come to believe’) … Living in the atmosphere of mutual Christian love produces a personal knowledge of God’s love and fresh experience of faith in that love. … John again affirmed the reality of the abiding experience enjoyed by all Christians who love.”

(ESV) “Assurance of salvation, while never an arrogant presumption, can become a settled state of mind and heart.” (Recovery) “God abides in us to be our life inwardly and our living outwardly. Thus He can be one with us practically.”

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Meditations on 1 John 4:11-15, with Notes

Posted on January 23, 2026 by Steve Husting

For an explanation of this layout and the key to the books referenced, read here.

God’s Love and Ours (cont.), 4:7-15 NIV

v. 11, Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.

(Bible Knowl Comm NT) “4:9-11 … Nothing less than God’s love in Christ is the model for the love Christian should have toward one another.”

v. 12, No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.

(Bible Knowl Comm NT) “4:12-13. In His divine nature and essence, God has never been seen by any living man. … Yet in the experience of mutual love among believers, this invisible God actually lives in us and His love is made complete in us.”

(Vincent’s II) “His Love. Not our love to Him, nor His love to us, but the love which is peculiarly His; which answers to His nature.”

(Life) “Jesus … has revealed God to us. When we love one another,  the invisible God reveals himself to others through us, and his love is made complete. … If God sees that we are ready to love others, he will bring them to us.”

(Moody) “When believers love one another, it shows (1) that God abides in us—i.e., it is evidence of our relationship with an invisible God; (2) that His love is perfected in us—i.e., we display divine affection toward others.” (Recovery) “His love here denotes God’s love within us that becomes our love toward one another, and it is with this love that we love one another. … This love is perfected and completed in its manifestation when we express it in our living by habitually loving one another with it.”

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Meditations on 1 John 4:7-10, with Notes

Posted on January 16, 2026 by Steve Husting

For an explanation of this layout and the key to the books referenced, read here.

God’s Love and Ours, 4:7-15 NIV

v. 7, Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.

(Bible Knowl Comm NT) “4:7-8. … the subject of love …, like faith in God’s Son (v. 13), is a product of the Spirit. As a confession of he incarnate person of Christ marks one off as being actuated by God (i.e. ‘from God’, vv. 5, 6) so does love, since love comes from. God. Hence, one who loves … has been born of God … and he knows God.”

(Vincent’s II) “Of God. Flows from God.”

(Life) “4:7ff . … God is the source of our love … Jesus is our example of what it means to love … The Holy Spirit gives us the power to love. … How well do you display your love for God in the choices you make and the actions you take?” (ESV) “Love is presented here as a consequence of, not a precondition for, being born of God.”

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