TRUE SPIRIT, TRUE LOVE
I JOHN 4
I. Discerning the Spirit of truth from the spirit of error (v. 1-6)
A. Test the Spirts (v. 1)
B. Jesus is the Christ and he has come in the flesh (v. 2)
C. Not confessing Christ in the flesh=anti-Christ (v. 3)
D. The world is not to be feared (v. 4)
E. The world speaks of the physical (v. 5)
F. We speak of the spiritual (v. 6)
II. God is Love (v. 7-12)
A. Love—the sign of our rebirth and knowledge of God (v. 7)
B. God is Love (v. 8)
C. God demonstrated what love is for us (v. 9)
D. God gave his Son to appease His wrath, even when we did not love Him (v. 10)
E. In Christian love we replicate Christ’s love (v. 11)
F. Through us, the world indirectly sees the image of God (v. 12)
III. No Fear in Love (v. 13-21)
A. God gives us his Spirit (v. 13)
B. God gives us his Son (v. 14)
C. God gives us himself when we confess Jesus (v. 15)
D. God in us translates to love for mankind as God has loved us (v. 16)
E. As we become more like him, we grow more confident (v. 17)
F. When we have perfectly let in the love of God, we will fear nothing (v. 18)
G. His love for us is the foundation of his revelation (v. 19)
H. See God’s image in your brother (v. 20)
I. Love is a command from Christ himself (v. 21)
We build our confidence toward our salvation by testing every spirit, and always striving to love as the Son of God loved us.
​