WANT TO SEE GOD?/1 JOHN 4:12-16

Many folks say, "If God would show Himself to me, then I would believe in Him." Such are convinced that seeing is believing, and to some degree seeing is believing. John, the author of our text, points out that people must see something to believe. But what is it that people must see? We begin with ...

I) NOT SEEING, YET SEEING–Vv.12-16

A) That doesn’t make much sense, does it? But, John says it make perfect sense. How? John says that "No one has beheld God at any time" (v.12a). Yet, we know that Moses is said to have seen the hind quarters of God’s glory, but did not behold Him in all His glory, otherwise Moses would have died. So, no sinner can stand in the presence of God and live. But yet, John wants believers to know that such a God "abides" in them, and that He is seen, in the sense that, others see His love lived out in them (v.12b). And, the more we, as believers, exercise God’s love, the more complete it becomes in us cf. 1 Thessalonians 3:11-13; 2 Thessalonians 1:3.

B) John wants us to know that God does abide in us. This is not for the more spiritually mature believer to experience, but for all, even the newest believer among us. Abiding is simply to be understood as one who is "in Christ by faith," and not subject to the deserved eternal punishment due to our sin. Verse 13 teaches us that such a testimony to abiding is gained by the work of God’s Spirit given to believers cf. Romans 5:5. We must be clear that John is not talking about just any type of love, but only the love of God that is personally received through faith in Jesus Christ. In other words, we cannot love, and therefore, have confidence that God abides in us, except we are in a personal relationship with Jesus Christ as Savior. God is not impressed with one’s expressions of love, no matter how sincere or costly, if that one is not in a saving relationship with Him through Christ.

C) Then, in verse 14, John comes back and says that He, and the other Apostles, have beheld and bear witness to the fact that God has sent His Son "to be the Savior of the world." This agrees with what we considered in the book of Hebrews some time ago cf. Hebrews 1:1-4. God reveals Himself, and His plan to save for Himself a people, through the person and work of Jesus Christ. And, such a testimony of revelation is given to us today by the Apostles who were eye witnesses of Jesus’ person and works. So, the only hope of our salvation from sin, death, judgment, and hell is believing the testimony of the Apostles to Jesus Christ.

D) John then points out the significance of their testimony in verse 15, as it has to do with their confidence that they are saved, or as he has already said, that God abides in them. So, it is necessary for us to "confess that Jesus is the Son of God" before we can have confidence that we are saved–freed from the sentence of death and hell. Here’s a quote that I hope will tie this together: " ... all those who profess that Jesus is the Son of God sent into the world to save sinners are manifesting the fact that God the Holy Spirit has done a work in their hearts and He dwells in them. And he’s saying, ‘That is why that doctrinal truth, that affirmation that Jesus is the sinless Son of God come into this world into our human flesh to save sinners–that is why that truth is so important. It’s absolutely essential for salvation’ ..."

E) We conclude with John connecting all this back to love in verse 16. John is saying, "The reason that truth, that affirmation that you embrace the fact that God sent His Son into the world to save sinners ... the reason that truth is so important is that [it] is the supreme picture of love, and you can’t love unless you know that God has sent His Son into the world to save you." In other words, you cannot love like God calls you to love, unless you for yourself embrace that truth. So, the question is, Have you? Come to Christ today if you have not and be saved, and know the love of God within, and see it’s effects without. Friends, doctrine is important, because our capacity to love is tied to understanding the love of God in sending His own Son into the world. To weaken or minimize doctrine is to deaden love.