Reformed Doctrine Daily Devotions

Today’s devotion comes from 1 John 4:19.

 

“We love, because He first loved us.”  1 John 4:19.

 

———————-

 

“We have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us.  God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.”  1 John 4:16. 

 

“I am the vine, you are the branches;  he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.”  John 15:5

 

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love …”  Galatians 5:22.

Today’s devotion comes from 1 John 4:15-18.

 

“¹⁵ Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God.  ¹⁶ We have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us.  God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.  ¹⁷ By this, love is perfected with us, so that we may have confidence in the day of judgment;  because as He is, so also are we in this world.  ¹⁸ There is no fear in love;  but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love.”  1 John 4:15-18.

 

—————

 

Today’s Scripture teaches us the importance of confidence.  It is not the false confidence which comes from trusting ourselves.  But, it is the true confidence which comes from faith in God.  

 

“By this, love is perfected with us, so that we may have confidence in the day of judgment;  because as He is, so also are we in this world.”  Verse 17.  “There is no fear in love;  but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love.”  Verse 18.

 

 

“We have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us.  …”  Verse 16. 

 

This belief is not a belief that God loves everyone.  Rather, this is a belief that we are one of the elect whom God loves.

 

This belief is not a belief that there is anything loveable about us.  Rather, it is a belief that God is love.

 

This is not a belief that God loves us because we are godly and righteous.  Rather, it is a belief that God loved us even though we were ungodly and unrighteous.  “For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.  For one will hardly die for a righteous man;  though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die.  But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”  Romans 5:6-8. 

 

This belief is not a belief that God has faith that we will do the right thing.  This belief is a belief that God will do the right thing and do every thing for our salvation from “Unconditional Election” through “Limited Atonement” through “Irresistible Grace” through “Preservation of the Saints”, “U” through “P” of “TULIP”, the Five Points of Calvinism, the Reformed Doctrine of Salvation.  “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him.  …”  Ephesians 1:3-4.  

 

This belief is not a belief that we are faithful.  This belief is a belief that God is faithful and will preserve us to salvation.  “Of this preservation of the elect to salvation, and of their perseverance in the faith, true believers for themselves may and ought to obtain assurance according to the measure of their faith, whereby they arrive at the certain persuasion, that they ever will continue true and living members of the church; and that they experience forgiveness of sins, and will at last inherit eternal life.”   Article 9. of FIFTH HEAD OF DOCTRINE Of the Perseverance of the Saints of the Canons of Dordt

                                   

In conclusion, this is the love that God has for us.  “Therefore, do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward.  For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God, you may receive what was promised.

But we are not of those who shrink back to destruction, but of those who have faith to the preserving of the soul.”  Hebrews 10:35-39.

Today’s devotion comes from 1 John 4:11-14.

 

“¹¹ Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.  ¹² No one has seen God at any time;  if we love one another, God abides in us, and His love is perfected in us.  ¹³ By this we know that we abide in Him and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit.  ¹⁴ We have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son to be the Savior of the world.”  1 John 4:11-14.

 

———————-

 

There was nothing attractive about us that made us loveable.  “For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.  For one will hardly die for a righteous man;  though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die.  But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”  Romans 5:6-8.

 

““The Lord did not set His love on you nor choose you because you were more in number than any of the peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples, but because the Lord loved you and kept the oath which He swore to your forefathers, the Lord brought you out by a mighty hand and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.”  Deuteronomy 7:7-8.

 

“Beloved, if God so loved us (when we were “helpless”, “ungodly”, “sinners”, and otherwise unimpressive collectively), we also ought to love one another.”  Verse 11.

 

Our love for others should not be based on what others do for us or can do for us.  “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’  But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven;  for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.  For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have?  Do not even the tax collectors do the same?  If you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others?  Do not even the Gentiles do the same?  Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”  Matthew 5:43-48.

 

Rather, our love for others should be based on what God has done for us.  “God abides in us, and His love is perfected in us.”  Verse 12.  “He has given us of His Spirit.”  Verse 13.  “We have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son to be the Savior of the world.”  Verse 14.  “… the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.”  Romans 5:5.  “But the fruit of the Spirit is love …”  Galatians 5:22.  “We love, because He first loved us.”  1 John 4:19.

Today’s devotion comes from 1 John 4:7-10.

 

“⁷ Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God;  and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God.  ⁸ The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love.  ⁹ By this the love of God was manifested in us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him. ¹⁰ In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.”  1 John 4:7-10.

 

——————————-

 

We will not love as we should love by looking inside us and trying to be nicer:  “love is from God“.  Verse 7.  

 

Rather than lovely rose pedals inside us that we can gather and sprinkle on others, it is written:

“Their throat is an open grave,
With their tongues they keep deceiving,”
“The poison of asps is under their lips”;
“Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness”;
“Their feet are swift to shed blood,
Destruction and misery are in their paths,
And the path of peace they have not known.”  Romans 3:13-17.  Reformed doctrine first teaches us about man’s natural condition, “Total Depravity”, the “T” of “TULIP”, the Five Points of Calvinism, the Reformed Doctrine of Salvation.  

 

Our hope to love others comes from God:  “… for love is from God;  and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God.  The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love.”  Verses 7 and 8. 

 

“By this the love of God was manifested in us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him.  In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.”  Verses 9 and 10.

                                

“For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith;  and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God.”  Ephesians 3:14-19.

Today’s devotion comes from 1 John 4:1-6. 

 

“¹ Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.  ² By this you know the Spirit of God:  every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God;  ³ and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God;  this is the spirit of the antichrist, of which you have heard that it is coming, and now it is already in the world.  ⁴ You are from God, little children, and have overcome them;  because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world.  ⁵ They are from the world;  therefore they speak as from the world, and the world listens to them.  ⁶ We are from God;  he who knows God listens to us;  he who is not from God does not listen to us.  By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error.”  1 John 4:1-6. 

 

——————

 

We remember the immediately preceding sentence to today’s Scripture:  “… We know by this that He abides in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us.”  1 John 3:24.  There will be those who claim that they do have the Spirit, and they will claim that they are spiritual.  They will appear religious.  

 

But today’s Scripture warns us:  “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.”  Verse 1.

 

In yesterday’s devotion, we read:  “But an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth;  for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers.  God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”  John 4:23-24.  It may seem as if there are two separate components of worship:  spirit and truth.   But, this is a false dichotomy.

 

Today’s Scripture refers to one “spirit of truth”.  Every spirit that does not confess the Truth, Who is Jesus, is not from God.  Verses 2 and 3. 

 

There is a danger of viewing spiritual as only deeper expressions of feelings.  It can lead to worship which is valued based on feelings.  Accordingly, worship will be judged on how many expressions of feelings were allowed and how loud and how visual those expressions of feelings were.  “Anything goes”. 

 

The Holy Spirit will always lead us to the truth.  “But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth;  for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak;  and He will disclose to you what is to come.  He will glorify Me, for He will take of Mine and will disclose it to you.”  John 16:13-14. 

 

Likewise, true prophets a/k/a “true preachers and teachers” will lead us to the truth.  They will emphasize the truth of Scripture above feelings.    

  

In conclusion, it still can be frustrating for true preachers and teachers.  They may wonder why, despite the clarity of Scripture and their teaching, people do not listen to them and follow them.  But, today’s Scripture explains:  “They are from the world;  therefore they speak as from the world, and the world listens to them.  We are from God;  he who knows God listens to us;  he who is not from God does not listen to us. …”  Verses 5 and 6.  Likewise, John 15:18-20 states:  “If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you.  If you were of the world, the world would love its own;  but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, because of this the world hates you.  Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A slave is not greater than his master.’  If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you; if they kept My word, they will keep yours also.” 

 

Today’s devotion comes from 1 John 3:23-24.

 

“This is His commandment, that we believe in the name of His Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, just as He commanded us.  The one who keeps His commandments abides in Him, and He in him.  We know by this that He abides in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us.”  1 John 3:23-24.

 

—————-

 

It is important both that we keep God’s commandments and abide in Him, and He is us, and also that we have the Holy Spirit to reveal to us and assure us that He abides in us.  We need both purpose of keeping God’s commandments and peace of knowing that God abides in us.  

 

 

“The one who keeps His commandments abides in Him, and He in him.  …”  Verse 24.  

 

“If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love;  just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love.”  John 15:10.

 

 

“… We know by this that He abides in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us.”  Verse 24.

 

“The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God,”  Romans 8:16. 

 

“In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation—having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of His glory.”  Ephesians 1:13-14.

 

“But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth;  for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak;  and He will disclose to you what is to come.  He will glorify Me, for He will take of Mine and will disclose it to you.”  John 16:13-14.

 

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control;  against such things there is no law.”  Galatians 5:22-23.

 

“Little children, let us not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and truth.  We will know by this that we are of the truth, and will assure our heart before Him in whatever our heart condemns us;  for God is greater than our heart and knows all things.  Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God;”  1 John 3:18-21. 

 

“but just as it is written,

For to us God revealed them through the Spirit;  for the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God.  For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him?  Even so the thoughts of God no one knows except the Spirit of God.  Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may know the things freely given to us by God, which things we also speak, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, combining spiritual thoughts with spiritual words.”  1 Corinthians 2:8-13.

“But an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth;  for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers.  God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”  John 4:23-24.

Today’s devotion comes from 1 John 3:16-22.

 

“¹⁶ We know love by this, that He laid down His life for us;  and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.  ¹⁷ But whoever has the world’s goods, and sees his brother in need and closes his heart against him, how does the love of God abide in him?  ¹⁸ Little children, let us not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and truth.  ¹⁹ We will know by this that we are of the truth, and will assure our heart before Him ²⁰ in whatever our heart condemns us;  for God is greater than our heart and knows all things.  ²¹ Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God;  ²² and whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do the things that are pleasing in His sight.”  1 John 3:16-22.

 

—————-

 

First of all, God is our example to follow.  “We know love by this, that He laid down His life for us;  and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.”  Verse 16. 

 

And, because God laid down His life for us, we can have faith that “whatever we ask we receive from Him” Verse 22,  “He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things?”  Romans 8:32. 

 

Second, we are exhorted to love our brother in deed and truth.  “But whoever has the world’s goods, and sees his brother in need and closes his heart against him, how does the love of God abide in him?  Little children, let us not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and truth.”  Verses 17 and 18.

 

We are reminded of James 2:15-17 and Deuteronomy 15:7-8.

 

“If a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and be filled,” and yet you do not give them what is necessary for their body, what use is that?  Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself.”  James 2:15-17. 

 

“If there is a poor man with you, one of your brothers, in any of your towns in your land which the Lord your God is giving you, you shall not harden your heart, nor close your hand from your poor brother;  but you shall freely open your hand to him, and shall generously lend him sufficient for his need in whatever he lacks.”  Deuteronomy 15:7-8. 

 

Third, by so loving our brother in deed and truth, we will do what is pleasing in His sight and have assurance and confidence before God.  “We will know by this that we are of the truth, and will assure our heart before Him in whatever our heart condemns us;  for God is greater than our heart and knows all things.  Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God;”  Verses 19-21.

 

“Now, little children, abide in Him, so that when He appears, we may have confidence and not shrink away from Him in shame at His coming.  If you know that He is righteous, you know that everyone also who practices righteousness is born of Him.”  1 John 2:28-29. 

Today’s devotion comes from 1 John 3:11-15. 

                                         

“¹¹ For this is the message which you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another;  ¹² not as Cain, who was of the evil one and slew his brother.  And for what reason did he slay him?  Because his deeds were evil, and his brother’s were righteous.                                

 

¹³ Do not be surprised, brethren, if the world hates you.  ¹⁴ We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brethren.  He who does not love abides in death.  ¹⁵ Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer;  and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.”  1 John 3:11-15.

———————-

There are deeds of darkness and death.

“Cain … was of the evil one and slew his brother.  And for what reason did he slay him?  Because his deeds were evil”.  Verse 12.

“Do not be surprised, brethren, if the world hates you.”  Verse 13.

“He who does not love abides in death.”  Verse 14.

“Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer”.  Verse 15.

“and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.”  Verse 15.

There are lights of love and life.

“For this is the message which you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another”.  Verse 11.

The deeds of Abel “were righteous.”  Verse 12.

“We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brethren.”  Verse 14.

Jesus Christ, the Light of the world, is our only hope that we can be those lights of love and life in a world of darkness and death.

“The people who were sitting in darkness saw a great Light,
And those who were sitting in the land and shadow of death,
Upon them a Light dawned.”  Matthew 4:11.

“In Him (Jesus Christ) was life, and the life was the Light of men.  The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.  …

^“There was the true Light which, coming into the world, enlightens every man.  He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him.  He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him.  But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.”  John 1:4-5 and 9-13.

“This is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you, that God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all.  If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth;  but if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.”  1 John 1:5-7.

“The one who loves his brother abides in the Light and there is no cause for stumbling in him.”  1 John 2:10.

“Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God;  and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God.”  1 John 4:7.

“In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.  Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.”  1 John 4:10-11.

“We love, because He first loved us.”  1 John 4:19.

“Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life.”  John 5:24.

Today’s devotion comes from 1 John 3:4-10.

 

“⁴ Everyone who practices sin also practices lawlessness;  and sin is lawlessness.  ⁵ You know that He appeared in order to take away sins;  and in Him there is no sin.  ⁶ No one who abides in Him sins;  no one who sins has seen Him or knows Him.  ⁷ Little children, make sure no one deceives you;  the one who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous;  ⁸ the one who practices sin is of the devil;  for the devil has sinned from the beginning.  The Son of God appeared for this purpose, to destroy the works of the devil.  ⁹ No one who is born of God practices sin, because His seed abides in him;  and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.  ¹⁰ By this the children of God and the children of the devil are obvious:  anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor the one who does not love his brother.”  1 John 3:4-10. 

 

——————–

 

We too often think of Christ’s role as only to forgive our sins.  But, today’s Scripture emphasizes:  “The Son of God appeared for this purpose, to destroy the works of the devil.”  Verse 8.

 

It is not good enough just that we are forgiven of our sins.  We must practice righteousness.

 

And, the only way that we can practice righteousness is for God to change our hearts and also otherwise work within us to produce such righteousness.

 

“You know that He appeared in order to take away sins;  and in Him there is no sin.   No one who abides in Him sins;  no one who sins has seen Him or knows Him.”  Verses 5 and 6.

 

“No one who is born of God practices sin, because His seed abides in him;  and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.  By this the children of God and the children of the devil are obvious:  anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor the one who does not love his brother.”  Verses 9 and 10.

 

We still do sin.  But, we do not continually “practice” sin as we did before we were born again. 

 

“But thanks be to God that though you were slaves of sin, you became obedient from the heart to that form of teaching to which you were committed, and having been freed from sin, you became slaves of righteousness.”  Romans 6:17-18.

 

“For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel
After those days, says the Lord:
I will put My laws into their minds,
And I will write them on their hearts.
And I will be their God,
And they shall be My people.”  Hebrews 8:10.

 

Today’s devotion comes from 1 John 3:1-3. 

 

“See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we would be called children of God;  and such we are.  For this reason the world does not know us, because it did not know Him.  Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be.  We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is.  And everyone who has this hope fixed on Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.”  1 John 3:1-3. 

 

——————— 

 

“You look just like your Dad.”  I loved it when people would make that comment about me when I was young. 

 

How much more should we love the thought of today’s Scripture that we are children of God and that we will be like Him! 

 

Here is our Dad – 

 

 

We all believe with the heart, and confess with the mouth, that there is one only simple and spiritual Being, which we call God; and that he is eternal, incomprehensible, invisible, immutable, infinite, almighty, perfectly wise, just, good, and the overflowing fountain of all good.  Belgic Confession.

Question 7:  What is God?

Answer:  God is a Spirit, in and of himself infinite in being, glory, blessedness, and perfection;  all-sufficient, eternal, unchangeable, incomprehensible, everywhere present, almighty, knowing all things, most wise, most holy, most just, most merciful and gracious, long-suffering, and abundant in goodness and truth.  Westminister Larger Catechism.

Question 26.  What believest thou when thou sayest, “I believe in God the Father, Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth”?

Answer.  That the eternal Father of our Lord Jesus Christ (who of nothing made heaven and earth, with all that is in them;  who likewise upholds and governs the same by his eternal counsel and providence) is for the sake of Christ his Son, my God and my Father;  on whom I rely so entirely, that I have no doubt, but he will provide me with all things necessary for soul and body:  and further, that he will make whatever evils he sends upon me, in this valley of tears turn out to my advantage; for he is able to do it, being Almighty God, and willing, being a faithful Father.  Heidelberg Catechism.

This glorious hope (that we will be like our Dad) is not based on our duty and determination.  This glorious hope is based on the Almighty Power of God.

“For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren;  and these whom He predestined, He also called;  and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified.”  Romans 8:29-30.

“For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ;  who will transform the body of our humble state into conformity with the body of His glory, by the exertion of the power that He has even to subject all things to Himself.”  Philippians 3:20-21.