John
The Gospel of John
John 1:4 Life and Light
Does it occur to you that the Lord uses the word “light” as a picture word to illustrate the less tangible concept of “life”? These two words are often used together in Scripture. Here, of course, and elsewhere as in John 8:12 where the expression is “light of life”. In the beginning, God’s life obviously brought with it a kind of spiritual “enlightenment” which was lost on the occasion of the fall of Adam. What exactly happened we don’t know, but their nakedness or awareness of it was tied to the eating from the tree which had been forbidden (Gen.3:11). As long as their eye was single in their obedience, their body was full of light, but when their eye became evil they were filled with darkness (Matt.6:22-23). Perhaps this is what is meant in Romans 1:21 where it says of fallen man “their foolish heart was darkened”.
We can praise the Lord that those of us who walked in darkness have seen a great light (like Israel in this prophecy, Isaiah 9:2). Now, let us walk in the light as that is where He is ( I Jn.1:7). Doing that, we shall be changed into His image (II Cor.3:18) being filled with the light of
the knowledge of Him.
Isn’t it sad that so many believers walk in the vanity of their own mind? We expect the unsaved to do that for they are alienated from God’s life and have blinded hearts. But we must walk as children of light ( Eph.4:14,18 and 5:8).
John 2:1 Cana
This is a most interesting word. It comes from the word “reed” which may have originated due to reedy conditions in the area. Reeds stand erect which is the meaning of the word in Hebrew. Its primary root is quite deep. In Strong’s Hebrew dictionary he suggests that the sense of “to create” is found in its meaning, and by extension the concept of “purchase” implying ownership. If we find so much meaning in a word, how much more does God? Does the location of Christ’s first miracle have any significance? “These men I created, these men I will purchase by my death, I have the right of ownership.” Perhaps it is going too far to suppose that the Lord Jesus Christ who could say these things about those who ran out of wine at a wedding feast would relate a simple request of His mother to the fact that it was His life that they really lacked. Wine to the Jew represented abundant life and He provided the “best wine.” Perhaps too, it was just coincidence that there were six water pots instead of five or four, when the number six represents man and the clay pots became vessels for the Master to use. Could the sweetest and purest water from those pots ever purify a guilty sinner? It’s no wonder that they stood empty, Judaism certainly was.
A rather minor miracle stands at the threshold of a book that will set forth in many ways that He is The Life that all men lack. Was He simply demonstrating His power or rather was He symbolically on this “third day” looking forward to the time when His “hour would come” and thus “manifested forth His glory”?
I leave it for you to decide if there may be more here than first meets the eye.
John 3:5 “....born of water and of the spirit...”
This answer to Nicodemus’ first question has been the focal point of argument for centuries. What did the Lord Jesus mean by being “born of water”? There are two common theories as to what the water represents. Some say it represents baptism. Somehow you can smell a little Romanism or even a little baptismal regenerationism in that line of thought. Others say it represents the word of God since the “washing of regeneration” is spoken of by Titus (3:5).
I believe that the context helps us see that these are contrasting thoughts. “Born of water”referring to physical birth and “born of the spirit”, to spiritual birth. A term often heard in relation to the process of giving birth to a child is that of the breaking forth of water.
Certainly, the context bears this out as our Lord speaks of the contrast of flesh and spirit (v.6). Also the use of the word “again” suggests a second birth even as Nicodemus fumbled with the concept of somehow redoing the physical process.
In a book where “life” is to be such an important theme, it is significant that the figure of human reproduction be used. We enter physical life by being born into it. It is a common bodily function. As common perhaps as the concept of taking a drink of water was for the next player coming on the stage. A little more complex but then, surely a master of Israel should understand!
John 4:14 Springing Water
What the nation Israel had forsaken was due to come alive within a lowly Samaritan woman! Amazing grace was about to claim another wretched soul. Heaven will be full of them. The weak, the lowly and the despised coming to put their feet under the table of the King. There is Hagar with her story of the well of the Living One who saw her through her wilderness wanderings,and time would certainly fail to tell of the countless heroes and heroines of faith who since Hebrews eleven was penned, have added their names to the roll up yonder. Into and through them all the river of God has flowed, getting deeper all the way.
It is the stream that flows from this woman and the countless others like her that make the city of God ring with notes of gladness. Angels then will fold their wings and cherubim will bow in silent wonder as the songs of praise arise to worship the One Who gave her that living water for they cannot personally know the joy that our salvation brings.
Beside the shining river,we well may someday hear the clear sweet voice of this one along with Mary Magdelen singing a beautiful psalm of praise in duet to Him Whom she met by Jacob’s well.
Let us join them in singing unto the Springing Well that is full of water!
See Numbers 21:17 and Psalm 65:9
John 5:2 The Pool of Bethesda
There are many commentators on John’s Gospel that have thought that the basic layout of the subjects therein resembles the arrangement of the furniture of the tabernacle. The suggestion is that Nicodemus and the Samaritan woman represent the highest and lowest of sinners at the brazen altar with the Lamb of God as their offering for sin. The reference to the Bread of life in chapter six and the Light of the world in chapter eight and Christ’s high priestly prayer in chapter seventeen each suggest their counterparts, the table of showbread, the lampstand and the altar of incense. The death of Christ occurs in the Holy of Holies as His blood is sprinkled on the mercy seat (ch.19). In keeping with this concept, it is perhaps acceptable to think of the pool of Bethesda as the laver. It was placed near the sheep market and means house of mercy. (5 porches=grace)
Most important was the fact that the people who waited at the pool were feeble, weak and sickly. They represent believers who have come past the brazen altar (cross) in their experience but cannot get any further. The fellowship with Christ represented by the first room of the tabernacle is denied them. They cannot get in there due to a sinful (lame) walk(v.14). They are looking for an emotional experience (v.4) rather than remembering that the blood of Christ was sufficient to keep on cleansing them from sin (I John 1:7). We are to walk with Christ on the same basis as we first received Him (Col.2:6), not expecting some second work of grace. Applying I John 1 :9, let us go to the sheep market, get another lamb and as believer priests, wash our hands and feet and get on into the place of fellowship, food and prayer.
John 6:53 “...except ye eat the flesh of the Son of Man....”
The question in verse 52, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat ” accentuates the fact of Israel’s blindness. John the Baptist said when he saw Jesus “Behold the lamb...”(1:29). Every true Israelite should have realized that this Man was the fulfillment of each sacrifice in their history. By eating the sacrificial animal, the offerer became a partaker of the efficacy of the altar (I Cor.10:18). When the priests ate, it was Israel eating and it spoke of identification with the sacrifice. It denoted their position and thus their acceptance.
Of course, the blood of the animal was denied them and was to be poured out in Old Testament times. That was about to change. Why? Because until Christ died and the Holy Spirit came, man could not have the life of God within him. The Lord Jesus is indicating in this passage that, in this dispensation, believers will not only be in Him as to position, but He will be in them; “ye in Me and I in you” (Jn.14:20). These seven words of one syllable are pregnant with meaning for us.
At the communion table we celebrate with two kinds. The bread speaks of our being part of the body of Christ (the church) and corresponds with the eating of the sacrificial animal. The cup (the N.T. in His blood) represents the other side of the coin. Thus, we “drink His blood” indicating that we now have His life in us (v.53).
John 7:39 “........not yet given.....”
In this verse we are plainly told that, at this point in time, the Holy Spirit had not yet been given. Of course we know that the church began at Pentecost with the coming of the Holy Spirit, but we fail, somehow, to relate this fact to the earlier stories of Nicodemus and the Samaritan woman. Verse 38 speaks of the flowing of living water from the believer, obviously, from the well of water promised the woman. Since this is spoken concerning the Spirit Who was not yet given, there is no possibility that He was available to her at the time our Lord spoke to her. In other words, He was speaking in anticipation of the event and John, writing the account was speaking in retrospect. The same would be true of Nicodemus. How could the new birth take place if the Holy Spirit had not yet been given? If an Old Testament believer could be born again, then he must have become unborn when the Holy Spirit was taken from him ( Ps.51:11).
The important thing for us to remember is that we live in the dispensation of grace, the Holy Spirit has been given, we have been born of the spirit, and we are channels of God’s life.
Have you ever seen a frog pond, stagnant and green with slime? Quite a contrast with the River of God, full and flowing out to heal and give life (Ez.47:9).
Lord, make me a channel of your life today. There are too many frog pond Christians with no outlet. In Christ’s Name, Amen.
John 8:12 The Light of Life
Remembering that the main theme of this gospel is the coming into the world of the Life of God in flesh, we are again confronted with the concept of light as an expression of this Life (1:4).
A number of these various qualities of His life are set forth proceeded by the words “I am.”This was the name God told Moses to use when asked who sent him (Exodus 3:14). Our Lord declares that He is the Light of the world and then causes a blind man to see (ch.8). In chapter 6 after feeding the 5000, He teaches that He is the Bread of Life. In John eleven He states that He is the resurrection and He raises Lazarus. These physical miracles serve to punctuate His purpose. Who else but God can meet the needs of men: no wine, no bread, no sight, no life and each need an indication of a deeper spiritual one.
The world is a dark place and it is given unto us to shine as individuals (Matt.5:16), and as churches (Phil.2:15; Rev.2:5). This is kindergarten stuff, we know it so well. But, do we have minds enlightened with the word to the extent that we do not walk (as other Gentiles) in the vanity of our minds ( Eph.4:17), but as children of the Light (Eph.5:8)? He is no longer here but we are (Jn.9:5).
The priests went into the tabernacle to fellowship with the I AM, where there was no natural light except from the burning oil in the lamp stand. Where will we get our guidance today?
John 9:3 “The Works of God”
We have to conclude from what our Lord said concerning the blindness of this man whose name is not given, that from the beginning it was in the plan of God that a man born blind would serve His purpose. Yes, even a specific man, the very one in our story.
In the meantime, we can only speculate concerning the heartache and difficulties brought upon a certain family whose son was born blind. This especially in a day when there was little else a blind man could do but beg for a living. Perhaps we can imagine his father and mother trying to explain things to him that we sighted people take for granted. A beautiful sunset for example.
Little did he or his family know what God had in store for him. For ever after it would be recorded in God’s word that this man had to be in this condition in order that a tremendous miracle might be accomplished in him. “It will be worth it all, etc..” And dare we complain about our circumstances? Surely the work of God continues to this present hour. Like Esther (4:14) and this man, we too might have “come to the kingdom for such a time as this.”
If God were to answer all of the prayers I prayed this morning, revival would surely break out in Eastern Maine. Something you may ask Him today may influence the course of history or even change it. Let us believe that He has us where we are for a purpose, yes perhaps even an eternal purpose.
John 10:13 “.......careth not for the sheep.”
Lord, give us shepherds who really care for the sheep! Pastors, that is, for primarily they are the ones who are responsible for the welfare of the flock. Our present system where a church calls a pastor to serve them and then after few years they move on, leaves much to be desired. Generally speaking a pastor should plan to stay with the flock God has put under his charge, for the remainder of his life, or at least until he must retire when he may help the flock find a replacement. There are pastors that have done this and the results are positive.
What right has any shepherd to leave a flock without a pastor while he goes off to find another one? This kind of action would indicate a weakness in emphasis on the local church.
Someone will bring up the fact that it seems, in some cases, that pastors have stayed too long and outlived their usefulness. If a church is right with God, He will enable it to solve its problems through prayer. A church that isn’t, perhaps deserves what it gets as part of God’s judgement.
Pastors who “feel led” to move on, very often are motivated by selfish desires. A larger church, more money, an easier church to work with, are common reasons for leaving. God has ways of removing a pastor. Until He works in unavoidable circumstances, all other possibilities should be suspect. The flesh is very subtle. The cross usually cuts across it. Unless there is a cross involved in a move, pastors should stay where they are resisting temptation to move when things are rough. Can a new man who is unfamiliar with the problems do better than a seasoned veteran? Hardly! One indication that it is ok to leave is when the Lord has provided someone capable to take his place. Training an assistant is a good plan.
Let us pray for pastors— our own, and those in neighboring churches.
John 11:25 I am the Resurrection
I am the bread of life = the multitudes are fed;
I am the light of the world = the blind man is healed; and now,
I am the resurrection and the life = the dead is raised!
Hey, is there some kind of pattern or are we reading in something that is not here?
The fact is, there is no need known to man that the I AM cannot meet. It is no wonder that the disciples were dismayed at the thought of losing Him. But in fact, if we think about it, the promises to Israel were almost as comprehensive. If they had only obeyed Him, the Great I AM would have presently met every need they had. Just watch His style at the battle of Jericho! Within His favor there was an invisible shield between them and every flying arrow. He could provide food on a daily basis (Lk 11:1). Their water supply “followed them” (1 Cor.10:4), light and protection was there within sight (Ex.13:22) and healing too (Num.21:8).
In view of all of this testimony, what should we do when we have a need ? (Matt.6:8, Phil.4:19)
I remember some speaker saying, “never be afraid to be in need, for if you are never in need, you may miss a miracle.”
John 12:24 “....a corn of wheat..”
In the synoptic gospels our Lord spoke often of taking up the cross to follow Him. Here in John we do not have an actual repetition of this statement, but we have something better, an explanation of what He meant by it.
When He spoke of the corn of wheat falling into the ground, He was primarily speaking about His own death on the cross, but He immediately followed with an exhortation (vs.25-26) which would indicate that the “corn of wheat” applied to us as well. We have a visual picture taken from nature that enables us to understand exactly what He meant by the cross for the believer. To take up the cross is the same as committing the seed to the ground. It is a release to Christ of our life and a willingness to have it buried out of sight but with the certain hope of resurrection life and fruitfulness. It is what Paul was referring to in Romans 12:1&2.
Just as a seed cannot reproduce unless it is released to the soil, neither can we unless we are willing to let go of our life in favor of His life filling us (Holy Spirit). It is always a test, for the flesh must be denied, i.e. its hold on us broken. It is especially difficult for youth with its fleshly strength and ambitions. Without a total surrender, however, growth ceases, fellowship is broken and a “wilderness experience” results (Heb.3:12-19).
The words “hating his life” in v.25 gives us a clue to what our Lord meant concerning relationships (Lk 14:26). One “hates,” as it were, these relationships when he releases this life to take whatever God has for him. We understand that no human relationship survives the cross (death) not even that of husband and wife (Matt.22:30), but beyond the cross we embrace all in the family of God as mothers, fathers, sisters and brothers (1 Tim.5:2). All unsaved people in our family are to be treated as lost ones on their way to eternal damnation. There is a “great gulf” fixed between us and them, a sword has severed our connection (Matt.10:34). As soldiers we must be disentangled from this life (11 Tim.2:4). This is the hatred of which Christ spoke.
John 13:14 “If I, then, your lord and master...”
Here again we have an incident mentioned only by John, the washing of the disciples’ feet. Perhaps it will help to see this episode as a fleshing out of the teaching of the Lord’s supper since it occurs in the sequence of events exactly where the narrative concerning the supper is found in the synoptics.
The emphasis of the Lord’s supper is disciplinary, that is, the church is to periodically face the issue of His death corporately in order to examine itself. Are we continuing to keep clean in this wicked environment? Only as we are clean (holy) can we accurately “shew” that we are the ones He died to make righteous (1 Cor.11:26).
The death of Christ has made us clean, of that we are certain who have put our trust in Him. The problem is to stay clean. For this, we need each other. For this, we need the local church! No christian is more poor than the one who has no church family that expects him at the table, no brother or sister who, seeing the dirty feet, instead of judging, kneels before Him as a servant, and lovingly in the spirit of his Master, washes them. This attitude of concern for the cleanliness (holiness) of the body will demonstrate the fact of our love for one another and, in turn, show that we are His disciples (v.35).
We are not talking about an actual foot-washing ceremony, but making a case for seeing the communion as a spiritual foot-washing event. Is there a brother who is not here? Is there a brother who does not partake? Am I concerned to pray for him, to tarry for him, to seek his restoration (Gal.6:1)? What would Jesus do?
Gal.5:13 “...by love serve one another.”
John 14:20 “...and I in you.”
In our English language these last seven words of this verse are all of a single syllable, yet they are so profound that we will never exhaust the meaning of them or fully plumb their depth. They speak of both aspects of sanctification, our position in Him and experimental or experiential sanctification through His indwelling Holy Spirit.
We were placed in the Body of Christ by the baptism of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor.12:13). The only baptism of the Spirit or by the Spirit that takes place in our lives, and it is not experienced by us at all - that is, we are not aware that it takes place. Any awareness that it has taken place relates to the other aspect which is expressed in the words “I in you.” This refers to the other Comforter that is being promised in this chapter (v.17).
Under the old covenant and up until His departure for heaven, the only consistent relationship that believers had with God was that indicated by the pronoun “with.” This was about to change! In chapters 14-16 our Lord prepares His disciples for the great event scheduled to take place on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2). From that time on, He would consistently be “in” them.
It is clearly set forth in 1 John 4:13-16 by three separate statements that it was God Who would indwell the believer. Verse 24 of 1 John 3 relates this to the Holy Spirit and, of course, in our present text it is Christ Himself Who is coming to indwell them (v.18). Thus we have reference to the total involvement of the Holy Trinity.
John 6: 56 expanded shows the relation of these two aspects of sanctification to the Lord’s supper.
John 15:5 Nothing ? Nothing !
Once again we can see a relationship between a revelation of the I AM in our Lord Jesus Christ.
In John we have seen that He is the Living Water, He is the Living Bread, He is the Light of the world, He is the Resurrection, and each of these have been accompanied by an object lesson from nature or human experience. There was no mention of the I AM in John three, but true to His method, He illustrated His divine truth about regeneration by speaking of the experience of physical birth. What a teacher!
Here our Lord illustrates the truth revealed in the previous chapter, i.e., “ye in me and I in you,”(v.20) in teaching the natural relationship between a vine and its branches. “I AM the Vine , ye are the branches.” What better way to see the truth of our position (branches in the Vine) and our experience, ( the life of the vine flowing through the branch and producing fruit). Praise the Lord!
As we yield to Him we will give Him much joy by bringing forth much fruit (v.8).
And the fruit? Galations 5:22
What has 4 wheels and flies? A garbage truck. With the right aroma, the Church might just attract some interest.
John 16:5 “.....Him that sent Me;”
It is time to mention the fact that at least 41 times the theme of Christ’s being “sent” by the Father is mentioned in John. Many times, of course, it was repetition which in itself has its importance and several times there are statements that can be applied to us. The warrant for doing this is found in 17:18 and 20:21. Here, in both cases, our Lord uses the word “as” which the lexicon says means “precisely as” or “in proportion as.”
The consistent witness of our Lord Jesus was that He had been sent by the Father to do His will. Christ sends us into the world for the same purpose and not to just do whatever we want (5:30 & 5:38). We should be sure that the doctrine we hold is His (7:16), and that we speak His word (14:24). We should always seek the glory of the One who has sent us (7:18) and we can be certain that He who sends us is with us as we go (8:29).
In the next chapter (John 17), our Lord makes the statement again that the Father is in Him, “thou in me,” and that in turn, He (Jesus) will be in us and that thus we are made perfect in oneness. This beats the ecumenical idea “all hollow.”
It is all accomplished by the Holy Spirit about Whom our Lord is teaching in this upper room discourse. May we be yielded vessels to carry His life and message to the world in the absence of our Lord Jesus Christ, who, according to our text, has now gone to the Father.
John 17:20 “....but for them....”
Most of what our Lord said in His high priestly prayer was spoken directly concerning the disciples. In careful exegesis we can only assume that since we are His disciples, it applies to us as well. Or are we? In answering, we should look at a few verses concerning discipleship; Luke 14:27& 35 and John 15:8.
But, when we come to this verse (20) all doubt is removed for certainly we are all included in this prayer. “Their word” would include not only what they spoke, but also what they wrote, i.e. the Scriptures.
Again, this tremendous prayer was to be answered at the coming of the Holy Spirit about whom He had been teaching in this Upper Room Discourse. In answer to His prayer, by the indwelling of the Spirit of God, we are all baptized into the Body of Christ (1 Cor.12:13) and are made one with the Triune God.
We must remember whenever we deal with a brother or sister in Christ, that they too are included in this prayer and that the world is to know we are His disciples by the love we have for one another (John 13:55). Have you studied the “one another” passages yet?
John 18:6 The Power of His Word
In verses five, six and eight we see the words “I am” being used and note the fact that in the authorized version, the pronoun “he” is italicized meaning, of course, that it is not in the original text.
As the mob came with Judas into the garden to capture their arch enemy, they were well armed. The little band of disciples having so recently witnessed the prayer of our Great High Priest (ch.17), and still drowsy, perhaps, from their Gethsemane nap (see Lk.22:46-47), were suddenly roused to action (Mary & Martha). All of their weaponry was readied for battle, viz. two swords (Lk.22:38), one in the hand of Peter, who held the second, we do not know. What is this against so many? If the young man of Dotham was watching from heaven’s battlement, he would have said (1 Kings 6:17) “watch out, there’s more here than meets the eye.” (No, this is not a quote from the Living Bible.) As we shall see, two swords were more than “enough.”
The meek and lowly One, as He identified Himself to the priest-posse had but to open His mouth and the very power of the Word knocked their feet out from under them. The “I Am” who for us is the bread, the door, the good shepherd, the vine, etc. was for them, the Judge of Revelation 1:13-17, whose presence felled even John, the beloved disciple and from whose presence the very earth and heaven will one day flee (Rev.20:11). But it was not yet time so He healed Malchus’ ear, and allowed Himself to be led away.
Let us be thankful for the weapons of our warfare (11 Cor.10:4; Eph.6:17; and Heb.3:12).
John 19:36 Broken Body ?
At the communion service you will often hear the words “His broken body and shed blood” spoken concerning the 2 elements, the bread and the cup. I maintain that to speak of our Lord’s physical body as being broken is to violate the meaning of this verse. Why then is it said?
In 1 Corinthians eleven and verse twenty- four it is recorded that our Lord after taking the (unleavened ) bread from the passover table, broke it, and said, “take, eat; this is my body which is broken for you; this do in remembrance of me.” The question is, to what was He referring, to His physical body which would soon be placed on the cross, or was He merely referring to the fact that He was “breaking” the bread in order to distribute it to the disciples?
A reference in the previous chapter should help. In 10:16&17 Paul clearly relates the one loaf on the table to the partakers. They were the loaf! The emphasis is on unity or oneness which agrees with the theme of the Corinthian epistle.
If in the “ breaking of bread” or simply eating together, the one loaf was broken so as to be more easily distributed (possibly down the two sides of the table), then the integrity of this verse in John is preserved.
The bread represents our position in the Body of Christ (agreeing with the illustration Paul uses of Israel in 1 Cor.10:18), and the cup represents the N.T. truth that Christ is now in us.
John 14:20 “....ye in me and I in you.”
John 20:22 Holy Breath
We remember from Job 33:4 that “spirit” and “breath” are the same word, so here they are again brought together in our text. But what is happening? How could the disciples be receiving the Holy Spirit here when the Lord Himself had told them to go to Jerusalem and wait to be endued with “power from on high” (Luke 24:49)? This promise is clearly linked with the Holy Ghost coming upon them (Acts 1:8) and in Acts chapter two the event occurs. Some erroneously even see the church beginning here in John 20.
What we have here is seemingly a symbolic gesture on the part of our Lord. The receiving of the Holy Spirit we associate with a breath from God even as Job says, “ the breath of the Almighty hath given me life” (33:4).
On the day of Pentecost, the gift of the Holy Spirit was associated with a “rushing mighty wind” (Acts 2:2). We may assume that the Almighty was breathing life into this “new man” (Eph.2:15), much as He had done when He created the first man (Gen.2:7). So God’s Spirit flooded the lungs of His new creation, “the church, which (now) is His body, the fullness of Him that filleth all in all” (Eph.1:22-23). Since that time, each new Christian has become a member of the church by imbibing this same Spirit (1 Cor.12:13).
To this end was John’s gospel written, that by believing on Jesus we might again “share His life.” Verse 31 is a good key verse for this book.
John 21:15 “Lovest thou Me?”
How would you respond if asked directly by the Lord Jesus, “do you love me?” The word He used was the strongest word for love in the language He was speaking, the same word used for God’s love for us. “Peter, we don’t blame you for being a bit reluctant to say you loved Him to the same degree that He loved you.” I can remember when it was difficult for me speak of loving my own mother. There’s something about that word “love” that makes it difficult to use freely. It speaks of a deep commitment of the will and if we hesitate because we do not want to be insincere with our loved ones, we need to be even more careful when we speak to the Lord.
It is wonderful to note (from the original Greek) that the Lord condescended to use Peter’s word for his love which literally meant that he had an affection for the Lord. In the old Schofield Bible the difference in these words is made clear. Another way to see this is to look up the word “love” in the Greek lexicon in Strong’s concordance.
As Christ’s love is perfected in us we can be more confident in expressing our love for Him and others, for it is, in reality, His love flowing through us. Of course, this could not be true unless we are yielded to the Lord. Even as, knowing our frailty, we cannot help but desire our love for Him to be more than it is.
“We love Him because He first loved us.” (1 John 4:19)
