1 John 4:15Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

This refers to what was said a little earlier (1 Jn 4:2): every spirit that confesses the Lord Jesus, Who has come in the flesh.

The apostle has sufficiently proved that believers are children of God and that God abides in them. He proved this by their love for one another, because the Holy Spirit has been given to them.

After this he returns to the speech already mentioned and says: whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him. For, as was said above, every spirit that confesses Jesus Christ, Who has come in the flesh, is of God.

By these words the apostle also expresses another truth. Those who confess in this way and have the abiding Spirit within themselves, that is, God, themselves also abide in God. How? Through love for one another.

And having recalled love, he repeats everything he has said about love, in order to establish the teaching concerning love more firmly.

I will now explain this briefly. “Whoever confesses” means one who confesses not by word, but by deed; not by the tongue, but by life. Many confess in words, but deny by their deeds.

Thus the Theologian raises the thoughts of his readers to the beginning and foundation of man’s true perfection and true happiness. The Lord and Savior Himself revealed this truth in this way: “This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ Whom You have sent” (Jn 17:3).

According to the Apostle’s teaching, he has true life in God, in close union with Him, who knows and confesses, in words and deeds, the great truth that Jesus, the Savior of the world, is the Only-begotten Son of God, sent by God the Father to earth for the salvation of men.

And so that we might have testimony within ourselves that God abides in us and we in God, He has made us partakers of His Spirit. Through Him we have known the words of God's life. We have seen the incarnate Word who came down to us. We work signs and wonders, and we proclaim to the whole world that God sent His Son to save the world by Himself. And we believe that “there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).

The apostle connects God's abiding in men with confession, that is, with the acknowledgment of Jesus Christ as the Son of God. This is natural, since a father is joined to those who love his son.

On this testimony (1 Jn 4:14) rests the teaching concerning the inseparability of faith and love in the believer. This was briefly expressed above (1 Jn 3:23), and here it is again repeated by the apostle with force.

Whoever, by virtue of this testimony, believes in his heart and confesses with his mouth that Jesus of Nazareth, the Son of Mary, is the true Son of God, and therefore the God-man, the true Messiah promised to the world. And the Redeemer of the world, and whoever leads a life corresponding to this confession, bearing witness to his faith also by his works, in him God abides, and he in God (1 Jn 4:12; 1 Jn 3:24).

From where do the children of God draw assurance of their knowledge of God and union with Him? “By this,” says the Apostle, “we know, because He has given us of His Spirit” (1 Jn 4:13).

The manifestation of this is, on the one hand, our firm confession of Jesus Christ as the Son of God. On the other hand, it is love, which casts out every fear of punishment and instead inspires confidence that we shall one day appear justified at God’s judgment.

“Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God... Love is perfected with us in this, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment... There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear” (1 Jn 4:14-18).

The apostle again speaks of his immediate vision of the Savior in order to bear witness to the reality of the coming into the world of the Son of God in the person of Jesus Christ.

He also points out to all the possibility of entering into communion with God through faith in Him. Following the apostles’ example, they may know love by experience, and through love understand that God is love, since love can be understood only by love.

Having spoken of the beginning of love and its effects upon believers, the apostle also indicates wherein its possible fullness must consist, namely, in union with God.

This fullness can be attained in no other way than by imitating the love of Jesus Christ. As is known, He especially movingly exhorted His disciples to act as He acted.

This took place at the Mystical Supper and afterward during the Savior’s farewell discourse with His disciples. After this He prayed to the Father for the union of believers with Him.

God’s love for men is manifested in such close communion with Him that He abides in them, and they in Him.

But only those believers in Christ the Son of God are made worthy of this communion. They believe in His God-manhood, or in His becoming man for us men and for our salvation, and they confess this faith with full conviction of its truth, even to readiness to suffer and die for it.

Through faith Christ dwells in our hearts (Eph 3:17) and is united with us as the vine with the branch, which is nourished by its sap and receives life from it (Jn 15:4-5).

He who is so close to the Son is equally close to the Father. For the Father sent the Son into the world precisely to lead sinners who had withdrawn from Him back to the Father, and to restore communion with Him.

This too must be said. God does not abide in one who merely confesses with his voice that Jesus is the Son of God, while denying Him by his deeds.

In fact, some are confused by the names of Jesus Christ, because they do not examine the Scriptures, and so they fall into the greatest misfortune.

Without distinguishing the meaning of the Scriptures, they thought that since He appeared from Mary according to the flesh and received the name Jesus by the voice of the angel, He is not the Only-begotten Son of God.

Yet He, “being in the form of God, did not consider equality with God robbery” (Phil 2:6). They do not understand that the same One is being spoken of.

Therefore it must be said that, although there came to be complete union of the Word of God with the man whom God assumed, the essence of the Word was not in reality changed into man.