Outline
Ⅳ
When we abide in the love that is God Himself, love has been "perfected with us, that we may have boldness in the day of the judgment because even as He is, so also are we in this world" (1 John 4:17); Christ as the reality of the burnt offering lived in this world a life of God as love, and He is now our life that we may live the same life of love in this world and be the same as He is (3:14; 5:1; 2:6):
A
The law of the Spirit of life in our spirit is the law of Christ as the law of love (Rom. 8:2; Gal. 6:2); the law of love must be substantiated by the law of the Spirit of life so that we may be able to bear one another's burdens; but if we are filled with pride, we will be unable to bear others' burdens because we deceive ourselves by thinking that we are something when we are nothing (v. 3).
B
When the law of love is activated within us, we automatically and spontaneously will be shepherds who have the loving and forgiving heart of our Father God and the shepherding and seeking spirit of our Savior Christ—John 21:15-17; Luke 15:3-7.
C
When the law of love is activated within us, our labor in the Lord is a labor of love (1 Cor. 15:58; 1 Thes. 1:3) in which we "support the weak" (Acts 20:35) and "sustain the weak" (1 Thes. 5:14); the weak refers to those who are weak either in their spirit or soul or body, or are weak in faith (Rom. 14:1; 15:1).
D
After His resurrection the Lord shepherded Peter and commissioned him to feed His lambs and shepherd His sheep; this is to incorporate the apostolic ministry with Christ's heavenly ministry to take care of God's flock, the church, which issues in the building up of the Body of Christ to consummate in the New Jerusalem for the accomplishment of the eternal economy of God—John 21:15-17.
Morning Nourishment
1 John 4:16-17 And we know and have believed the love which God has in us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God and God abides in him. In this has love been perfected with us, that we may have boldness in the day of the judgment because even as He is, so also are we in this world.Gal. 6:2 Bear one another’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ completely.
In 1 John 4:16 John says that he who abides in love abides in God and God abides in him. To abide in love is to live a life in which we love others habitually with the love that is God Himself, that He may be expressed in us. To abide in God is to live a life that is God Himself as our inward content and outward expression, that we may be absolutely one with Him. God abides in us to be our life inwardly and our living outwardly. Thus, He can be one with us in a practical way.
To say that we abide in God when we abide in love means that the very love in which we abide is God Himself. This indicates that the love that we have toward others should be God Himself. If we abide in the love that is God Himself, we then abide in God, and God abides in us. (Life-study of 1 John, p. 308)
Today’s Reading
In our abiding in the love that is God Himself (1 John 4:16) the love of God is perfected in us [v. 17], that is, perfectly manifested in us, that we may have boldness without fear (v. 18) in the day of judgment.In verse 17 John indicates that “even as He is, so also are we in this world.” As in 3:3 and 7, He [in 4:17] refers to Christ. He lived in this world a life of God as love, and now He is our life so that we may live the same life of love in this world and be the same as He is. As in 4:1, world does not refer to the universe or the earth but to human society on the earth, to the people, who are the components of the satanic world system. (Life-study of 1 John, pp. 308-309)
Some expositors say that the law of Christ in Galatians 6:2 refers to the Lord’s commandment that we love one another. According to them, the law of Christ is the law of love. This is correct. However, we must go on to see that the law of Christ is the higher and better law of life, which works through love (Rom. 8:2; John 13:34). The law of love, which is the law of Christ, is the law of life. Love is the expression, but life is the substance. Real love is that which issues from the divine life. The love described by Paul in 1 Corinthians 13 is the expression of the divine life. Furthermore, the fact that love is a fruit of the Spirit indicates that the substance of love must be the Spirit (Gal. 5:22). In fact, all spiritual virtues must have the Spirit with the divine life as their substance. The law of Christ, which is the law of love, must be substantiated by the divine life. This is the reason we say that the law of Christ in Galatians 6:2 denotes the law of life. Expressed by the law of love, the law of life will cause us to bear one another’s burdens. In this way we fulfill the law of Christ.
In verse 3 Paul says, “For if anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself.” Apparently, there is no connection between verse 3 and verse 2; actually, there is a very real and significant connection. Those who think of themselves as something will not bear the burdens of others. Only those who do not regard themselves as anything will bear others’ burdens.
No doubt, Paul wrote these verses according to his experience. From experience he realized that it is when we consider ourselves as nothing that we spontaneously, even unconsciously, bear the burdens of others. We do not place a high estimate on what we do. We simply do it because we are walking in the Spirit and by the Spirit. Walking by the Spirit, we are led of the Spirit to do certain things. The result is that we bear someone’s burden without even realizing it. (Life-study of Galatians, pp. 250-251)
Further Reading: Life-study of 1 John, msg. 35; Life-study of Galatians, msg. 29; CWWL, 1994-1997, vol. 4, “Crystallization-study of the Gospel of John,” ch. 13