4:2ff - Pretty clear picture of how to tell whether you can trust the spirit that is leading the people you come in contact with. If they are being led by the Spirit of God...they believe fully in the fact that God became man in form of Jesus Christ. If they are anti-Jesus Christ...they don't believe that truth at all. Pretty simple really - know who you listen to.
4:4 - Isn't it awesome! We have nothing to fear because the power of God is infinitely more powerful than the power of this world and the rulers of this world. That is really a relief.
4:8 - Let's get a little in-your-face (And mine too)...if you aren't loving, then you aren't a follower of God. Non-loving = non-Christian.
4:12 - People do not see a physical representation of God in this world, but Christians can reflect God's image to the people around them. They do this by loving one another. Again, pretty simple really.
4:18 - We fear because somewhere down deep we feel that the things that hurt us and scare us in this world are punishments...we feel like suffering pain in this world is unjust and unfair, so we fear things that are hurtful. But if our lives are ruled by fear, than we do not fully understand God's love. You see, understanding God's love means that we know He is in control and we know He is greater and more powerful than the forces of this world and we can live free from fear, because whatever comes our way...we know the love of God never changes and His will, will be done.
1 comment:
It is truly astonishing to me how everything comes back to love. From creation to free will, to Jesus, to the early church in Acts, and from Paul's life on to today, love is the Godly characteristic that makes this entire thing keep going. If we ever truly lived this way, things could be so different...
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