Kevin Davis

By the Numbers: "Love" in 1 John 4:7-21

1 Corinthians 13 is often referred to as the “love chapter” in the New Testament, and rightfully so. What Paul says about love in that part of his letter is worldview altering. We all ought to come to 1 Corinthians 13 ready and willing to be examined by God through Scripture because what Paul says there is no less than definitional about love.

That being said—and you should have known an exception was going to be made from the title of this article—if we’re going by the numbers there’s one section in the New Testament that really ought to be considered a primary authority on love. And that section is 1 John 4:7-21.

Jesus: One Like a Son of Man

Terms for Jesus

What do we do with the different terms used to explain the identity of Jesus? One obvious thing we do is we use them all the time. We often talk about Jesus as “savior,” “redeemer,” or “sacrifice.” We use these terms assuming our hearers know what we mean by them and we use them because we’re comfortable that they each explain at least a part of who Jesus is. In that, they’re good terms and we can be helped and help others by using them. 

Must We Take Jesus Literally?

When it comes to taking someone or something (a written document, a movie, or a song) literally, there are some pretty serious pitfalls to avoid. This true and even more so when it comes to the Scriptures. Some people strenuously object to taking the Bible literally because of the “danger” a literal interpretation produces. They bring up issues like stoning, fire from heaven that wipes out entire groups of people, God striking down people, or hell as the “dangerous” implications of taking the Bible literally.

Exegetical Meditations (11)

How we talk about Jesus matters. It matters because our speech about him is a reflection of what we believe to be true about him, and what we believe to be true about him directly shapes the relationship we’re in with him. If we believe Jesus to be less than what he’s revealed to be in Scripture then we could in danger of worshipping someone who is no real Jesus at all.

The Sovereignty and Freedom of God and the Responsibility and Freedom of Mankind (3)

It’s true Jesus said things that seem odd or are difficult to understand. If you want to save your life then lose it. Anyone who loves their son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. Here truly is an Israelite in whom there is no deceit. At one level we can read these things Jesus said (and many others) knowing what he means and then once we think about it for a bit we begin to wonder if we’ve understood at all.

The Sovereignty and Freedom of God and the Responsibility and Freedom of Mankind (2)

It’s all well and good to talk about the sovereign hand of God when things are going great for us but what do we do when it seems as if life couldn’t get any worse?

William Cowper lived from 1731 to 1800 and during his life he wrote poems and hymns. One of William’s most memorable hymns was “God Moves in a Mysterious Way,” which he wrote in 1779.