Fyrsta Jóhannesarbréf 5:2

Heilögum Biblíunni

2 Að vér elskum Guðs börn þekkjum vér af því, að vér elskum Guð og breytum eftir boðorðum hans.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

1 John 3:22-24, 1 John 4:21, John 13:34, John 13:35, John 15:17

Reciprocal: Leviticus 11:9 - General Deuteronomy 5:10 - love me Deuteronomy 10:12 - love Deuteronomy 11:22 - to love Deuteronomy 14:1 - the children Deuteronomy 26:16 - keep Deuteronomy 30:16 - to love Joshua 22:5 - love Judges 5:31 - them that 1 Kings 3:3 - loved Psalms 97:10 - Ye that Psalms 116:1 - love Ezekiel 18:5 - if Daniel 9:4 - the great Matthew 22:37 - General Matthew 25:40 - Inasmuch John 8:42 - If John 14:15 - General Romans 8:28 - them Romans 12:10 - kindly 1 Corinthians 7:19 - but 1 Corinthians 8:3 - love Philemon 1:5 - toward the Lord 1 Peter 1:22 - unto 1 John 3:10 - the children of God 1 John 3:14 - We know Revelation 12:17 - which

Gill's Notes on the Bible

By this we know that we are the children God,.... The Ethiopic version reads, "by this know that we love God"; which, in connection with what follows, makes a tautology, and is a proving "idem per idem": whereas the apostle's view is to show when love to the saints is right; and that is,

when we love God, and keep his commandments: love to the brethren may arise from such a cause, as may show that it is not brotherly love, or of a spiritual kind; it may arise from natural relation, or civil friendship, or from a benefit or favour received from them, and from some natural external excellency seen in them; and a man may do acts of love and kindness to the brethren, from what may be called good nature in himself, or with sinister views; but true love to the brethren springs from love to God: such who love the saints aright, and by which they may know they do so, they love them because they themselves love God, and in obedience to his command; they love them because they belong to God, and are the objects of his love; because his grace is wrought in them, and his image stamped upon them.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

By this we know that we love the children of God ... - This is repeating the same truth in another form. “As it is universally true that if we love Him who has begotten us, we shall also love His children, or our Christian brethren, so it is true also that if we love His children it will follow that we love Him.” In other places, the apostle says that we may know that we love God if we love those who bear His image, 1 John 3:14. He here says, that there is another way of determining what we are. We may have undoubted evidence that we love God, and from that, as the basis of an argument, we may infer that we have true love to His children. Of the fact that we may have evidence that we love God, apart from that which we derive from our love to His children, there can be no doubt. We may be conscious of it; we may find pleasure in meditating on His perfections; we may feel sure that we are moved to obey Him by true attachment to Him, as a child may in reference to a father. But, it may be asked, how can it be inferred from this that we truly love His children? Is it not easier to ascertain this of itself than it is to determine whether we love God? Compare 1 John 4:20. To this it may be answered, that we may love Christians from many motives: we may love them as personal friends; we may love them because they belong to our church, or sect, or party; we may love them because they are naturally amiable: but the apostle says here, that when we are conscious that an attachment does exist toward Christians, we may ascertain that it is genuine, or that it does not proceed from any improper motive, by the fact that we love God. We shall then love Him as His children, whatever other grounds of affection there may be toward them.

And keep his commandments - See the notes at John 14:15.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 1 John 5:2. By this we know that we love the children of God — Our love of God's followers is a proof that we love God. Our love to God is the cause why we love his children, and our keeping the commandments of God is the proof that we love him.