Daily Bible Plan - 1 John 4
- Reverend Joseph Antwi
- Apr 10
- 4 min read
10. April 2026
Devotion by Reverend Joseph Antwi
Theme: Sharing the Love of Christ to the Undying World — Church Without Walls
Devotion: 1 John 4:1–20 ⸻
Introduction
Hello, dear church family,
Grace and peace be unto you.
Today, we journey into 1 John 4:1–20, where the Apostle John calls us to discern truth, walk in love, and reflect the very nature of God.
This chapter reveals something powerful:
our ability to discern and our ability to love are both evidence that God lives in us.
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1. Test Every Spirit — Discernment Is Essential (1 John 4:1)
“Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God…”
Church, this is very important.
How do you test something if you don’t already know what the result should be?
Testing requires knowledge of truth.
This is why Scripture says:
“My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.” — Hosea 4:6
You cannot test error if you don’t know truth.
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2. Knowing the True Test — Christ at the Center (1 John 4:2–3)
“Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God…”
This is the standard.
• If a spirit exalts Jesus → it is of God
• If it denies Christ → it is not of God
“For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ.” — 1 Corinthians 3:11
Any system, teaching, or ideology that removes Christ is not from God.
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3. Assurance of Victory (1 John 4:4)
“You are of God, little children…”
“He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.”
Declare it:
He that is in me is greater than he that is in the world.
“In all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.” — Romans 8:37
Our victory is not in compromise—it is in Christ.
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4. Spirit of Truth vs Spirit of Error (1 John 4:5–6)
“By this we know the Spirit of truth and the spirit of error.”
Two influences:
• Spirit of Truth → The Holy Spirit
• Spirit of Error → Deception
“When He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth.” — John 16:13
Many are sincere, but sincerity without truth is still error.
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5. Practical Discernment — The Fruit Speaks
Jesus already gave us the key:
“By their fruits you will know them.” — Matthew 7:16
Where God is present, you will see:
• Salvation
• Deliverance
• Transformation
• Christ exalted
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6. Love — The Core Evidence of God (1 John 4:7–8)
“Let us love one another…”
“By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” — John 13:35
Love is not optional—it is identity.
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7. Love Revealed Through Christ (1 John 4:9–10)
God sent Jesus.
“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son…” — John 3:16
Love gives.
Love sacrifices.
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8. Love Means Forgiveness and Sacrifice
“Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.” — Ephesians 4:32
If we are forgiven, we must forgive.
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9. Loving People Is Proof of Loving God (1 John 4:11–12)
“Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar.” — (reinforcing 1 John 4:20)
God is seen through how we love people.
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10. Abiding in God Through the Spirit (1 John 4:13–16)
“The love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit.” — Romans 5:5
The Holy Spirit empowers us to love.
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11. The Gospel Must Center on Jesus (1 John 4:15)
“If you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart… you will be saved.” — Romans 10:9
The goal of evangelism is confession of Christ.
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12. Perfect Love Casts Out Fear (1 John 4:17–18)
“For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and a sound mind.” — 2 Timothy 1:7
Fear limits.
Love releases.
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13. We Love Because He First Loved Us (1 John 4:19)
“We love because He first loved us.”
Our love is a response to His grace.
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14. Love Must Be Lived — Not Claimed (1 John 4:20)
“Faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.” — James 2:17
Love must be demonstrated.
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15. The Call — Love the World Through Action (Evangelism Charge)
Church, love must move us.
“For Christ’s love compels us…” — 2 Corinthians 5:14
We do not evangelize for appearance—
we do it because love compels us.
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Practical Challenge
• Ask God for souls daily
• Speak in love
• Be intentional
“Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.” — Mark 16:15
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Wisdom in Evangelism
“Restore that person gently… but watch yourselves.” — Galatians 6:1
Use wisdom in sensitive situations.
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16. The Vision — There Is Still Room
Church without walls, hear this:
Jesus said:
“Go out quickly into the streets… and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame… Sir, what you ordered has been done, but there is still room.” — Luke 14:21–22
There is still room.
“The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few.” — Matthew 9:37
The mission is not finished.
The Kingdom is still open.
Souls are still waiting.
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Final Charge
Church family:
• Walk in discernment
• Stand in truth
• Live in love
• Reach the lost
Because:
“How can they hear without someone preaching to them?” — Romans 10:14
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Chair Time
• Read 1 John 4:1–20
• Pray for discernment
• Pray for love
• Pray for souls
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Closing
May the love of God compel you.
May your life reflect Christ.
May you become a vessel of truth and love.
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Prayer
Father, we thank You for Your Word.
Fill us with Your Spirit, help us walk in truth, and overflow in love.
Use us to reach the lost and expand Your Kingdom.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Shalom
Rev Joseph
What a devotion today woww!! ❤️🔥❤️🔥
how we can distinguish the spirits of error from the Spirit of truth and that Jesus Christ and He as the True Way should be our standard.
in every area of our lives we must make it clear to ourselves, as it says in verse 19:
“We love because He first loved us.”
That means; when we know God’s love, how He loved us even when we were still in sin, when we did not want to know Him and rejected Him
As Pastor beautifully wrote:
“Our love is a response to His grace.”
Who are we that we cannot love our brother or our sister, Jesus also died for them, Jesus loves them…
Pastor said “You cannot test error if you don’t know the truth.”
Even if people seem nice and Spirit-filled, you won’t truly know if they are unless you know the truth. Satan disguised himself as an angel of light - he can appear to fit the checklist of being good or a child of God, and still not be.
This really opened my eyes, to be more attentive and how important it is to have discernment.
Thank you Pastor 🙌
Love is truly the foundation of our being. Out of His unconditional love, God sent His perfect Son so that, despite our imperfection, we could be saved and return to Him.
This same love should be reflected in us as well. ♥️
As Pastor said: Love is not optional, it is identity.
That is why love comes first when it comes to the fruits of the Spirit. For God loved us first, before everything else. So we also ought to love above all. Because only through love are we able to truly sacrifice, reach souls, serve God, and build a deep, intimate relationship with Him. Without love, we can practically do nothing.
Thank you, Pastor, for this powerful reminder about…
This Verse by Verse breakdown of 1 John is really awesome, Thank you Pastor!
"God is seen through how we love people." this really touched me, so powerful!
Fitting to our theme of the Month: You have to know the truth first, in order to carry it out into the World. You have to really love God, his word but most importantly have a relationship with him. Through discernment we know the truth, and can see the darkness to carry the light there!