In 4:9 John goes on to say, “In this the love of God was manifested to us, that God has sent His Son, the only begotten, into the world that we might live through Him.” In his verse we see God’s intention and goal in sending the Son: God sent the Son so that we might live through Him. Living through the Son implies having the divine life. If we did not have life through Him, we could not live through Him. Therefore, living through the Son implies that we have received Him as our life. God sent His Son, and we have received Him as life. Now we live through Him.
In verse 9 John says that in this the love of God was manifested to us. Literally, the Greek words rendered “to us” are “in us,” that is, in our case, or, in regard to us. In that God has sent His Son into the world that we might live through Him, the higher and nobler love of God was manifested to us.
In 4:9 John says that God sent His Son, the only begotten, into the world. As in 1 Timothy 1:15, the “world” here refers to fallen mankind, whom God so loved that, by making them alive through His Son with His own life (John 3:16), they may become His children (John 1:12-13).
We have seen that in verse 9 John tells us that God sent His Son into the world that we might live through Him. We, the fallen people, are not only sinful in nature and conduct (Rom. 7:17-18; 1:28-32), but also dead in our spirit (Eph. 2:1, 5; Col. 2:13). God sent His Son into the world not only to be a propitiation concerning our sins that we might be forgiven (1 John 4:10), but also to be life to us that we may live through Him. In the love of God, the Son of God saves us not only from our sins by His blood (Eph. 1:7; Rev. 1:5), but also from our death by His life (1 John 3:14-15; John 5:24). He is not only the Lamb of God who takes away our sins (John 1:29); He is also the Son of God who gives us eternal life (John 3:36). He died for our sins (1 Cor. 15:3) that we might have eternal life in Him (John 3:14-16) and live through Him (John 6:57; 14:19). In this the love of God, which is His essence, has been manifested.
In 4:10 John says, “In this is love, not that we have loved God, but that He loved us, and sent His Son a propitiation concerning our sins.” The word “this” refers to the following fact: not that we have loved God, but that He loved us, and sent His Son a propitiation concerning our sins. In this fact is the higher and nobler love of God.
The word “propitiation” indicates that the Lord Jesus Christ offered Himself to God as a sacrifice for our sins (Heb. 9:28), not only for our redemption but also for God’s satisfaction. Through His vicarious death and in Him as our Substitute, God is satisfied and appeased. Hence, He is the propitiation between God and us.
In 4:9 we see that God sent His Son in order that we might live through Him. In 4:10 we see that God sent His Son a propitiation concerning our sins. If we consider these verses together, we shall see that God’s sending His Son a propitiation concerning our sins is not the goal. Rather, this is a procedure for arriving at the goal, and the goal is that we may have life and live through the Son. Therefore, God sent His Son a propitiation for us with the intention that through His Son we may have life and live.
In 4:11 John continues, “Beloved, if God has so loved us, we also ought to love one another.” This is to love with the love of God as He loved us.
First John 4:12 says, “No one has ever beheld God; if we love one another, God abides in us, and His love is perfected in us.” The word “beheld” indicates that if we love one another with the love of God as He loved us, we express Him in His essence, so that others may behold Him in us in what He essentially is.
No one has ever beheld God, that is, seen God. But if we love one another with God as love, we shall manifest God. Because God is manifested in our love for one another, others will be able to see God in this love.
In verse 12 John says that if we love one another, God abides in us. To love one another is a condition of our abiding in God (4:13), and our abiding in God is a condition of His abiding in us (John 15:4). Hence, when we love one another, God abides in us, and His love is perfectly manifested in us.
“The love of God” in 2:5 is God’s love within us toward Him, with which we love Him. “His love” in 4:12 is God’s love within us toward one another, with which we love one another. This indicates that we should take God’s love as our love to love Him and to love one another.