Daily Bible Verse - 12/7/2007 - 1 John 4:20-21

If anyone says, "I love God," yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen. And he has given us this command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother.

If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen? And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also.

If someone says, "I love God," and hates his brother, he is a liar; for the one who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen. And this commandment we have from Him, that the one who loves God should love his brother also.

1 John 4:20-21

Commentary
One cannot love God without first loving his fellow believer. A claim to love God is a delusion if not accompanied by unselfish love for other Christians.

MacArthur, J. J. (1997, c1997). The MacArthur Study Bible (electronic ed.) (1 Jn 4:21). Nashville: Word Pub.

Brotherly Love

In the Old Testament, Israelites were taught not to hate their brothers: "You shall not hate your brother in your heart . . . but you shall love your neighbor as yourself" (Lev. 19:17-18).
This emphasis is continued and is made even more positive in the New Testament. Believers are exhorted to "be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love" (Rom. 12:10), to "let brotherly love continue" (Heb. 13:1), to "love the brotherhood" (1 Pet. 2:17), and to "love as brothers" (1 Pet. 3:8).

Youngblood, R. F., Bruce, F. F., Harrison, R. K., & Thomas Nelson Publishers. (1995). Nelson's new illustrated Bible dictionary. Rev. ed. of: Nelson's illustrated Bible dictionary.; Includes index. Nashville: T. Nelson.

Crosses by Brian
Creator of crosses that carry a message to be proclaimed with courage.

Daily Bible Verse - 12/6/2007 - Jeremiah 32:27

I am the LORD, the God of all mankind. Is anything too hard for me?

Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh: is there any thing too hard for me?

Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh; is anything too difficult for Me?"

Jeremiah 32:27

Commentary
The answer God gave is a summary of everything He had proclaimed through Jeremiah to this point-His judgment on the sin of Judah and His promise to restore them in the future. What Jeremiah needed was a reminder. This principle of remembrance and repetition of truth is a biblical one (Deut. 6:4-9, 20-25).

Thomas Nelson, I. (1997, c1995). Woman's study Bible . (Je 32:26). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.

Did you know?

Jeremiah delivers his prophecies in Jerusalem, capital of Judah. When Babylonian invaders conquer the land, they deport much of the population to Babylon, a city near what is now Baghdad. Jeremiah and a group of survivors who remain in Judah later escape to Egypt.

Miller, S. M., & Gross, P. (1998). How to get into the Bible. Includes index. (185). Nashville: T. Nelson Publishers.