1 John 4:17-21

— 17 Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world. 18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love. 19 We love Him because He first loved us. 20 If someone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen? 21 And this commandment we have from Him: that he who loves God must love his brother also.

“Love has been perfected among us” At the end of v18 it says, “But he who fears has not been made perfect in love.” These contain the third and fourth references to the completeness of love found in 1 John

The first is found in — But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him.

Here completeness of love for God is said to be expressed in obedience to his word.

The second is found in — No one has seen God at any time. If we love one another, God abides in us, and His love has been perfected in us.

Here God’s love is said to be made complete in believers when they love one another.

Here in 4:17–18 love is said to have completed its work in believers when they can face the day of judgment without fear.

In v 17 John begins “Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgment...”

This is God’s love that is with us, which completes its work so that our fear as we face the day of judgment is removed.

Look over to — 28 And now, little children, abide in Him, that when He appears, we may have confidence and not be ashamed before Him at His coming.

Here, “confidence” (which is translated ‘boldness’ in our text) but boldness or confidence in this context arises out of a believers obedience to God’s Word.

So in our text in 4:17-18 believers are unashamed before the Son of God on the day of Judgment.

This boldness or confidence arises within the love relationship believers have with God.

— 17 Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world.

The love perfected means that this love is whole or mature and it refers to that state of mind and activity

in which the Christian is to find himself

when the love of God within him has accomplished

that which God fully intends it to accomplish.

So this confidence before God in view of Christ’s return and the execution of His righteous judgment against sin (2:28;4:17).

The idea of God’s judgment is an unpopular one to most people. Men and women do not like the notion of having to account to God for their actions.

They wish the day of Judgment would just go away. But this great Day of Judgment is as fixed in God’s eternal timetable as any other day in world history.

This is the significance of the word “Day”. This isn’t necessarily a 24 hour period of time.

It’s called a “day because it’s fixed on God’s timetable and it will surely come.

Television viewers are able to witness courtroom sessions almost on a daily basis.

We have become accustomed to the judge, jury, defendant, plaintiff, and lawyers.

We hear the verdict and see the innocent acquitted and the guilty sentenced.

Often we witness the expressions of emotions that no longer can be controlled.

These emotions depict at times anxiety and fear, at other times joy and happiness.

Every human being will have to appear before the judgment throne of Christ.

Feelings of guilt and remorse will fill the hearts of all those who have

refused to obey God’s commands,

to believe his Word, and

to receive Christ as Lord and Savior.

— 15 And the kings of the earth, the great men, the rich men, the commanders, the mighty men, every slave and every free man, hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains, 16 and said to the mountains and rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! 17 For the great day of His wrath has come, and who is able to stand?”

Their hearts will be filled with fear (), for they realize that the Judge will sentence them because of their sin.

They who have lived in fellowship with the Father and the Son have nothing to fear.

Their hearts are filled with joy and love.

And they will hear the word acquitted from the lips of Jesus. He will say to the Father, “I have paid it all.”

In view of this unalterable day in which the thoughts and deeds of men and women are to be judged, an individual might well fear.

But John says that in the case of Christians perfect love casts out fear (or terror).

— 18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love.

This does not mean that love for God is the ground of our acceptance before Him.

The only possible ground is the death of Christ for us and faith in him.

It means rather that by love for God any unreasonable fears are quieted

and we come to rest in the fact that the one who was for us in Christ

will allow nothing to destroy the eternal relationship that the death of Christ established ().

The sinner must begin by fearing the God against whom he has sinned; but,

having believed in Christ who has atoned for sin,

he may put away fear and grow in confidence before Him.

The second area in which love finds perfection is in reference to our love for the brethren;

for it is there, according to John,

that real love is to be seen and measured.

Put this all together in terms of what John’s been saying about loving one another.

If we profess to believe in Christ, a proof that this profession is genuine is that we love the people of Christ.

— 7 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God.

— 16 And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him.

‘And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him’ (4:16).

Since the Christian knows the gracious love of God, he cannot say,

Since the Christian knows the gracious love of God, he cannot say, ‘I am unable to love my wife because she is cold towards me and annoys me,’ or ‘I cannot love this or that person because he snubbed me in the street.’ One of the evidences that we are born again is love towards our Christian brothers and sisters. Such love comes from God, and shows that ‘He has given us of his Spirit’ (4:13). Because of the work of the Spirit, the love of God mentioned in verses 9 and 16 is not merely ‘towards us’ or ‘for us’, but, to be literal, ‘in us’. As is often pointed out, love is the first of the nine manifestations of the fruit of the Spirit (). This love is no more earned than our salvation is. It is gracious and self-giving, while not ignoring sin and the claims of holy justice.

‘I am unable to love my wife because she is cold towards me and annoys me,’ or

‘I cannot love this or that person because he snubbed me in the street.’

One of the evidences that we are born again is love towards our Christian brothers and sisters.

Such love comes from God, and shows that ‘He has given us of his Spirit’ (4:13).

Because of the work of the Spirit, the love of God mentioned in verses 9 and 16 is not merely ‘towards us’ or ‘for us’, but, to be literal, ‘in us’.

As is often pointed out, love is the first of the nine manifestations of the fruit of the Spirit ().

This love is no more earned than our salvation is.

It is gracious and self-giving, while not ignoring sin and the claims of holy justice.

The Christian’s love for his fellow Christians—of whatever denomination, social status or race—

is something that flows from the love of God.

‘Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another’ (4:11).

It is not just a proof that we are born again but a necessary proof:

— 20 If someone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen? 21 And this commandment we have from Him: that he who loves God must love his brother also.

If people cannot carry out the lesser requirement (to love their fellow believers whom they have seen),

they cannot carry out the greater requirement (to love God whom they have not seen).

John repeats the point he made in , that claims to know the ‘unseen’ God must be validated by love for fellow believers who can be seen.

The nature of the true experience of God is such that it cannot exist without manifesting itself in love for God’s people.

Already in the author has shown that God is loving,

that all those who are born of God are loving as well,

and that those who do not love, therefore, do not know God.

I’ve been the victim and have witnessed some wicked activities in the house of the Lord.

The person who professes to be a follower of Christ and (in the name of what’s right) belittles another at a business meeting is showing the unregenerate state of his heart.

The woman who claims to follow Christ but cannot wait to gossip about her pastor or someone else in the church, just gives herself away, as a liar.

— 8 But no man can tame the tongue. It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. 9 With it we bless our God and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the similitude of God.

We cannot bless God and curse men and women who have been made in the likeness of God.

v19 says that, “We love Him because He first loved us.” Man can never claim that his love for God was prior to God’s love for him.

God always comes first in loving us, and we respond by loving Him.

Our love, then, is a copy of His love. He originates love and we follow His example.

‘Hatred’ may not take the form of overt viciousness. It may simply mean our natural love of ourselves,

which shows itself in self-centeredness, self-assertion, self-pity, self-indulgence, self-seeking, or self-righteousness.

To love someone does not require us to agree with him or her at all times, but to seek the welfare of the other person even at cost to ourselves.

There are certain change that get made in church and I can promise you they are made for the health and welfare of God’s people.

Love that is a reflection of God’s love draws us out of ourselves. How does your life measure up to these exacting standards?

— And this commandment we have from Him: that he who loves God must love his brother also.

John concludes his discussion on love by stating the summary of the law (compare 3:23).

He provides the essence of the words Jesus spoke during the last week of his ministry:

“ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments” ().

Jesus brought together the “first and greatest commandment” () and the second commandment ().

God had given these commands to the people of Israel through Moses.

Jesus and the apostles repeatedly stressed the second part of the summary: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”

Why do the writers of the New Testament accentuate love for our neighbor?

The answer is twofold:

First, because our neighbor bears the image of God.

And second, because God gives us the command to love the neighbor.

In v21 John picks up a major theme from the Last Supper discourse in the Fourth Gospel, where Jesus stresses

they cannot carry out the greater requirement (to love God whom they have not seen).

John repeats the point he made in , that claims to know the ‘unseen’ God must be validated by love for fellow believers who can be seen.

The nature of the true experience of God is such that it cannot exist without manifesting itself in love for God’s people.

that his disciples’ love for him must express itself in obedience to his command, and

that his command is that they should love one another

Already in the author has shown that God is loving,

(cf., e.g., : ‘A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another’;

that all those who are born of God are loving as well,

: ‘If you love me, you will obey what I command’;

and that those who do not love, therefore, do not know God.

: ‘My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you’;

: ‘This is my command: Love each other’).

John’s purpose in picking up this theme here is to reassure his readers

who did love their fellow believers

that they really knew God, and to show them

that the claims of the defectors to know God were false.

So let’s apply John’s teaching about loving others right to our neighborhoods.

One thing these verse teach us is that following Jesus isn’t a joyless sacrifice.

It does all boil down to the two commands love God supremely and love others as your self (-40).

It all comes down to love. Peter expressed it well for people like us, who didn’t see Jesus on earth but follow Him nonetheless:

— 8 whom having not seen you love. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory,

Following Jesus is not about diligently keeping a set of rules or conjuring up the moral fortitude to lead good lives.

It’s about loving God and enjoying Him.

But lest we think that we can love God and live any way we want to, Jesus told us very clearly, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments” ().

The love for God in the first commandment is made practical in the love for our neighbors in the second commandment.

John actually told us that if we don’t love the people that we can see around us, then we don’t love God, whom we can’t see ().

True love is all about sacrifice for the sake of the ones you love:

“By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers” ().

When we understand love in this light, it’s not difficult to understand that love for God and obedience to Jesus Christ cannot be separated.

God’s love changes us from the inside out and redefines every aspect of our lives.

As you look at your life, how would you say that your love for God is shown in your actions? (If you’re having trouble coming up with an answer, take some time to think through some changes you may need to make in your lifestyle.)

We know that we’re supposed to love one another. The two greatest commandments are to love God and love people ().

Love is basic to what it means to be a follower of Jesus, and it should be what motivates us to reach out to the world around us.

The only reason that we can love anyone else is because God loved us first ().

We are transformed by love because “God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us” ().

But what is the purpose of this love? Love should characterize the way we interact with one another. But why?

Because this is how the world will recognize us:

A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another. ()

Let’s say you spent three years following Jesus closely and studying at His feet.

That should make a difference in your life, right?

Other people should be able to look at your life and notice a change.

Something about you should signal your connection to Jesus.

But the difference should not just be in our teaching or even in our pursuit of holiness.

They should notice a love like they have never seen.

Jesus told His disciples that they should look different because of their love.

Something about the way we love the people around us should signal to the world that we belong to Jesus.

Our mission will include preaching, encouraging, rebuking, serving, studying, suffering, and many other things.

But if all of these activities are not manifestations of love, then we have missed the point.

On the night He was betrayed, Jesus prayed for His disciples.

This was a pivotal moment for them, and Jesus prayed that they would be strengthened, focused, and protected.

Interestingly, Jesus did not pray only for His disciples, but for “those who will believe in me through their word.”

In other words, Jesus prayed for us. Pay careful attention to what Jesus prayed on our behalf:

— 20 “I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; 21 that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me. 22 And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one: 23 I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me.

Jesus prayed that we would be united (v21). Why? (end of v21) “that the world may believe that You sent Me.

v23 that Christ is in us and the Father is in Christ; so that we may be made perfect in one” Again, why? “that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me.”

So that the world would believe that Jesus was sent by God, and so that the world would know that God loves us.

Isn’t it amazing that Jesus believed that the unity of His church would communicate all of this to the world?

So often we assume that having right and logical arguments will be enough, but Jesus said the world will be convinced by our unity.

And when you think about it, haven’t we all heard the objections from unbelievers who point to divisions in the church as a cause for their disbelief?

Notice that Jesus’s prayer assumes that our life together as Christians won’t be hidden from view.

Our unity is something that the world will be able to see.

Nowadays, church life can become so introverted and privatized that the world never sees the way we interact with one another.

If all we ever do is gather in a private building on Sundays and Wednesday nights, the world will never know whether we are united or not.

If Jesus’s desire for us is to be realized, we are going to have to stop hiding from the eyes of the unbelieving world.

Jesus prayed for our unity, which means that we have to focus on loving and serving each other.

But we need to be doing this in such a way that the world can see what we are doing and recognize it as a picture of unity.

As we read John 17. Pay careful attention to Jesus’s desire for His followers. Would you say that our church could be characterized by this kind of unity? Why or why not?

church could be characterized by this kind of unity? Why or why not?