Sermon Tone Analysis

— 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,