Abiding in God's Love (1 John 4:7-21)
Announcements
Scripture Reading/Call to Worship
Sermon
Introduction
Love Others because God Loves You (7-12)
Love is Evidence that you Believe (13-21)
The clear message is that the love one has for God has an effect on the future. The confession of Jesus as Lord and the mutual abiding between God and the believer allow for God’s love to have its full expression. It is in his close union with God (referring to the mutual relationship) that a believer’s love is made complete or perfected in order that he will have no fear in the day of judgment. The “function of love in the believer’s life is the impartation of a bold confidence that will enable him to stand before the judgment seat of Christ without fear or shame.”139 On that day the believer need not fear because Christ has atoned for his sins. The atonement also has a present effect since “in this world we are like him” (lit., “just as that one is, we also are in this world”). This does not mean that we have attained his perfection, but we stand in relation to God the same way that Christ does, and in this p 186 way we are like him. Those who are indwelt by God have a relationship with their Judge that is characterized by love. It is this love that allows the believer to have confidence when looking toward that day of judgment.