Love Made Perfect

APRIL 21, 2021 STUDY NOTES I JOHN 4:17-21 BIBLE TEACHER: CLIFTON JONES LOVE MADE PERFECT INTRODUCTION In every attribute of God, He is perfect, God is perfection, His love is perfect Which does not mean that God’s love has attained perfection, God is love, 1Jn 4:8 He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love. It is “our love” that is “made perfect,” which is not possible apart from God’s love Love made perfect is love that is filled with confidence (17) It is love that is fearless (18) Perfect Love is an honest love (19) It is not a “Say-So” or hypocritical love (20) Perfect Love is Brotherly Love (21) Perfect Love is the love that strengthens the Christian life for today and prepares for tomorrow Perfect Love lives a faithful daily life in view of the return of Jesus Christ PERFECT LOVE IS CONFIDENT LOVE 1Jn 4:17 Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world. “Herein” refers to the previous verse, 1Jn 4:16 And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him. We believe that God is love and God loves us, we believe that His love dwells in us We have a love relationship with God by dwelling in His love as God dwells in us “Our love” is the result of God’s love dwelling in us, Rom 5:5 And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us. The fulfillment of God’s love is “our love made perfect” So, John explains the way that our love is made perfect--is our love made perfect, But what does John mean when he says, “our love?” Does he mean God’s love for us? Is it “our love” for God? Is it “our love” for others? John has in mind all of the above when he speaks of “love made perfect” It begins with God loving us and our loving God, then God loving others through us The word “perfect” is often found with the thought of spiritual maturity It never indicates a sinless perfection while we are still in this body and living upon the earth The word “perfect” refers to attaining a goal or fulfilling a purpose An example is “perfect fruit,” which is fruit that has ripened on the fruit tree “Love made perfect” is love that has ripened in our life and brings forth spiritual fruit “Love made perfect” is the total and complete story of God’s love God loves us, His love dwells in us, we love God, we dwell within God’s love God’s love through us loves others, that is when the purpose of God’s love is fulfilled John has already told us that love reaches “perfection” when Christians obey God’s Word Love is perfected through obedience, 1Jn 2:5 But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him. Love is perfected when we love one another, 1Jn 4:12 No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one Page 1 of 6 another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us. “Love made perfect” is not the end of love, it is love’s desired end, what love is meant to be It does not mean that we have received all of the love that God has for us It is not the end of God’s love, it is not all of the love that God is going to give us Each day we are to open our heart unto God for a fresh supply of His love for us and others “Love made perfect” is a process of spiritual growth, attaining a new spiritual level day by day It is reaching a new spiritual height, it is the realization of a daily goal attained But there is a limit to that potential, it is based upon our abiding in the love of God The limit is not according to God’s love for us, we determine the limit Our dwelling in the love of God determines the limit that God’s love will attain through us To measure the perfection of something you must have a perfect standard to compare with The standard of love that we are to measure up to is the love of God for us The standard of perfect love is God who loves us with the same love that He has for His Son, Joh 17:23 I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me. God loves us the same way that He loves His Son, and we are to love others the way He loves us Perfect love is when we love the way that God loves, and we can because His love is in us, Joh 17:26 And I have declared unto them thy name, and will declare it: that the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them, and I in them. The same love that God has for His Son is in the believer because Jesus is in the believer The evidence of Christ within us is the Holy Spirit dwelling in us, Rom 8:9 But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. Through the ministry of the Holy Spirit within us we learn all that God has for us, 1Co 2:12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. God is teaching us through the Holy Spirit of His love, Rom 15:30 Now I beseech you, brethren, for the Lord Jesus Christ's sake, and for the love of the Spirit, that ye strive together with me in your prayers to God for me; “The love of the Spirit” means the love that the Holy Spirit inspires within us James identifies “love made perfect” as the “royal law,” Jas 2:8 If ye fulfil the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself, ye do well: James said that we will do well to obey it, which means, “you are doing the right thing” Paul identifies “love made perfect” with the fulfillment of the law in one word, Gal 5:14 For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. God’s moral law stands fully accomplished and complete through “love made perfect” “Perfect love” results in “boldness,” that we may have boldness “We” refers to the Christian who is dwelling in the love of God “Boldness” has the meaning of “confidence,” and especially the confidence to speak It is a boldness to speak for God, Eph 6:19 And for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel, We will stand up and speak for God because we love Him We will tell others about Jesus because He loves them and His loves dwells in us Through love we have the confidence to approach God today, Heb 4:16 Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need. Love for Christ will be the confidence that will allow us to stand before Him when He returns, 1Jn 2:28 And now, little children, abide in him; that, when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and Page 2 of 6 not be ashamed before him at his coming. To grow in God’s love is to grow in confidence before God We know that we are confident before God when we do not fear facing God We don’t fear facing our God who loves us, we don’t fear facing the God we love “Perfect Love” prepares us for the “day of judgment,” love does not have a fear of judgment in the day of judgment: There will be a judgment, Heb 9:27 And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: Judgment for those who dwell in the love of God will not be “condemnation,” Joh 5:24 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life. Christians do not have a fear of the past because God loved us, Joh 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. God loved us when we were sinners living in our sin, Rom 5:8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. God loved us when we were enemies, Rom 5:10 For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. The question is, how much more does God love us because we are now His children? John has an answer for us in the last part of 1 John 4:17 because as he is, so are we in this world. “Because as He is” refers to Jesus who lived upon this sinful earth We too are living in a sinful world, and we too can live a victorious life because of God’s love, Rom 8:37 Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. God’s love for us is so great that nothing will ever separate us from the love of God, Rom 8:38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Because His love for us is the same as His love for His Son, Rom 8:39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. So are we and so shall we be, 1Jn 3:2 Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. Love is confident and has nothing to fear PERFECT LOVE IS FEARLESS LOVE 1Jn 4:18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love. “Fear” in the NT can have the meaning of being frightened or alarmed It also can refer to “awe,” which has the meaning of respect and reverence toward God Verse 17 taught us that “Love Made Perfect” has no fear of facing God Verse 18 is the proof of verse 17, “There is no fear in love” So “fear” in verse 18 has reference to the fear of facing God, whether now or in the future There can be the fear of facing God’s punishment and judgment, Jesus spoke of that fear, Mat 10:28 And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. Page 3 of 6 Jesus said “Fear God” because He can destroy both soul and body in Hell Perfect Love does not know that fear because “love casteth out fear” but perfect love casteth out fear: Perfect Love conquers the fear of facing the judgment of God Perfect love literally “drives out” fear, when we dwell in God’s love there is no room for fear The fear of God’s judgment is natural in the old nature and will keep love from being perfect “Perfect love” is natural in the realm of the new nature Fear and love cannot co-exist, more fear means less love, more love means less fear Knowing that we are loved by God our Father will cast out fear, Rom 8:15 For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. Paul spoke to Timothy and identified three virtues that are supplied to us by the Holy Spirit, 2Ti 1:7 For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. That is the same fearless love that John speaks of, there is power in “Perfect Love” Love Made Perfect also makes for a sound mind, fear does not result in a sound mind because fear hath torment. The “fear” that John speaks of can enslave you It is the opposite of the bold confidence that is found in “Love Made Perfect” “Fear” can be one of the most destructive emotions of man “Fear” will literally punish you, this kind of fear bears its own punishment To begin to fear is to begin to suffer punishment, fear within itself is a painful experience Fear of the past can torment you, fear of the present can torment you Fear of tomorrow can torment you, fear of the future can torment you Love Made Perfect has no fear of a present or future punishment before God The Christian who dwells in the love of God has nothing to fear, love knows no inner torment He that feareth is not made perfect in love. Fear can prevent you from growing spiritually and defeat you spiritually If fear is present, perfect love is absent, fear endures life, love enjoys life Godly fear is good and profitable, 1Pe 1:17 And if ye call on the Father, who without respect of persons judgeth according to every man's work, pass the time of your sojourning here in fear: Peter does not contradict John, he is agreeing with John Peter is not saying that we are to be afraid of God, living in dread or terror Peter speaks of fear motivated by our love for God, without that love there would be no such fear This fear is reverence, respect, and awe for the One who made it all possible through His grace, Heb 12:28 Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear: “Godly fear” is the realization that you are living for and serving the one and only “Holy God” PERFECT LOVE IS HONEST LOVE 1Jn 4:19 We love him, because he first loved us. It was not fear that brought us to love God, it was God’s love for us It was God’s love for us that inspired us to love Him, never forget it, live with it daily Our capacity to love God comes from His love for us, Because he first loved us. There is a strong emphasis upon “first,” how do we know that God loved us “first?” John has already told us, 1Jn 4:10 Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. The evidence of God’s love for us is His Son who died for us, Rom 5:8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Page 4 of 6 God’s perfect love gave His Son for us, Jesus’ perfect love gave His life for us Our perfect love for God will motivate us to give our life in faithful service to Christ Giving our life to Christ in love means that we will love others because we love God, which is, Sincere love, 1Pe 1:22 Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently: “Unfeigned” means, “real,” true, sincere, and there is no pretending, it is without hypocrisy PERFECT LOVE IS NOT A SAY-SO LOVE 1Jn 4:20 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? Throughout this book John has continually warned us against hypocrisy He does that through the words of, “If a man say,” which presents a hypocritical statement And John has even stronger words for the hypocrite, he says, “he is a liar” You lie if you claim to have fellowship with God and walk in darkness, 1Jn 1:6 If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: The fact of lying is stated in the strongest sense in, 1Jn 1:10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us. To claim that you “have not sinned” goes beyond the point of personally telling a lie John says, “we make him a liar” The person is not only a liar within themselves, but in their lie, they are calling God a liar If you say that you love God and do not keep His commandments, you lie, 1Jn 2:4 He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. If we love God, we will keep His commandments, 1Jn 3:23 And this is his commandment, That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave us commandment. John once again identifies a hypocritical statement, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: You cannot keep God’s commandments and hate your brother “I love God” refers back to the previous verses, back to the “Perfect Love” Back to the truth of “dwelling in God’s love” Hate is the evidence that you are not truly loving God or dwelling in God’s love Just as love and fear cannot dwell together, neither can hate and love dwell together The love that will cast out fear will also cast out hate, “Perfect Love” does not hate The truth of “brother” presents an opportunity for “Love to be Made Perfect” Loving our brother is an opportunity to demonstrate our love for God Hate in the life of a believer contradicts the statement of, “I love God” The lip says “I love God,” but the heart says “I hate my brother,” so, “he is a liar” It is very easy to identify the lie, the lie is, “I love God” when you hate the brother John now explains his statement, for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen John makes a strong point, the brother is ever before our eyes We are well acquainted with the brother and we know him well We have ample opportunity to love or hate the brother, so what do we do? We often say, “I cannot love that person because I know him too well” Look in the mirror and ask, “did God know me well when He first loved me?” Your “brother” is the one that God loved just like He loved you Dwelling in God’s love will allow you to love your brother Your brother is a fellow-Christian, you have the same Heavenly Father Through the love of God, we are united into the same spiritual family That family relationship offers the opportunity for “Love to be Made Perfect” Page 5 of 6 It is within the Family of God that we can see the visible need of “Perfect Love” Perfect Love seeks to meet the needs of others If there is no attempt to meet the needs of others there is no visible sign of Perfect Love The world does not need to see another example of hate, they need to see “Love Made Perfect” So, John has a question for us, if the world cannot see our love for one another How can they see our love for God? how can he love God whom he hath not seen? The answer to the question is easy, “He cannot” It is all very simple, loving the brother is the evidence of “Loving God” Not loving the brother is the evidence of not dwelling in God’s Love PERFECT LOVE IS BROTHERLY LOVE 1Jn 4:21 And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also. John refers to what is known as the “Great Commandment” given to us by Jesus, Mat 22:37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. Mat 22:38 This is the first and great commandment. Mat 22:39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. Mat 22:40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets. First, we must love God, John has told us that we will learn of God from loving God We will learn to obey the second commandment, Hebrews instructs us, Heb 13:1 Let brotherly love continue. “Brotherly love” does not refer to the natural affection among the human race “Brotherly love” is the love of brothers and sisters in the Family of God This verse does not mean that “brotherly love” was not being practiced It was something that they had practiced but must be sure to “continue” The word translated “continue” is the word often translated “abide” Meaning that which is to be at home within our life, that which is a natural part of our life “Brotherly love” is absolutely necessary if we are going to represent Christ We must not be satisfied with yesterday’s act of love, it must be practiced today also A good commentary of Hebrews 13:1 is--Rom 12:10 Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another; Two words in this verse reveal a unique relationship of love “Kindly” is a family word referring to the next of kin “Brotherly” is a family word referring to members of a family Christians are members of one family, we all have the same father, His name is God the Father We are united together in His Son, Jesus Christ, we are brothers and sisters in Christ The family of God is a unique relationship, there is no other family like the family of God “Brotherly love” is not based upon race, color of skin, social status, or education It is based upon the love of Christ which is within us and to be shared with others through us “Perfect Love” begins with love for the Lord, love that will serve the Lord and worship the Lord Listen to the song, give serious thought to its message Page 6 of 6