Chapter 4
Verses 17-21:
"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. 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. We love Him because He first loved us. 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? And this commandment we have from Him: that he who loves God must love his brother also."
Here in verse 17 I bring to mind adoption as children of God as I have before. "Love has been perfected among us in this..." In two senses, one that we are conformed to the image of his son or in other words "because as He is, so are we in this world." Secondly, that in "our love...we may have boldness in the day of judgment..."
Taking the former firstly: "Because as He is, so are we in this world." This "love has been perfected" in that we are united to God in Christ, and as "He is" so we shall strive to be (Matthew 5:28), and one day will be. This hope to be conformed to the image of the Son is a seal of our adoption in our heart. As a believer we have no greater desire to be as our Father is in heaven.
Then the latter: "We may have boldness in the day of judgment..." By nature we tremble at the presence of God, as He is the Judge of the world, our sins hold us accountable before Him. But because of this "love" we have confidence in the "day of judgment" (cf. 1 John 2:28). The Christian looks forward to the day of Judgment when we go to be with our Lord eternally, our fear is not like that of the reprobate who will tremble and fear in that day.
So then in verse 18, "There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment." There was fear of eternal "torment" and damnation. which without the "perfect love" of God there would be no deliverance from, we would be hopelessly headed towards that end. But now "there is no fear in love" because this "perfect love casts out" this "fear" of "torment." We now have peace with God in this love, understanding our adoption we cheerfully and patiently wait upon the Lord's return. But because we are not instantaneously made perfect we may still have a remnant of fear in a sense, as the Apostle says, "he who fears has not been made perfect in love." Though I am no expert commentator so if anyone has anythoughts on the end of verse 18 let me know what you think.
Verse 19, "We love Him because He first loved us." Very similar to 1 John 4:10, but following that is somewhat of a parallel to the verse that follows verse 19. "Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another" (1 John 4:11). And as verse 20 says, "If someone says, 'I love God,' and hates his brother, he is a liar." The knowledge of God's love upon us is really, whether or not we love our brother/sister. As John says, "for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen?" In other words if you do not love those who bear the image of the Almighty who you can see, how then, can you love God whom you cannot? And so it logically flows this way.
Verse 20 gives the commandment that we have heard from Jesus and it is this: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself' (Matthew 22:39).
Citation:
*NKJV Reformation Study Bible
*Calvin's Commentaries on 1 John
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1 comment:
That's a good distinction to make between the fear of the reprobate, who fear judgment, and the fear of the believer: a healthy respect.
As far as the end of verse 18 goes (whoever fears has not been perfected in love.) I would have to say that can be viewed two ways.
One, that we who have been saved have no need to fear that we will go to hell to be punished for our sin, if we do fear, then this shows that we have not yet been perfected in love. There is a sense in which a Christian may doubt his own sincerity, and for the most part this is also healthy, we are called to search ourselves out for example. But there is also a doubting which is sinful, and that is to doubt the Christ can save you or that His work on the cross was "enough" to pay the penalty.
The second sense in which we can view that is that we have not yet been made perfect and so nearly all of us still retain a bit of "fear" that we might not be sincere ourselves.
Recap: To fear that God will accept us on the basis of Christ's work is sinful, to fear because of our own perfidiousness (that word just popped into my head for some reason) that we are deceiving ourselves, now that is something that most Christians do struggle with and is only evidence of the fallen world we live in. How blessed it will be to be with God where all such fear is eternally removed!
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