1 John 4:17 17In this love has been perfected within us, in order that we may have confidence on the day of judgment, because just as that one is so also we are in this world.
To what in this refers at the beginning of the verse is unclear. John has used a similar construction to refer to what follows, but in this case, looking back to verse 16 makes better sense. Love is perfected by abiding in God. The purpose of love is to bring us into a relationship with God and to prepare and fit us to be in his presence. Since God is love, those in relationship with God must be filled with love, which comes only through abiding with him. Loving connects us to God and allows God’s love to fill us and expand outward toward others. The channel through which love flows is the combination of faith and obedience: faith trusts in God’s promises, and obedience expresses a willingness to act on that faith.
The verb has been perfected (teteleiōtai) is noteworthy. Its meaning is theologically significant in the New Testament. It refers to something that has been completed or has reached its intended purpose. God created us for love and to love. When we love, we are fulfilling God’s plan for us. The passive voice of the verb implies that God is the one who grows love within us; we must respond in faith and obedience to what the Holy Spirit speaks into our lives. In addition, the perfect tense of this verb suggests that God’s love began at some point in the past, particularly when we come to believe in the truth of Jesus. This love grows over time as our commitment and knowledge grow. This growth process is never finished in this lifetime but continues until our last breath. Our goal in this life is to experience God’s love within us in fullness, not partially. This love is based on faith revealed in obedience and is not based on emotions. Our needed response to fulfill God’s purpose for us is to allow God’s love to flow through us to others. Saying that we love God yet not showing love to others negates our love for God and shows that it is incomplete, lacking, and conditioned by something in this world.
Growing in love also brings assurance of eternal life. We can come to a place of confidence about our spiritual status by using the love gauge. Have we indeed confessed our sins and be made pure by the blood of Christ (1:5-2:2)? Are we indeed walking in the light of obedience to Jesus’ commands (chapter 2)? Are we loving others and rejecting the darkness of sin (chapter 3)? Are our hearts filled with love for God and others (chapter 4)? An affirmative answer to these will give us confidence to stand before God on judgment day. We cannot do this on our own. God’s grace, the same grace shown by Jesus’ death on the cross, provides the foundation for our response of faith. We tap into this grace through believing that Jesus is the Son of God who came in the flesh, died on the cross, and rose from the dead.
Jesus lived in the world and showed love to all he met. Each person encountered Jesus in ways that would lead to transformation. Jesus confronted people with tough love, especially those who lived in rebellion and hardness of heart (such as the Pharisees and Jewish leaders). Other times, he reached out to those who had no one else (the beggars and demon-possessed). He often experienced adversity and persecution. He serves as our model of what it means to love in this world. His love for the Father and the fallen world was perfect and complete. Our goal is to become like him in perfect love.