1 John 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. I. "HEREIN IS OUR LOVE MADE PERFECT." Love is like every other grace in the Christian bosom, susceptible of various degrees of intensity. It is our duty to aim at perfection in all things, and eminently in love. Our happiness is bound up in our attainment of it. Just as we advance in this grace we secure our growing peace and prosperity. II. A BLESSED EFFECT OF EVIDENCE OF SUCH LOVE. "That we may have boldness in the day of judgment." What are we to understand by the day of judgment? We are certainly not to exclude from our thoughts days of trial, such as may come upon us in the course of life, or at death. Nor can we doubt that the perfection of love would greatly contribute to our boldness at such times. But the mind of the apostle is manifestly directed to the final judgment. In that dread hour they who have cultivated the grace of love shall be enabled to meet it with boldness. How so? This boldness cannot be said to arise out of love as the reason or ground of it. Were it so viewed, its deficiencies would fill us with terror and cover us with confusion. Neither our love nor any other grace can be pleaded for our acceptance at the bar of God. Yet there is an important sense in which boldness in the day of judgment is dependent on the cultivation of love. As love is cultivated, the evidence of our union with Christ is manifested. III. HOW MAY LOVE BE SO EXERCISED AND ADVANCED AS TO LEAD US INTO THIS HOLY AND HAPPY BOLDNESS? "Because as He is, so are we in this world." It is by studying conformity to Christ our love is strengthened, and the evidence of our union with Him is made clear. IV. THE ARGUMENT BY WHICH THE APOSTLE CONFIRMS AND ILLUSTRATES HIS VIEWS (ver. 18). 1. The nature of love — "There is no fear in love." 2. More strongly the same view is presented in the operation of love — "perfect love casteth out fear." 3. This view is farther confirmed by the very nature of fear. "Fear hath torment." We avoid the person whom we fear. 4. Finally, the operation of fear is to destroy love. "He that feareth is not made perfect in love." How powerful, then, is this argument for the cultivation of love. Would we be happy in God now, and would we meet Him at last with joy? Then let us love Him. (J. Morgan, D. D.) Parallel Verses KJV: 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. |
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