The Power of Love

1 John 4:17-18

John shifts gears and changes direction at this point. He wants to bring into the discussion both the subject of judgment (v. 17) and the subject of fear (v. 18). Loving others out of gratitude for how we have been 115loved in Christ has consequences not only for the present, but also for the future.

The argument John has built to this point is powerful. It runs something like this: loving others (vv. 7, 11-12), possessing the Spirit (v. 13), confessing the Son (v. 15), and mutually abiding in God and His love (vv. 15-16) bring God's love to its full and intended goal, its perfect purpose in our lives. Two wonderful purposes of that goal are confidence when I stand before God on judgment day (v. 17) and the complete absence of fear at that time (v. 18). How is this possible? The answer is because on that day when you stand before God He will see you as He sees His dear Son. The love of God will have done its perfect work as it is applied to that day when we stand before God.

Love has an intended goal. The word "perfected" carries the idea of completion, being brought to maturity. Abiding in the love of God gives us "confidence," boldness, for the judgment day. Judgment day is something every person should consider with healthy seriousness. It is real, and it is coming. No one spoke more often or more vividly of judgment than Jesus. The word "hell" (Gk Gehenna) is used 12 times in the New Testament; all but one occurrence comes from the mouth of Jesus (cf. Jas 3:6). The very purpose of His coming was to help people be prepared for that day. John says we can not only be ready, but we can be confident. Why? Because on that day "we are as He is in this world." What does John mean by this? I think the answer is something like this: Because we are in Christ—abiding in Him and He abiding in us—we stand in relation to God and the world the same way Christ does. John MacArthur says it beautifully:

The phrase "no fear" is quite popular. A clothing brand by that name was started in 1989, opened its first retail store in 2000, launched an energy drink in 2003, and filed for bankruptcy in 2011. Apparently its staying power and shelf-life were limited.

Such is not the case with the love of God. Verse 17 states this truth positively, and verse 18 states it negatively. When God's love has reached its intended goal and accomplished its perfect work, fear before God is driven out and the dread of punishment is vanquished. This is one of the joys and blessings of knowing God as Father. This holy and righteous Judge is also our Abba, Father. In contrast, those who do live in fear of future punishment give evidence that something is wrong, that God's perfecting work of love has not done its work in their lives. So, out of gospel gratitude for who you are in Christ, love others as He has loved you. The threat of punishment will disappear. The fear of punishment will evaporate. Love never fears judgment or punishment. It is bold. It is confident.

Love Is a Command Because It Reflects God's Character

1 John 4:19-21

In Matthew 22:36-40 Jesus addressed the two great commands: loving God and loving others. There He made what many would see as a startling statement. He said that loving your neighbor is "like" loving God. Now in our text, John will add that you cannot love God without loving your neighbor. In fact to say you love God while hating a fellow human being just will not work. In fact, it turns you into a liar and gives evidence that you actually don't love God either.

Verse 19 is one of the most simple and straightforward verses in the Bible. The theological order is important. "We love." Why? "Because He first loved us." God took the initiative, not us. Our love finds its origin in God's love. He loves us, and the love that now abides in us and has been perfected in us overflows in loving words and actions to others. The Father's prior love is source and cause for our love of others. If I am not loving others as I ought, then I do not know God's love as I should. That, in essence, is John's argument in verse 20.

117Once again we encounter an "If anyone says" statement (cf. 1:6, 8,10; 2:4, 6,9). Here the person under examination says one thing but does another that contradicts his words. With his lips he says, "I love God," but in his heart (and actions) he "hates his brother." John's verdict is quick, clear, and to the point: "He is a liar."

John's logic is flawless. It is what we call a "lesser to greater" analogy. The gist is that if you do not have the ability to love the brother you can see, it is impossible for you to love the God you have not seen. If you do not manage to love His creatures, then you cannot love the Creator. If you do not have the capacity to love His children, then you cannot love their Father. John Stott is right when he notes, "It is obviously easier to love and serve a visible man than an invisible God, and if we fail in the easier task, it is absurd to claim success in the harder" (The Letters of John, 173). God calls us to walk in the truth. That involves loving God and loving others.

Verse 21 is basically a summation of John's discourse on love that began back in 4:7. It also, in a very wise theological strategy, looks to the words of Jesus to settle the issue and answer any remaining questions or objections someone might raise.

"And we have this command from Him" refers again to the words of Jesus concerning the greatest command, found in Matthew 22:37-39 and Mark 12:30-31. What Jesus gave us was a command. It was not a suggestion or recommendation. It was not just a good idea we might consider. If we truly love God, then we must truly love our brother as well. The Godward and human-directed aspects of love cannot be divided. They cannot be separated. They really are the bookends of all the commands. They are the "heads and tails" of the same coin of love. Our ability to actually love God is wedded to the reality of our love for fellow human beings. And such a love is not sporadic or periodic. It is not occasional. It is continual. It reflects and demonstrates for all to see the love of God for sinners that was put on public display on a bloody Roman cross when "the Father ... sent His Son as the world's Savior" (1 John 4:14). As D. Edmond Hiebert has wisely observed, "Since God's love is no longer visible in the presence of the incarnate Christ here on earth, God is manifesting His love as it is now displayed in His people" ("An Exposition of 1 John 4:7-21," 83).

Conclusion

118In Luke 7:47 Jesus says that those who have been forgiven much will love much. We have been forgiven much. We have been forgiven everything we have ever done wrong or ever will do wrong. So, living in the power of that truth made possible through the perfect atoning death of Jesus (1 John 4:10), let's love wholly the God whom we have not seen (but someday will), and let's love well the brother and sister we do see today. There really is supernatural power in love. If you have any doubts, just look to the cross! The crucified God declares it to be so.

Reflect and Discuss