One of the most comforting truths found in Scripture is expressed in 1 John 4:17–18. It tells us, “By this, love is perfected with us, so that we may have confidence in the day of judgment; because as He is, so also are we in this world.” This verse shows us that when we have love for God in us, we don’t have to fear God, but we can approach Him with bold confidence.
Understanding “Perfected” in Its Original Context
John starts off by saying that love is perfected with us. The key word “perfected” in Greek is τετελειωμένη (te-teleiōménē), a perfect passive participle of the verb τελειόω (teleiō). This verb means “to complete,” “to finish,” or “to bring to an end.” Its root is τέλος (telos), meaning “end,” “goal,” or “purpose.” When he says love is perfected in us, he is saying that love is completed in us whose results continue to have an effect.
John is not saying that we should strive to have love perfected, but rather, he is stating a fact- love is perfected or completed in us. But how? Read on.
Christ Abiding in Us: The Source of Perfected Love
He says “By this”. By what? It refers to verse 16, which is that God abides in Him. Because Christ lives in us, His love is perfected in us. It is not because of our spiritual gymnastics, but because Love in its purest form, Christ is one with us in the spirit.
So believer, if you have Christ living in you, you have the reservoir of love all accessible and active in you. You can’t help but love. I know I sound like a broken record here, but the best illustration is how we love our children. We simply love them. If they fall and cry dramatically, we might feel sorry for them, but other parents may feel that the child is dramatic. We can’t help but love.
Confidence Because We Are Perfected in Love
Our love for God, has many benefits but one of the significant benefit is that we have the boldness to confidently stand before Him. Why? Because the perfected love that is in us, has cast away all fear. When Adam sinned, he ran away from God, now by Christ’s love completed and installed into perfection in us, the fear has been dispelled.
God is our Father. Imagine the pain, when He walked into that garden, He saw the one He loved running away from Him. Oh the pain, the Father might have felt. But then now that we have love perfected within us, He can have that relationship with us once again. He is like the dad that comes from the office and opens the door, hoping to hear his toddler running ecstatically towards him for a hug! That’s our Father. That’s what the perfection of love did for us.
Confidence Because We Are Like Christ
The second part of 1 John 4:17 introduces the idea that our likeness to Christ also gives us confidence:
“Because as He is, so are we in this world.”
As He Is: Christ is loved by the Father, righteous, and fully accepted in heaven. We share in that identity because of our union with Him. If only we really understood that we are exactly like Him. We have the authority of Jesus, the same power of Jesus, we are as righteous as He is, we are holy and blameless and everything because He is in me, and I in Him, and we are one with Him in the spirit! Oh that perfection!
In this world: This likeness to Christ is not something we wait for in the future; it is a present reality. Just as Jesus is righteous and free from condemnation, so are we.
Our confidence is bolstered by the fact that, in God’s eyes, we stand as Christ stands—blameless, righteous, and fully loved.
A Vision of Boldness
An illustrative account from the writings of Sadhu Sundar Singh brings this to life. In one vision, a person burdened by sin complained that God wasn’t fair—that salvation shouldn’t have come through Jesus. Yet when God simply said, “Come,” that person moved forward only to recoil in shame. The angel explained, “A sinner cannot just stand in the presence of God.” Contrast this with the believer who has Christ in them: when His love is perfected within, they can stand boldly before God now—not in some distant future, but in the present reality.
No Room for Fear in the Born-Again Life
If you are not born again, you might find yourself grappling with fear to approach God, but when you are born again, we have the same confidence Jesus has, to stand before God. You do not have to keep saying I am unworthy, unworthy. You are worthy, holy, blameless and perfect in Christ Jesus.
Embrace the love perfected in you—let it shine forth, casting out fear and empowering you to live boldly in the likeness of Christ.
Leave a Reply