Sep. 21, 2025

“WALKING IN THE LIGHT”

“PERFECTING LOVE”

1 JOHN 4:17-5:5

How much does God love us? Enough to send His Son to die for us (John 3:16). 

He loves His children in the same way as He loves Christ:

John 17:23 “I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me.” 

John 17:26 “And I have declared to them Your name, and will declare it, that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them.”

In other words, the Christian life is to be a daily experience of growing in the love of God.

How can a believer know that his love for the Father is being perfected? This paragraph of 1 John suggests four evidences:

1. Confidence (1 John 4:17-19)

1 John 4:17-19 “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. 18There 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. 19We love Him because He first loved us.”

vs.17 “perfected”- means to bring something to it intended purpose.

*First, we are unshrinking in our confidence, “we may have boldness in the day of judgment.” vs.17 

*Second, we are free from fear and punishment, vs.18. When we have a mature love of the brethren, there should be no fear in our lives.  

Is it possible that Christians can actually live in fear and torment? vs.18-19-  Yes

The word boldness vs.17 can mean “confidence" or "freedom of speech." It does not mean brazenness or brashness.

We have adopted the Greek word for fear into our English vocabulary: phobia. 

John is writing about krisisphobia-"fear of judgment." John has already mentioned this solemn truth in 2:28; and now he deals with it again.

A believer in Jesus Christ does not have to fear the past, present, or future, for he has experienced the love of God and this love is being perfected in him day by day.

Hebrews 9:27 “And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment.” 

But a Christian does not fear future judgment, because Christ has suffered his judgment for him on the cross. 

John 5:24 “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life.”

Romans 8:1 “There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.” 

For a Christian, judgment is not future; it is past.

The secret of our boldness is, "As He is, so are we in this world" vs.17).

Philippians  3:20, 21 “For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, 21who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself.”

We do not have to be afraid of the past, because "He first loved us.” vs.19 From the very first, our relationship to God was one of love. It was not that we loved Him, but that He loved us ( 1 John 4:10).

Romans 5:10 “For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.” 

We do not need to fear the present because “perfect love casteth out fear" vs.18.

Romans 8:15 “For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.” 

2 Timothy 1:7 “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.”

We need not fear life or death, for we are being perfected in the love of God:

Romans 8:35, 37-39

Imagine! Nothing in all creation-present or future-can come between us and God's love!

A growing confidence in the presence of God is one of the first evidences that our love for God is maturing.

2. Honesty (1 John 4:20, 21)

1 John 4:20-21 “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? 21And this commandment we have from Him: that he who loves God must love his brother also.”

Here it is for the seventh time: "If someone says…!” vs.20 

Adam finally had to admit, "I heard Thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid" (Gen. 3:10).

But when our hearts are confident toward God, there is no need for us to pretend, either to God or to other people.

An immature Christian who is not growing in his love for God may think he has to impress others with his "spirituality."

Spiritual honesty brings peace and power to the person who practices it.

Confidence toward God and honesty with others are two marks of maturity that are bound to show up when our love for God is being perfected.

3. Joyful Obedience (1 John 5:1-3)

Not simply obedience-but joyful obedience! 

1 John 5:1-3 “Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves Him who begot also loves him who is begotten of Him. 2By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and keep His commandments. 3For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome.”

Everything in creation-except man-obeys the will of God. 

Psalm 148:8 “Fire and hail, snow and clouds; Stormy wind, fulfilling His word.” 

What Paul wrote about giving also applies to living: 

2 Corinthians 9:7 “So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver.”

What is the secret of joyful obedience?

D. L. Moody often said, "Every Bible should be bound in shoe leather." We show our love to God, not by empty words but by willing works.

The longest chapter in the Bible is Psalm 119, and its theme is the Word of God.

Disobedience leads to dishonesty, and both turn our hearts away from the Word of God.

Perfecting love produces joyful obedience.

4. Victory (1 John 5:4, 5)

1 John 5:4-5 “For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world our faith. 5Who is he who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?”

The Greek word nike (NEE-kay) which simply means victory. But what does victory have to do with maturing love?

The Christian is "born of God." This means he has the divine nature within him, and it is impossible for this divine nature to disobey God. "For whatever is born of God overcomes the world" v. 4.

The word overcome is a favorite with John; he uses it in 2:13, 14 with reference to overcoming the devil. He uses it seven times in The Revelation to describe believers and the blessings they receive (2:7, 11, 17, 26; 3:5, 12, 21).

What is our name? "Children of God-the born-again ones of God.”

This is a victory of faith, but faith in what? Faith in Jesus Christ, the Son of God! The person who overcomes the world is the one "who believes that Jesus is the Son of God" vs.5. 

It is not faith in ourselves, but faith in Christ, that gives us the victory:

John 16:33 “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”

When Jesus Christ died, we died with Him:

Galatians 2:20 “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.” 

When Christ was buried, we were buried with Him. And when He arose, we arose with Him: 

Romans 6:4 “Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.”

When Christ ascended to heaven, we ascended with Him and are now seated with Him in heavenly places: 

Ephesians 2:6 “and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.” 

And when Christ returns, we shall share His exaltation: 

Colossians 3:4 “When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.”

All these verses describe our spiritual position in Christ.

So with a child of God: his authority is determined by his position in Christ.

To paraphrase what John wrote: "You Christians do not have to walk around defeated, because Jesus Christ has made you victors! He has defeated every enemy and you share His victory. Now, by faith, claim His victory.”

Victorious faith is the result of maturing love. The better we come to know and love Jesus Christ, the easier it is to trust Him with the needs and battles of life.

How does a believer go about experiencing this kind of love and the blessings that flow from it?

A previous study pointed out that a believer slips back into the world by stages:

1. Friendship with the world (James 4:4)
2. Spotted by the world (James 1:27)
3. Loving the world (1 John 2:15-17)
4. Conformed to the world (Rom. 12:2)

Our relationship to Jesus Christ, in a similar way, grows by stages:

1. We must cultivate friendship with Christ. 
2. This friendship will begin to influence our lives.

      3.   Our friendship with Christ and our becoming like Him will lead to a deeper love for Christ.

      4.   The more we know Him the better we love Him, and the better we love Him the more we become like Him-"conformed to the image of His Son" (Rom. 8:29).