1 John 4:16-21
4:17 a our love grows more perfect: The Greek word translated grows more perfect does not mean flawless, but mature and complete. We mature as our relationship with God grows, and God’s love makes our love complete.• Experiencing and expressing God’s love and doing what it requires does not make us acceptable to God, but it does give us the assurance that we have been accepted, and our fears of the final judgment melt away.
4:18 b perfect love expels all fear: As we live with Christ and grow more mature and complete in God’s love, we have confidence in facing the day of judgment, which will be terrifying for those who don’t know God (Acts 24:25 c; Rom 2:16 d).
• Based on consciousness of guilt, fear anticipates a deserved punishment, producing dread that is itself a foretaste of that punishment. Christ died to set us free from this dread (Heb 2:14-15 e).
4:19 f God loved us first, while we were sinners, not only after we gave sin up (Rom 8:5-11 g). God started the process; when he loved us he enabled us to respond to him in love and to extend that love to others.
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