“LOVE, CONFIDENCE, AND ASSURANCE”

17 “By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because as he is so also are we in this world.”

1 John 4:17

What do love and confidence have to do with our hope of eternity and Christian mission?

Yesterday, we learned that love for others is the one piece of evidence that we belong to God.

In verse 17, John writes the purpose of the perfection (completeness) of love: for his readers to have confidence on Judgment Day. The Greek term “parrēsia” is defined as “free and fearless confidence, assurance.”

In the Gospel of John, Jesus gives the command of loving one another, which is perhaps the Apostle introduced the theme of judgment in his epistle. Therefore, not loving is a direct disobedience of Jesus’ command.

To have a life marked by love means living in God, which results in complete confidence in prayer and assurance of salvation on the last day. This confidence also gives believers the strength to overcome temptations, trials, and persecutions.

God wants His people to have confident faith and assurance of salvation. Otherwise, He wouldn’t have given us a guarantee that we are saved. Besides, to live without assurance is to live in fear and uncertainty. If God does not want us to have confidence, why does the Bible tell us that our love for one another proves that we are disciples of Christ?

As God is love, so are we to show His love to others, especially those in the family of faith. Our common love brings down heaven to earth, allowing unbelievers to find hope in this rather hopeless world.

Pursue the Savior today!