The Apostle of love brings us to a strong eschatological focus of living in God and loving as God loves. For him, he has been pitching his letter between 2 camps; true believers who love v the ‘AntiChrists’ who dethrone Jesus as less than God and who do not love fellow believers.
Who has nothing to fear on that Day when we all stand before God?
“This is how love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment: In this world we are like Jesus.” (1 John 4 v 17)
It is not those with less sin.
It cannot be those who have achieved a lifestyle which matches that of Jesus. If so then no one could stand.
It must be that just like Jesus was in the world we are also.
How was Jesus in the world? A) Through the incarnation as the Son of God and b) Love.
On that Day we will stand confidently not because we have achieved sinless perfection but because love has been perfected in us:-
- We are like Jesus in that as Jesus is the Son of God we are also children of God.
- We are like Jesus in that He came because God so loved the world and in this world He demonstrated this love by laying His life down on the cross.
John tells the Church that they have nothing to fear on that Day because they follow Jesus Christ and they love like Him. A message that is still as powerful for us today.
Missions Paul 