And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son as Savior of the world. Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him. 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. There 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. We love Him because He first loved us. (1 John 4:14-19)
Finding Fellowship with God through Christ
The church in John’s day faced false teaching and teachers, but the apostle assured them that the Holy Spirit would help them remain true and faithful. We should not be surprised by the broad appeal of false teaching. Since false teaching is not from God, it will appeal to the world. And one way the disciples in John’s day knew it was not from God was because false teaching disagreed with what the apostles taught. God sent the apostles, so any doctrine that contradicts what they taught should be considered false.
John and his fellow apostles witnessed the life, ministry, and resurrection of Jesus, the Son of God. As he says earlier in 1 John 1:1-2, “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of life—the life was manifested, and we have seen, and bear witness, and declare to you that eternal life which was with the Father and was manifested to us.” Because Jesus chose them as His witnesses, He entrusted them with the message.
Authentic Fellowship with God and Apostolic Truth
If we believe what the apostles preached and taught, we will have fellowship with God. Part of the apostles’ message included the fact that Jesus Christ came in the flesh, a doctrine some disputed in John’s day according to 1 John 4:2-3. If we want to have fellowship with God, we must receive and believe the message preached by the apostles in its entirety. Part of that message expects we will confess Jesus is the Son of God. If we accept the apostles’ testimony, we know God abides in us.
How Perfect Love Casts Out Fear
John underscores the important role of love and urges his readers to holy living. When we contemplate our sin and the judgment to come, Hebrews 10:26-27 says we have every reason to fear. However, if we imitate God’s love by loving our fellow Christians, we can know God abides in us. This perfection of love gives us boldness in the day of judgment. Thus, the fear and dread we could feel have been replaced by love. Because God loved me and I love my fellow Christians, I gain confidence as I anticipate standing before God.
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