1 John 4:17

Herein is our love made perfect Better, as the margin, Herein is love with us made perfect; or, as R. V., Herein is love made perfect with us. Most earlier English Versions agree with the latter collocation. The meaning seems to be that love, which is of God (1 John 4:7), takes up its abode with usand is developed until it is perfected. -Love" here evidently means our love towards God: His love towards us can have no fear about it (1 John 4:18). -Herein" may refer to either of the two clauses which follow. -Herein … that" (ἵνα) occurs possibly in John 15:8, and -Herein … because" (ὅτι) occurs 1Jn 3:16; 1 John 4:9-10. But it is perhaps best to make -Herein" refer to what precedes; to our abiding in God and God in us. This avoids the awkwardness of making perfection of love in the presentdepend upon our attitude at the Judgment, which though near (1 John 2:18) according to S. John's view, is still future. In this way we can give its full meaning to -that" (ἵνα): by close union with God our love is made perfect, in order thatwe may have boldness in the day of judgment. For -boldness" see on 1 John 2:28.

the day of judgment The full phrase here used, - theday of thejudgment" occurs nowhere else: the usual form is -day of judgment" (Matthew 10:15; Matthew 11:22; Matthew 11:24; Matthew 12:36; 2 Peter 2:9; 2 Peter 3:7). S. John elsewhere calls it -the last day" (John 6:39-40; John 6:44; John 6:54), or -the great day" (Revelation 6:17; comp. John 16:14). Other Scriptural phrases are -the day of the Lord", -the day of God", -day of Christ", -that day", -the day".

as he is, so are we in this world -He" (ἐκεῖνος) almost certainly is Christ, as probably always in this Epistle (1 John 2:6; 1 John 3:3; 1 John 3:5; 1 John 3:7; 1 John 3:16). Our assurance with regard to the future Judgment is not presumption, because in this world we are in character like Christ. The resemblance is marked as close, - evenso are we" (καθώς); comp. 1Jn 2:6, 1 John 3:3; 1 John 3:7. In what does this close resemblance specially consist? In love: the whole context points to this. He need not fear the judgment of Christ who by loving has become like Christ.