Dear Friend of the Persecuted Church—

Today we conclude our meditation on 1 John 4, seeking to answer the question, “What does it mean to love the Body of Christ?

Herein is our love made perfect, 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 casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.

We love him, because he first loved us.

If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?

And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also.

Perfect Love

Last week we examined what a powerful statement it is for us to say that we have the love of God perfected in us. Even though we cannot even love on our own—we require His love to even begin our own!—His love is perfected as we give it physical form for the good of the Body of Christ.

In the final verses of this chapter, we see the ramifications of that perfect love. “Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment.” What a perspective that is! Can you imagine walking up to the Great White Throne with boldness? One sin, one blot, one mistake, and you will be condemned to an eternal punishment—it is not the sort of situation that would give rise to boldness.

But perfect love, the demonstration of the indwelling of the Spirit, gives us that boldness. It is the boldness to know that every one of those sins, blots, and mistakes is gone, cast out into the deepest part of the sea, as far as the east is from the west. We face no eternal punishment, because the perfection of love in and through us erases all condemnation.

No earthly suffering can be too great a price to be paid for this boldness. Nothing in a temporal life can be more important than this eternal security!

It is no wonder that this perfect love casts out all fear. If you have confidence in eternal security, there is simply nothing else to be afraid of. Have you ever wondered how Christians can stand strong against horrendous torture, unbelievable sacrifice, and the threat of ultimate death? Perfect love has cast out their fear. In looking to eternity glory, temporal sufferings are trivial.

So how is it that we show agape love? We become the perfection of God’s love to the Body of Christ, the channel of His essence. As God has given us of His love, we must spread it abroad to the Body, however and wherever we can.

Your prayers are doing just that.

Yours for the Body of Christ,

Gabriel J. Waddell
Executive Director