4:7-21 How are we to understand what John says here?
4:7-21 How are we to understand what John says here?
Here John traces the love Christians should manifest for each other to its source in the nature of God as revealed in Him giving His Son up to death to provide salvation for His enemies (cp Ro 5:8-11; Eph 2:12-13; Col 1:20-22; Tit 3:3-7). In 1Jn 4:7-21
John is again stressing Christians' love for each other as the test of their Christian life (cp Jn 13:34-35; 15:12-17; 1Jn 2:10; 3:14). Christians are to show they are God's children by manifesting attitudes and actions like God's to each other. It is only by the expression of their love for each other like this that God's love is made perfect in them.
The effectiveness of God's love in Christians demonstrates itself in their love for each other. This is the perfect love that casts out fear in 1Jn 4:18, which is virtually the same teaching as 1Jn 3:14. This fear relates to the fear of being eternally damned.
Christians in whom God's love is perfected do not have this fear - they have passed from death to life (cp Jn 14:23; 1Jn 3:19-24). Christians need to heed all that these scripture teach because they all emphasize the love Christians are to have for each other as the key to eternal life (cp Mt 22:36-40; Ro 12:9-10; 1Pe 1:22). See also comments on Jn 13:34-35, 1Th 3:12, 1Jn 2:7, 3:16-18.