“God loves you”, we hear it said many times.

Do you truly understand what it means to be loved by God? That “God loves you unconditionally, just as you are, not as you should be?”

Today’s verse is 1 John 4:17, “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.” Wow.

“Herein is love made perfect with us” – explains more about what has been talked in verses 13 through 16. His love can be manifested and made perfect or complete (τέλειοι) in us as we walk in it; through our experience of His transforming love.

“The love in us” refers to verse 15: “God dwelleth in him” (for God is love!) and to verse 13: “…he in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit.” (Please notice the trinitarian function working here).

“…that we may have boldness in the day of judgment”.

“That” starts a clause of reason. As believers we have the same righteousness Jesus Himself has! In His love we believe and rest and hope. We are called to have a personal fervent and growing love relationship with the Judge Himself who has forgiven us through His perfect Son who loved us so much, He preferred to die than to live separated from us. What greater assurance or boldness to stand in the day of judgment could we ask for?

“because as he is, so are we in this world.” 

”Because” is a clause of explanation as to how it is possible to have boldness or assurance in the day of judgment. Because “he”, Christ is our justice (Romans 3:25). As believers we have the same righteousness Jesus Himself has! In His love we believe and rest and hope.

Besides, it is no longer we who live, but Christ who lives in us! (Galatians 2:20) Friend, all we need to do is surrender to this love, to let it overwhelm and drown our fears and doubts. To let the power and the reality of His strong love conquer us day by day, decision by decision. To come to “know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God”. (Ephesians 3:19)

Dear reader, rejoice and be assured: “He cannot love you more, and He will not love you less.”

~Marian Solano