BIBLE LESSON
“Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness on the day of judgment, because as he is, so are we in this world."
— 1 John 4:17
Perhaps one of the most amazing teachings in John’s first letter relates to the type of people the followers of Jesus ought to be and the type of people seen among Jesus’ followers. John wrote about what type of person a follower of Jesus ought to be “in this world,” not what type of person a follower of Jesus ought to be “in heaven.” As the Holy Spirit led him to write, John expected the followers of Jesus to be “as Jesus is,” not as Jesus was or as Jesus has become, but “as Jesus is” and as Jesus always is. Jesus is the perfect expression of the love of God. Everything Jesus said and did before and after He came into this world expressed the perfect love of God for everyone. Sometimes Jesus needed to give strong warnings to those who refused to live in love, but those who knew Jesus knew that Jesus meant His strong warnings to move people to think and change and love others as God loved them. Jesus knew that when people loved God and others as God loved them that they would be the happiest people “in this world.” So, Jesus and John expected those who claimed to follow Jesus to truly become “as Jesus is” and become as Jesus is “in this world.” With the help of the Holy Spirit, day-by-day Christians can learn how to show forth the perfect love of Jesus for everyone “in this world.” When Jesus’ followers live “as Jesus is,” they show others how much God loves them.