John Calvin Commentary 1 John 4:17

"Herein is love made perfect with us, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as he is, even so are we in this world." — 1 John 4:17 (ASV)

Herein is our love made perfect. There are two clauses in this passage—that we are then partakers of divine adoption when we resemble God as children resemble their father; and, secondly, that this confidence is invaluable, for without it we must be most miserable.

First, he shows for what purpose God has embraced us in love, and how we enjoy the grace manifested to us in Christ. God’s love for us is what is to be understood here. He says it is perfected because it is abundantly poured forth and truly given, so that it appears complete. However, he asserts that only those who, by being conformed to God, prove themselves to be His children are partakers of this blessing. This, then, is an argument taken from an inseparable condition.

That we may have boldness. He now begins to show the fruit of divine love toward us, though he afterward shows it more clearly from the contrary effect. It is, however, an invaluable benefit that we can dare boldly to stand before God. By nature, indeed, we dread God's presence, and justly so; for as He is the Judge of the world, and our sins hold us guilty, death and hell must come to our minds whenever we think of God. This is the source of the dread I have mentioned, which makes people shun God as much as they can. But John says that the faithful do not fear when the last judgment is mentioned to them; on the contrary, they go to God’s tribunal confidently and cheerfully because they are assured of His paternal love. Each person, then, has made progress in faith in proportion to how well prepared their mind is to look forward to the day of judgment.

As he is. By these words, as has already been said, he meant that we are required, in turn, to resemble the image of God. What God is in heaven, such He bids us to be in this world, so that we may be deemed His children; for the image of God, when it appears in us, is, as it were, the seal of His adoption.

But he seems in this way to place a part of our confidence in works. Hence the Papists raise their crests here, as though John denied that we, relying on God’s grace alone, can have sure confidence in salvation without the help of works. But in this they are deceived, because they do not consider that the Apostle here does not refer to the cause of salvation, but to what is added to it.

And we readily allow that no one is reconciled to God through Christ unless they are also renewed after God’s image, and that the one cannot be separated from the other. The Apostle, then, is right to exclude from the confidence of grace all those in whom no image of God is seen, for it is certain that such people are wholly alien to the Spirit of God and to Christ.

Nor do we deny that newness of life, as it is the effect of divine adoption, serves to confirm confidence—as a prop, so to speak, of the second order; but in the meantime, we ought to have our foundation in grace alone. Nor, indeed, does John’s doctrine otherwise appear consistent with itself, for experience proves (and even Papists are forced to confess) that works always give them reason for trembling. Therefore, no one can approach God’s tribunal with a tranquil mind unless they believe they are freely loved.

But it is no wonder that none of these things please the Papists, since, being miserable, they know no faith except that which is entangled with doubts. Besides, hypocrisy brings darkness over them, so that they do not seriously consider how formidable God’s judgment is when Christ the Mediator is not present; indeed, some of them regard the resurrection as mythical. But for us to go forth cheerfully and joyfully to meet Christ, we must have our faith fixed on His grace alone.