1 John 4:17-19 - Standing shamelessly before Christ

In three verses, John sought to encourage believers to build their confidence to meet Christ at his Return. His word were meant to encourage God’s beloved children so that they would not have to hide in shame when facing Christ at the judgment seat. This judgment is not the Great White Throne Judgment. This is referring to the seat where Christ will evaluate the deeds of the believers  in order to reward or censure them.

John assured believers that their confidence to face Christ at the Judgment would be because they had lived in love toward God and one another. A believer who does not love fellow believers may feel shameful then. But a person who had practiced love towards the brethren would be confident when he eventually faces the Lord. Why? Because he had loved his brethren like the Lord while in this world. If a person had loved like the Lord, he had no fear facing the Lord in the judgment seat. Fear expects punishment, whereas love would have removed all fears. A person who lives in love toward God had nothing to fear about on the Judgment Day. John asserted that believers could love God only because He first loved us.

There is nothing we can do to cause God to love us more, or nothing we have done that will cause Him to shut the door. Let’s live out the two commandments that sum up all that God desires of us: to love God with all that we are and to love our neighbors as ourselves.