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.

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Word by word — the Greek

Word	Greek	Strong’s	Meaning
Herein	ἐν en	G1722	"in · preposition
is	τετελείωται teteleiōtai	G5048	to complete · verb — perfect passive indicative, 3rd person singular
our	μεθ᾽ meth᾽	G3326	properly · preposition
love	ἀγάπη agapē	G26	love · noun — nominative singular feminine
perfect	τελειόω teleióō	G5048	to complete
that	ἵνα ina	G2443	compare G3588 (ὁ)) · conjunction
have	ἔχωμεν echōmen	G2192	to hold (used in very various applications · verb — present active subjunctive, 1st person plural
boldness	παρρησίαν parrēsian	G3954	all out-spokenness · noun — accusative singular feminine
in	ἐν en	G1722	"in · preposition
day	ἡμέρᾳ hēmera	G2250	day · noun — dative singular feminine
judgment	κρίσεως, kriseōs	G2920	decision (subjectively or objectively · noun — genitive singular feminine
because	ὅτι hoti	G3754	demonstrative · conjunction
as	καθὼς kathōs	G2531	just (or inasmuch) as · conjunction
he	ἐκεῖνός ekeinos	G1565	that one (or (neuter) thing) · demonstrative pronoun — nominative singular masculine
is	ἐστί estí	G2076	he (she or it) is
so	καὶ kai	G2532	and · conjunction
are	ἐσμέν esmén	G2070	we are
we	ἡμεῖς hēmeîs	G2249	we (only used when emphatic)
in	ἐν en	G1722	"in · preposition
this	τούτῳ toútōi	G5129	to (in
world	κόσμῳ kosmō	G2889	orderly arrangement · noun — dative singular masculine

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).

Cross-references

1 John 2:28 And now, little children, abide in him; that, when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming.
1 John 4:12 No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us.
Romans 8:29 For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethr…
1 John 2:5 But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him.
1 John 3:3 And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.
John 15:20 Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you;…
1 John 3:19-21 And hereby we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before him.
1 John 3:1 Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not,…

Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).

Commentary

Matthew Henry on 1 John 4:17–end

The apostle, having thus excited and enforced sacred love from the great pattern and motive of it, the love that is and dwells in God himself, proceeds to recommend it further by other considerations; and he recommends it in both the branches of it, both as love to God, and love to our brother or Christian neighbour. I. As love to God, to the primum amabile - the first and chief of all amiable beings and objects, who has the confluence of all beauty, excellence, and loveliness, in himself, and confers on all other beings whatever renders them good and amiable. Love to God seems here to be recommended on these accounts: - 1. It will give us peace and satisfaction of spirit in the day when it…

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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on 1 John 4:17

(Compare Jo1 3:19-21.) our love--rather as the Greek, "LOVE (in the abstract, the principle of love [ALFORD]) is made perfect (in its relations) with us." Love dwelling in us advances to its consummation "with us" that is, as it is concerned with us: so Greek. Luk 1:58, "showed mercy upon (literally, 'with') her": Jo2 1:2, the truth "shall be with us for ever." boldness--"confidence": the same Greek as Jo1 3:21, to which this passage is parallel. The opposite of "fear," Jo1 4:18. Herein is our love perfected, namely, in God dwelling in us, and our dwelling in God (Jo1 4:16), involving as its result "that we can have confidence (or boldness) in the day of judgment" (so terrible to all oth…

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Adam Clarke on 1 John 4:17

Herein is our love made perfect - By God dwelling in us, and we in him; having cast out all the carnal mind that was enmity against himself, and filled the whole heart with the spirit of love and purity. Thus the love is made perfect; when it thus fills the heart it has all its degrees; it is all in all; and all in every power, passion, and faculty of the soul. May have boldness in the day of judgment - Παρῥησιαν· Freedom of speech, and liberty of access; seeing in the person of our Judge, him who has died for us, regenerated our hearts, and who himself fills them. As he is - Pure, holy, and loving; so are we in this world; being saved from our sins, and made like to himself in righteousnes…

The Church Fathers

In this world we must do our best to be generous, godly, merciful and patient, imitating God as closely as we can.
— Hilary of Arles, INTRODUCTORY COMMENTARY ON 1 JOHN

Jesus said: "The ruler of this world is coming, and he shall find nothing in me." We ought to be the same, so that nothing of this world may be found in us either.
— Andreas of Caesarea, CATENA

Some man has begun to believe in a day of judgment: if he has begun to believe, he has also begun to fear. But because he fears as yet, because he hath not yet boldness in the day of judgment, not yet is charity in that man made perfect. But for all that, is one to despair? In whom thou seest the beginning, why despairest thou of the end? What beginning do I see? That very fear. Hear the Scripture: "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom." Well then, he has begun to fear the day of judgment: by fearing let him correct himself, let him watch against his enemies, i.e. his sins; let him begin to come to life again inwardly, and to mortify his members which are upon the earth.
— Augustine of Hippo, Ten Homilies on 1 John 9

The Church Fathers: public-domain translations (Ante-Nicene and Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers), verse-indexed by SermonIndex (CC BY 4.0).

Dictionary and topics

Boldness, Holy · Saints shall have, in judgment — Saints shall have, in judgment
Judgment, The · Perfect love will give boldness in — Perfect love will give boldness in
Love To God · Perfected, gives boldness — Perfected, gives boldness
Second Coming Of Christ, The · Shall not be ashamed at — Shall not be ashamed at

Dictionary: Easton's (1897) and Smith's (1863), public domain. Topics: Nave's Topical Bible (1896) and Torrey's Topical Textbook (1897), public domain. Both as parsed by NEUU (CC BY 4.0).

1 John 4:17

Word by word — the Greek

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on 1 John 4:17–end

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on 1 John 4:17

Adam Clarke on 1 John 4:17

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

1 John 4:17

Word by word — the Greek

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on 1 John 4:17–end

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on 1 John 4:17

Adam Clarke on 1 John 4:17

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

John Gill on 1 John 4:17

John Calvin on 1 John 4:17-18

Tyndale Open Study Notes on 1 John 4:17