"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." [1 Jn 4:17]
Jesus is “The Son of [The Father’s] love.” [Col 1:13] He is the One-and-only, unique Son of God, the beloved Son of The Father, even as The Father spoke out loud to Jesus from the heavens, “thou art my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” [Mk 1:11]
Jesus was so confident in The LORD’s love for Him, that He said in prayer,
“Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me. And I knew that thou hearest me always: but because of the people which stand by I said it, that they may believe that thou hast sent me.” [Jn 11:41-42]
Jesus was confident in God’s love for Him; so much so, that He could say without fail: “I thank thee that thou hast heard me.” It was never a doubt in His mind that God heard Him or would answer His prayers. Again, in similar fashion, Jesus shows us His great confidence in God’s love. Through the merit of God’s love for Himself, He says to His disciples, and thus to us as well, “The Father Himself loveth you, because ye have loved me, and have believed that I came out from God;” [Jn 16:27] and again, “whatsoever ye shall ask The Father in my name, He will give it you.” [Jn 16:23] Is there anyone among us as Christians, who could boldly proclaim these things to others, being so full of confidence in God’s love for us? Sometimes I think that the flesh would have us to think doubting God’s love is a holy thing and a righteous thing. And yet, Christ Jesus, The Righteous Branch, said, “The Father loveth the Son, and sheweth Him all things that Himself doeth…” [Jn 5:20] And, “…thou lovest me before the foundation of the world.” [Jn 17:24]
Again, it is written, “The Father loveth the Son, and hath given all things into His hand.” [Jn 3:35] No doubt, God loves Jesus, His Son. But what of you, dear reader? Does God love you? And if He does, are you confident to say it? Do you wear it as a bride wears her garments? For it was because of His great love and mercy and grace that He saved us; and it is written, “I will greatly rejoice in The LORD…for He hath clothed me with the garments of salvation…as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels.” [Isa 61:10] Our verse for today says, “as He is, [that is, as Jesus is], so are we in this world.” As Jesus is in heaven; as Jesus is loved by and seen by The Father: just as Jesus is, so are we in this world. The love that God has for Christ, is the same exact love He has for us: for Jesus prays, “…[thou] hast loved them, as thou hast loved me.” [Jn 17:23] And again, the love that has been gifted to us is found in Christ, wherein it is unshakeable and eternal. “For I am persuaded, that [nothing at all]…shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” [Rom 8:38-39] If you have doubted The Lord’s love for you; if you have felt insecure regarding His affection, be encouraged that The LORD loves you. He loves you just as He loves His Son. And the same confidence that Jesus displayed regarding that love, is what we can have as well, similar to John who spoke of himself as “the disciple whom Jesus loved.” [Jn 19:26; 20:2; 21:7] For just as Jesus is, so are we in this world. And so much so, that “we may have boldness in the day of judgment.” We can come to the Bema Seat of Christ without terror: for perfect love casts out fear. We can come to Him in the day of our judgment, not afraid, not trembling, but with holy reverence, confident that God accepts us and loves us.
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