Does I John 4:19 make us blameless at Judgment?
Question:
Greetings to you in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
In this way, love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence (boldness) on the day of judgment, because in this world we are like him. (I John 4:17).
Does this verse make us blameless on the day of judgment, brother?
Answer:
The difficulty lies in understanding the meaning of "blameless." We tend to assume it means "without fault" or "sinless." However, various people in the Bible are called "blameless," but being human, we know they have sinned. Interestingly, the one person whom we know was without sin (Jesus) was never called "blameless."
"The word translated “blameless” conveys the idea of a life or covenant standing to which no legitimate charge can be attached. It does not teach sinless perfection on earth but the absence of grounds for accusation before God or men" [Topical Lexicon]."We have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us. God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. By this, love is perfected with us, so that we may have confidence in the day of judgment; because as He is, so also are we in this world. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love" (I John 4:17-19).
The idea behind "perfected" is not being without fault. It is becoming mature. When we know and believe the love God has for us, we have a close relationship with love and with God. In this way, love matures in us, and that matured love gives us confidence when we meet God in Judgment. Our love for God causes us to live in imitation of God. We are not perfect, but we know we have done our best. In this way, we show maturity in our love.
