The word love brings all sorts of thoughts to the mind. We most often think of romantic love, where a girl and a guy love one another and cannot wait to be together all the time. They believe in their hearts that when that happens, they will experience perfect love. It is not long before they realize that perfect love takes time to develop, as they now see the imperfections in one another. However, the Bible speaks of “perfect love” in I John 4:18.
I John 4:18 “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.”
Yesterday I wrote using this verse and focused on the element of fear. Today, we will look at what the Bible says about perfect love. In the Bible, the word perfect is “teleios” in the Greek language. It means complete or mature. The word “love” used here is the Greek agapē. It is unconditional, selfless, and the absolute love of God. This kind of love is what God expresses to all of us. This kind of love caused Him to send His Son to die for our sins.
This love is unlike human love. Our love often comes with conditions. I will love you if you are faithful, obedient, etc. Human love is emotional and usually dependent on how others treat us. However, agape love, God’s kind of love, is different. It is intentional, sacrificial, and committed to our good. You may say, “He’s not committed to my good. Look what happened to me?” We feel that way because we do not see the future. We do not want to be conformed to His image, we have a sinful nature, and we are like children. We want what we want, no matter what. We do not consider the consequences that may arise. We are immature and think the negative consequences will never happen to us.
As dealt with in yesterday’s devotion, perfect love removes the fear of judgment, rejection, or condemnation. When you know you are fully loved and accepted by God, you no longer have to live in anxious dread of making mistakes or being punished. While loving God supremely in our lives causes us to want to please Him, we still have within us the sinful nature that sometimes tempts us to sin. We are not perfect people.
The perfect love that God wants us to experience from Him and exhibit in our human relationships is not based on our performance. Perfect love says I love you, period. It cannot be earned through our behavior, and it cannot be destroyed by our failure. For this, I am extremely thankful. I know even on my best days, I come woefully short of His standard.
Perfect love also transforms how we treat others. I John 4:19 notes, “We love because He first loved us.” This love is not just something we receive; it becomes the source we draw from. When we truly experience the love God has for us, it frees us to love others sacrificially, forgivingly, and without fear, which allows us to be vulnerable with one another.
Let’s compare human love that anyone can experience to the perfect love that only comes from God and can only be fully experienced as we receive His Son as our Savior. Human love is conditional. God’s love is perfect and divine in nature. Human love is based on our feelings; God’s love is based on His unchanging character. When we fail, the human response is rejection, but God’s love offers grace, forgiveness, and restoration. Human love examines our lives and brings anxiety over not being good enough. God’s love casts out fear and brings peace. Human love is subject to change God’s love is constant, eternal, and steadfast.
As believers, we are to yield ourselves wholly to God. Our devotion to Him should be steady and sacrificial. We exhibit this as we allow the Holy Spirit to lead us to treat others the way God treats us. Where are you lacking in this perfect love that God demonstrates to us? It is time for us to examine our own lives and ask God to help us so that others will see Jesus in us. How do we expect them to believe there is a God who loves them enough to die for them if we do not allow His love to show through us?
