1Jn 4:17-4:19 - Love is Our Confidence of His Guidance

Calvin

4:17: As we come to resemble the Father, so we partake of His adoption, without which we would be miserable. God's love, so abundantly poured out on us is perfected as complete. This love is given to those He has adopted, the two conditions cannot be separated. To think of God naturally brings a touch of fear, as we justly expect His judgement of sin to condemn us. But faith brings confidence, in that we come to know that His love will overshadow our shortcomings. To the degree that we can look forward cheerfully to that final tribunal, to that degree our faith has grown. Our resemblance to God is the sign of our adoption by Him. We cannot claim to be reconciled to God and yet bear no resemblance to Him. The two are too connected. Nor is our love a work of which we can boast, for our love is but a gift from Him, and the greatest love we can show Him is still far short of what He deserves. Love founded on faith, in turn founded on grace leads us to the confidence we have at His coming.
4:18: Whereas our natural concern over His judgement brings only fear, knowing His love for us breaks the hold of that fear, bringing peace to our soul. When we willingly love God, we no longer fear punishment, but what is being driven at here is simply that as we come by faith to know God's love for us, it quiets the fear of judgement as it calms our conscience. In this life, we only taste a part of God's love, and so fear in turn is only chased away in part. However, whenever we turn to God in faith, that fear must give way. Fear is only able to torment us as we give way to unbelief, our faith weakening in its grasp of God's love for us.
4:19: In light of God's love for us, we ought to love Him in return.

Matthew Henry

4:17-4:19: Having declared the great plan of love, we now move to our proper response to such a love. First, as it is directed towards God, who is the sum of all beauty and excellence and from whom all that is good receives its goodness: In loving Him, we are the more assured of His love for us, for He - knowing all things - knows our love. This love enables us to look forward to the day of judgement, knowing we will be in the presence of our beloved Friend. In this mutual love, we base our hope - knowing it will persist and hold strong to the end. (Ro 5:5 - God's love to us, and our responding love to Him give us hope that doesn't fail.) We can be confident in our hope, for we have joined Him not only in joy, but also in suffering (2Ti 2:12 - Enduring as He endured, we are assured of joining Him in His kingdom.) As we comprehend His love for us, and grow in our love for Him, the dread of Him is diminished in us. Reverent fear will remain, as consonant with love, but the dread of punishment will be removed and replaced by joy at knowing His love. Inasmuch as His love for us came first, we can scarcely help but respond to that love. His love is indeed the very cause of our own. (Ro 8:28 - From His love, He has called us for His purposes, which will work all to our good. 2Th 3:5 - From His love, He directs us to love of Him.)

Adam Clarke

4:17: Love is made perfect as God dwells in us and we in Him; as it fills our hearts and becomes our all in all for "every power, passion, and faculty of the soul." Knowing our judge to be the One who died for us and regenerated us gives us boldness to come before Him. Our boldness is due to knowing He has saved us from our sins and made us righteous.
4:18: Knowing we love God with all our heart, we lose our dread of Him as Judge inasmuch as we know we have nothing to fear at the Judgement. Fear is inconsistent with God's design for His followers, who ought to be joyful in knowing love. Where there is still fear of the judgement, Christ's work has not been completely accepted. Worldly men know neither fear nor love for God. The penitent in his distress knows only fear, not having realized love. Those new in Christ often have a mixture of both fear and love, but the mature Christian has only the love. God's love is never imperfect, but there is a matter of the degree to which we apprehend that perfect love. God's love doesn't leave us completely fearless, leaving the reverent fear of God, that fear which acts to preserve life and causes us to flee danger, and the fear caused by sudden alarms. But it destroys fear of lack and of death, and of judgement.
4:19: Our love to God is founded on the facts that (a) He loves us, (b) we feel a sense of gratitude toward Him, and (c) His love in us cannot but express itself.

Barnes

4:17: The love within us is made perfect as we love God and man. This perfected love brings confidence as we approach the seat of judgement, since true love to God tells us we have no need to fear that day. As we resemble the Savior, we know our security in meeting the Father whom Jesus resembled.
4:18: Even earthly love - as between parent and child, or between friends - is no cause of fear. Moreso the perfected love of God. For if love of God has removed fear of God, what is left to fear? Where such a love has been perfected, all dread of the future is dispelled. Such a love gives us evidence of true piety, so nothing that might be in our future can cause us torment any longer, as we are made certain of our standing with God. To the degree we still fear the future, love has not yet been completed in us.
4:19: Either God's prior love for us is the reason we love Him, or our love may be a consequence of His love, although based more upon His excellency; however, the former reason is found wanting in that it leaves us with mere selfishness as our motivation for loving God. (Mt 5:46-47 - this is no more than loving those that already love us, even as the unsaved manage.) It must remain clear that the main reason for our love of God is simply the excellence of His being. This passage is understood by many to be a command, in which case, the note of God's loving us is merely a chosen ground of exhortation.

Wycliffe

4:17: Where the believer has allowed the love God has produced in us by the Holy Spirit to reach perfection in this life, there is boldness in approaching the next. As we resemble Christ, this is not presumptuous, but simple assurance.
4:18: "Since love seeks the highest good of another, fear, which is shrinking from another, cannot be a part of love."
4:19: Since He loved us, we ought also to love.

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown

4:17: Love is perfected as it concerns us. (Lk 1:58 - mercy as it concerned Elizabeth. 2Jn 2 - truth as it concerns us.) Love's perfection is shown in God's dwelling in us, and our dwelling in Him. The effect of this perfection is confidence in facing the day of judgement. (Ac 24:25 - Judgement was a cause of terror for Felix, as it remains for the unsaved.) Because we are like the judge, the judge is not likely to find fault with us. This perfection of love and righteousness belongs to us even now by "perfect imputation and progressive impartation." (Eph 2:6 - God raised [past tense, accomplished] us up with and seated us together with Christ.) [impute: to attribute, as derived from another. Impart: to give a portion of, reveal, divulge.]
4:18: Love, and the confidence it engenders, cannot co-exist with fear. (Heb 2:14-15 - fear of death had enslaved us, but Christ freed us from that bondage.) Fear comes of anticipating punishment, both tasting it in advance and magnifying it in our minds. Fear of offending God is not the issue here, and ought to remain a guide to our actions. But the fear of deserved punishment - natural to us - is cast out as love is perfected in us.
4:19: The basis of our desire and ability to love is the established fact that He loved us. His love in us must engender love from us. That this is so - that this order has been established (His love preceding our own) - ought to cause that perfect love to reside in us and cast out whatever fears remain.

New Thoughts

Just yesterday, Lord, You know I was giving way to despair in reading this. I could not see any signs of You in myself, and I could see no reason left to expect it. But I'm looking again today. I'm looking and realizing as if for the first time the significance of the fact that You loved us first. You loved us when we were busy rejecting You. You loved us before we had an existence with which to reject You. Already, You have claimed that love as mine, which Christ showed. Already, You have proclaimed me righteous because of Jesus the truly righteous One! And so, having already been raised up with Christ, You continue to work the manifestation of that love and righteousness in me. Herein I'm finding again my faith. Herein I'm finding again the strength of Your presence with me! God, the last few days I've felt crushed, as You know. Today, I'm reminded (thank You) of the seed that cannot grow unless crushed and thrown to the ground. Father, often enough I've asked You to do what You must. Often enough, I've declared myself willing to go through. I'm beginning to recognize that we - You and I together - are indeed going through, and I rejoice at what must come on the other side! I've longed so much to have that love You want of me - the degree and the quality. I felt horrid missing Your call Sunday, feeling I couldn't go forward as responsibilities held me back. Oh, God! But was it You or a ministry that I missed? I know You were working right where I was. Forgive me for falling into that foolish trap of trying to dictate to You how to do Your work. How often have I complained of such actions? Feh. I'm no better. Thanks for reminding me of that. Thanks for burning off another layer of superiority and pride. God, it's been painful. For me, and for those who try so hard to love me. But, like tobacco before it, I know the pain subsides, I know those who do so love me will ride through with us, and I KNOW You are able! I've seen Your works before, and I'll see them again. I will not lay down. I will stand and declare Your great love in the sanctuary yet. As You empower, as You renew and change this foolish man to Your own image, as You continue to make me like You, it will come. And having come, it will stay. Thank You.