4:171 John 4:17

Love is made complete when believers know and trust the love God showed in sending His Son to save sinners, dwell in that love so that God dwells in them, and confess Jesus as the Son of God and Saviour of the world.Ms 46, 1894, par. 1+2 That completed love gives full confidence and trust toward God for the day of judgment instead of fear, torment, shame, or condemning self-reproach.Ms 46, 1894, par. 1+2 It is proved only by loving one's brother who is seen in deeds of compassion and not words alone, for no one can love God while hating, despising, or speaking evil of a brother.Lt 221, 1903, par. 2–6+2 As Christ is, so His followers are in this world, with His character formed within them as they partake of the divine nature through His power and overcome as He overcame.Lt 221, 1903, par. 2–6+4 Only those who attain this unselfish, obedient likeness to Christ are benefited by His mediation and made ready for eternal life, while those who love the world and try to serve both God and the world cannot have this boldness.Ms 7, 1866, par. 3–5+2

Love is brought to completeness when those who know and believe the love God has for them dwell in love and therefore dwell in God while God dwells in them through His Spirit.Ms 46, 1894, par. 1+4 This indwelling belongs to those who confess Jesus as the Son of God and who have seen and testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world.Lt 221, 1903, par. 2–6+1 Their life in this world reflects Christ's life, and that likeness is the ground of confidence for the day of judgment.Ms 46, 1894, par. 1+2

God first manifested this love by sending His only begotten Son to save sinners, that people might live through Him as the atonement and propitiation for sins.Ms 46, 1894, par. 1+1 That gift calls believers to love one another.Ms 46, 1894, par. 1+1

Perfected love gives boldness, confidence, and complete trust in the day of judgment instead of fear, torment, shame, or harassing self-condemnation.Ms 46, 1894, par. 1+4 Perfect love casts out fear because fear has torment, and full confidence in God and His dealings brings everything needful for present and eternal good.Lt 221, 1903, par. 2–6+1 This hope is to be held personally even amid imperfections, discouragements, trials, disappointments, afflictions, and bereavements, with confidence rather than shame because believers are as Christ is in this world.Lt 123, 1901, par. 5–8+3 That boldness rests on Christ's character formed within and on living in this world as Christ lived, with genuine love shown in deeds and compassion and not merely words.Ms 46, 1894, par. 1+1

Perfected love is proved by love for the brother who is seen, and it is impossible to love God or Christ while hating a brother or failing to love him.Lt 221, 1903, par. 2–6+2 The more love held for Christ the more love shown to one another, in courtesy, sympathy, and unity instead of acting discourteously, drawing apart, showing no sympathy, creating ill will, thinking and speaking evil, supposing brethren mean harm, or treasuring false assumptions against a brother that are untrue.10MR 144.1–4+3 The love of Jesus exercised one for another quenches thinking evil and speaking evil, and hatred with such false assumptions forfeits boldness for the judgment.10MR 144.1–4+2

Perfected love leaves no hatred, neglected rebuke, vengeance, or grudge, but loves a neighbor as self with charity out of a pure heart.Ms 41, 1890, par. 25–30+1 It takes as great an interest in a fellow worker as in self and keeps hearts kind and tender in giving the bread of life to perishing souls.Ms 41, 1890, par. 25–30+1 True Christian courtesy, thoughtful kindness, and unselfish interest in every laborer are its fruit, revealed first in home life and then bursting its bonds to become a working power in church, neighborhood, community, and nations, reconciling the will to God's will by a faith that works by love and purifies the soul.Ms 41, 1890, par. 25–30+1

Perfected love requires humble prayer together, repentance of sins, confession of faults to one another, and coming together in unity and love with exceeding care to do or say nothing that creates ill will.10MR 144.1–4+1 It requires a decided change and conversion from a hating spirit, coming to one's senses and ceasing to treasure up things against a brother.10MR 144.1–4+2 Without this reformation there is a perilous departing from God, bringing present and eternal injury.10MR 144.1–4+2

Because as he is so are believers in this world, their life in this world reflects the life Christ lived when he was in this world.Ms 82, 1898, par. 26–30+2 Love reaches its full expression as they live as Christ lived, loving others with self-giving love in deeds and compassion and not merely in words.Ms 82, 1898, par. 26–30+1 This boldness in the day of judgment rests on that likeness, because Christ's character is formed within them and Christ abides in the heart by faith.Ms 82, 1898, par. 26–30+2

Christ took human nature and bound divinity with humanity in order to uplift humanity.Lt 221, 1903, par. 2–6+1 Through his grace and power believers may become partakers of the divine nature, stand on vantage ground with God in fellowship with him, and receive power to overcome as he overcame.Lt 221, 1903, par. 2–6+4 This likeness is noble, disinterested benevolence never marred by one selfish act.Ms 7, 1866, par. 3–5+1 It is shown in doing good to others, living for the benefit of others, and loving others as Christ loved.Ms 7, 1866, par. 3–5+1

It requires overcoming selfish, penurious, and acquisitive traits.Ms 7, 1866, par. 3–5+1 It is walking in obedience to the pure principles of truth, cleansed from the pollution and love of the world, purified from double-mindedness, partaking of the divine nature and having escaped the corruption in the world through lust.Ms 7, 1866, par. 3–5+2 This likeness is attained by putting on Christ and receiving the Spirit of Christ as the spirit of unselfish love and labor for others.HSP 16.7+1 The will is reconciled to God's will by a faith that works by love and purifies the soul, with Christ abiding in the heart by faith and believers made one with Christ and one with another as Christ is one with the Father.Ms 41, 1890, par. 25–30+1

It is attained by studying how Christ conducted himself though tempted in all points as we are, and by becoming as he was through overcoming as he overcame, not by believing only but by working and showing faith by works.Ms 41, 1890, par. 25–30+1 This requires giving up self-will and one's own ways and natural dispositions strengthened by habit for God's will and God's great moral standard.Lt 50, 1891, par. 5+1 The person ceases to do evil and learns to do well as a student in the school of Christ, entering upon his life and practicing his virtues with him as the model, with thoughts and character no longer corrupted by the taint of worldly maxims.Lt 50, 1891, par. 5+1 Gratitude, love, and loyalty become the ruling motives, all low selfish motives are expelled, and the aim becomes how best to glorify him, so that the graces of the Spirit ripen in character, faith increases, convictions deepen, and believers more and more reflect what is pure, noble, and lovely.Ms 41, 1890, par. 25–30+2

Only those who so overcome and possess this love are benefited by Christ's mediation, inherit eternal life, enter the golden gates of the city of God, and are prepared for friendship with Christ when he comes in glory with the holy angels.Ms 7, 1866, par. 3–5+3 Without that likeness formed during this life there can be no friendship with him then.Ms 70, 1898, par. 11 Those who love the world and try to serve both the world and God lose the sense of obligation to God and cannot have that boldness.1T 530.3

Though believers are sons of God and joint heirs with Christ to whom the kingdom and dominion belong, the world does not understand their character, holy calling, adoption into God's family, or union and fellowship with the Father and Son.SG4 233.3+1 Beholding only their humiliation and reproach, it does not perceive what they are and what they shall be.SG4 233.3+1 They are strangers whom the world knows not and whose actuating motives it does not appreciate or value.SG4 233.3+1 Children are to be led toward the hope of standing uncondemned and saved from sin through faith in Christ by conversion, prayer, and teaching the requirements of God's Word.Ms 25, 1911, par. 12