Herein is that love perfect in us, that we should have boldness in the day of judgment: for as he is, even so are we in this world (1 Jn 4:17)
John’s writing is deep, mystical, philosophical. Understanding the above verse, ignited me to see from St Augustine’s view of good and evil.
Augustine believed that all that God created was good. There was no inherent evil in it. Evil is not a substance or a balancing power of good or something that stood out to challenge good. Because God is the essence and in Him there is only good. As Juergen Moltmann explained it, God is all in all.
Hence, evil is the absence of good.
And with that lens, now I understand the above verse better.
We have to see that God’s being is love and we are in fully in Him. God’s essence is love and so is ours.
The fear appears because there is absence (or lack of) love.
So, John reminded us of of the overall concept. God who does not have beginning, indeterminate being, the being itself (St Gregoris Palamas), whose essence is love has now embraced us, restoring us back to God’s essence which is love – hence as Jesus is so are we – and this embrace cross over realms of heaven and earth, with that he exhorted us that in love, there is no fear.
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*homage to Juergen Moltmann who recently has gone home to be with the Lord
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