What is perfect love according to the Bible?

“But he that keeps His word, in him verily is the love of God perfected.” His word which is the expression of the thoughts of His heart toward us, who is in His nature love, when it has an abiding place in us, brings the love of God there, so that it becomes the life of our souls, and the spring of all our activities, and by this we know that we are in Him. In keeping His commandments we abide in His love, we are loved of the Father, and Jesus manifests Himself to us, so that we are brought into intimacy with Him, and in this way we know that we know Him, and in keeping His word, the love of God so takes possession of us, and so controls us, and so energises our hearts and minds that the consequence is we dwell in the love of God, it is perfected in us, and we know that we are in him.

From keeping His commandments we pass, in verse 5, to keeping His word. This is a further thing. His word covers all that He has revealed to us of His mind and will, including of course His commandments, but going beyond them. A man might give his sons many definite instructions — his commandments. But beyond these his sons have gleaned an intimate knowledge of his mind from the daily communications and intercourse of years, and with filial devotion they carefully observe his word even when they have no definite instructions. So it should be with the children of God. And, when it is so, the love of God is "perfected" in such, for it has produced in them its proper effect and answer.

The soul to whom God has become an object of love, will find in that love a divine authority for all that God commands. It is, however, in prizing and keeping the word of God that this love for God gets its full character: "Whoso keepeth His Word, in him verily is the love of God perfected." By this the apostle does not mean that the character of obedience which I have called submission to commandments, is ever found without the other character of obedience. They go together. What the apostle means is, that the element of obedience exemplified in keeping God's word is what gives to the love of God its perfect or full character. To "keep His commandments" is one side of the character of the love of God; to "keep His word," is the other side. This latter side makes manifest that the love of God is perfected in the heart.

I return to the text. "Whoso keeps his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected." It is in this way that we are conscious that we know Him. His "word" has rather a wider sense than His "commandments." That is to say, while it equally implies obedience, the word is less outward. "Commandments" are here details of the divine life. His "word" contains its whole expression — the spirit of that life. It is universal and absolute. Now this life is the divine life manifested in Jesus, and which is imparted to us. Have we seen it in Christ? Do we doubt that this is love; that the love of God has been manifested in it? If then I keep His word; if the scope and meaning of the life which that word expresses is thus understood and realised, the love of God is perfect in me. The apostle, as we have seen, always speaks abstractedly. If in fact at any given moment I do not observe the word, in that point I do not realise His love; happy intercourse with God is interrupted. But so far as I am moved and governed absolutely by His word, His love is completely realised in me; for His word expresses what He is, and I am keeping it. This is the intelligent communion with His nature in its fulness, a nature in which I participate; so that I know that He is perfect love, I am filled with it, and this shows itself in my ways: for that word is the perfect expression of Himself.

The commandments of the Lord are precise and clear. Keeping "His commandments," and more still, keeping "His word," is that which is set before us. The commandments are His definite instructions, the word the general expression of His mind. A child obeys his father's formal commands, not to do or to do given things; he also keeps his father's word, that is not doing or doing things according to the general tenor of his father's mind: "Whoso keepeth His word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in Him." (1 John 2:5.)

“But whoso keepeth His word, in him verily the love of God is perfected: hereby know we that we are in Him.” His commandments are imperative, as we have seen: there is no salvation without them, and only the new birth answers to His commandments, for only in divine life are found the true elements of faith and love. But there is a change in this verse, to keeping “His word.” This does not involve the same imperative, absolute requirement, and therefore one may be truly born again, and yet at the same time not making a habit of keeping “His word.” Certainly one in this state is most inconsistent with his very nature, as born of God; and he will not experience in his own soul the perfecting of the love of God. Only in a practical, honest keeping of His word will the fruits of God’s love become mature and precious in the soul. In a spirit of habitual obedience the love of God is know in its sweetness, its fulness and perfection. Precious experience indeed! It is simply that God Himself is known more fully, with a mature, substantial knowledge. This too becomes a vital, unquestioned proof to the soul that we “are in Him.” Certainly every believer is “in Him,” but if not walking obediently, the sense of assurance of this in his own soul may be so weakened as to cause doubt and uncertainty. Let us wholeheartedly, unceasingly “keep His word,” and by this means go on to know Him better, and find our souls filled with the knowledge and joy of His love.

In ver. 5 we come to quite another step. "But whoso keepeth His word, in him verily is the love of God perfected." Therein is evident heed to the whole mind of God, and it is carried out, because His word is loved. It is a heart that proves its obedience by keeping not merely His commandments but also His word. The word is not only authoritative and energetic on the soul, but precious. All the word is therefore sought into with delight and profit; and, where this is the case, John does not hesitate to say that the love of God is perfected in such a man.

But in contrast with this there is something far more intimate - "But whoso keepeth His word, in him verily is the love of God perfected." The distinction between the commandments and the word has often been made, and we here again find the two expressions, as in John 14:21, 23. The word no doubt implies far more than the commandments; for keeping the word is not merely obeying in detail, keeping the commandments that direct the children of God upon earth, but means a full entering into His thoughts, and the full expression of a dependent nature. An illustration, though not adequate, might be taken from a servant who is obedient, but who needs to have all the detail of his duties repeated to him. I now suppose another servant, attached to his master and to his master's household, who carries out his daily duty, and more beside, through intelligent attachment to his master's interests, without there being any necessity to repeat it to him. In this latter case there is true devotedness to his master's welfare, and this, I think, though the figure be imperfect, would correspond with keeping the word.

1 John 2:4-6. As in John 14:21 and 23, a distinction is made between the Lord's commandments and His word. His commandments are clearly defined requirements, such as "Love your enemies, bless them that curse you;" "Pray without ceasing;" "Quench not the Spirit;" but His word is the spirit and scope of Scripture, the expression of His whole mind and will. As we obey the word of God, the heart enters into the true knowledge of God, and His love is known in the way that Jesus revealed it. God's love has been told out fully on the cross; it is there we learn it; but to keep in the enjoyment of that love we must walk consciously under God's eye, in the path of His will. When the love of God is perfected in us, when it has its true place in our hearts, we learn what our true place is before the Father. It is one thing to believe that we are in Christ, and quite another to be living in the consciousness that the Father has brought us before His face in the Son. This is our present portion, loved as the Son is loved by the Father. How wonderful it is that we can go through this world with the knowledge of God's love filling the heart, and realising that we share in love the Son's place before the Father. In the blessedness of this we are to abide, and as we do so we shall bring glory to the Father, even as the Lord said to His disciples, "He that abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit. … In this is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit, and ye shall become disciples of Mine" (John 15:5, 8). If we profess to abide in Him, we ought to walk as He walked; we should be disciples indeed. Abiding in the Son, we draw upon His divine resources in true dependence, and so derive the grace and strength to be like Him in this world. It is therefore not difficult to understand that the measure of our abiding in Him will determine the reality of our discipleship.

It is very beautiful to note the intimate connection between hearing God's word and fearing His Name. It is one of those great root principles which never change, never lose their power or their intrinsic value. The word and the Name go together; and the heart that loves the one will reverence the other, and bow down to its holy authority, in all things. "He that loves me not keeps not my sayings." "He that says, I know him, and keeps not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoso keeps his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected." (John 14; 1 John 2.) Every true lover of God will treasure up His word in the heart, and where the word is thus lovingly treasured in the heart, its hallowed influence will be seen in the whole life, character and conduct. God's object in giving His word is that it may govern our conduct, form our character and shape our way; and if His word has not this practical effect upon us it is utterly vain for us to speak of loving Him; yea, it is nothing short of positive mockery which He must, sooner or later, resent.