But whoever keeps his word, God's love has most assuredly been perfected in him. This is how we know that we are in him:
"Perfected" is teleioo and means "to bring to an end by completing or perfecting" (Vine 174). Moulton says it means "to be fully developed" (401). The goal of every Christian should be to show his love for God, and consistent obedience to God’s word proves that his love for God has come to full development. How can one truly sing with the spirit and the understanding, "O, how I love Jesus," and then show contempt for the word of God by failing to keep His commandments?