“Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is so are we in this world. 18. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.”
Verses 17-18 reveal to us that because of Love we need not fear judgment or anything else. Of course, this is not some willowy nymph called “love” that comes and goes, but it “agape”(ah-gah-pay) love, eternal love. It is the kind of love that God has for us. It is a sacrificial, selfless love. According to this text, when we live in the love of God – by faith in Jesus Christ- we need not fear the eternal wrath of God. Only those who shun the love and grace of God should fear the wrath of God. Those who refuse to accept God’s love tell God that what He did in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ was not important and they did not need it. What is the greatest cause of fear? It is anxiety about the unknown future. Many people live in constant dread and fear about what might happen to them. Those who live in God’s love, and practice that love, do not need to fear the future, for the God who holds them in the present will hold them in the future. Even if bad things do happen, people of faith who live in God’s love, know that God will be with them today, tomorrow and eventually forever. Many years before John penned the words of our text, David penned these words: “Yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for thou art with me, thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.” When we live in fear, we do not meet the goal of God’s love for us. “The man who fears is not made perfect in love.” (NIV) This does not mean that we will never be afraid, but that we will not live habitually in dread and fear. God’s love takes the dread out of life and replaces it with joy. Good news: God’s love can free you from fear. My interpretation of this text is that God’s perfect love enters our lives when Jesus enters our lives and indwells us with the Holy Spirit. I see perfect love as more than a principle. God’s agape love is real and is not to be taken lightly. There are times that we “feel” more loved by God than we do at other times, but those are our feelings, not God’s. God’s agape love is not based on feeling alone; rather, it is based on God’s action in our lives. God loves us so much that He acts on our behalf in our fight with Satan and the world system. When Jesus enters our lives, fear is replaced by a dynamic faith in Jesus Christ to do what is best for us. Love and faith work hand-in-hand to make our lives better. Paul stated this reality succinctly in Romans 8:28: “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose.” (This is not the first time that you have read this verse in my writings.) Jesus replaces fear with a confident hope in what God will do in our lives and how He will use us in His service. Instead of fretting about what life might bring, we look for ways to serve Jesus. God’s love for us, our love for Him and for each other compel us to reach out to others. People who do not have this confident hope spend a lot of time worrying about themselves. When Jesus enters our lives, fear is replaced by a changing emphasis from ultimate concern about our physical well-being to pleasing Him in all of life’s circumstances. This is the way believers should be, and if you are not above unreasonable fear, you need to get right with the Lord. All of Jesus’ apostles, and other Christians in the first century, lost their livelihoods in order to follow Jesus. They were not afraid to step out on faith, and I know that God’s love for them had a lot to do with that. What about you? This does not mean that you will never be afraid again, but it does mean that you will not be ruled by fear. Bro. Joe There will be a new post on Saturday morning instead of Friday night.
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AuthorDr. Joe Beauchamp is the author of this blog and website. Categories
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