“There is no fear in love.”
Can you imagine a life without fear?
No fear of intrusion, abuse, scams, hurt, or death.
The word “free” comes to mind when I think of a life without fear. Free to go to the grocery store at midnight without being attacked. Free to try new things without fear of failure. Free to be vulnerable and authentic in all relationships without the threat of being hurt or misunderstood.
The disciple John equated fear with the absence of love, or put it another way: love would have no space for fear. Love is like a light, and where the light shines, the darkness disappears.
“There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.” (1 John 4:18, NIV)
How can we live a life void of fear?
Do we want to life a life void of fear?
According to most feeling wheels, fear is one of our six core emotions. Emotions are God’s gift, sending us signals about the world we experience.
Fear alerts us to areas of our lives, internal or external, that may be unsafe or present a potential threat.
What we do with the message next is critical.
A healthy fear of fire or stepping out into traffic will keep us safe. A healthy fear of certain people and situations can also help us stay safe. The Bible tells us wisdom comes from having a healthy fear of God. (Proverbs 9:10)
When do our fears cross the line from healthy to unhealthy?
The Amplified translation of 1 John 4:18 beautifully depicts what John was addressing when he wrote about love having no space for an unhealthy fear of punishment.
“There is no fear in love [dread does not exist]. But perfect (complete, full-grown) love drives out fear, because fear involves [the expectation of divine] punishment, so the one who is afraid [of God’s judgment] is not perfected in love [has not grown into a sufficient understanding of God’s love].” (1 John 4:18, AMP)
Fear in the context of verse 18 refers to an overall fear of punishment on the final day of judgment when we stand before God (1 John 4:17). Christ took our place on the cross so that we have nothing to be afraid of when we face judgment day. (2 Corinthians 5:21)
Unfortunately, this verse has left many of us with an all-or-nothing concept of fear. We believe we can not have any fear because, as Christ-followers, we are to only have space for love. A belief that leaves us feeling condemned rather than loved.
We can sigh in relief that verse 18 addresses a specific type of fear, the fear of punishment. At the same time, we can examine the truths applied to fear in verse 18 and learn what love can teach us about fear in general.
LOVE LESSONS ON FEAR
As we live in God, our love grows.
We know how much God loves us, and we have put our trust in his love. God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them. And as we live in God, our love grows more perfect. So we will not be afraid on the day of judgment, but we can face him with confidence because we live like Jesus here in this world. (1 John 4:16-17, NLT, bold added for emphasis.)
Have you ever found yourself in a situation where fear seemed to be choking your faith, much like weeds suffocating a struggling plant?
When we carefully remove the weeds to allow the plant to flourish, Christ’s perfect love can free us from fear’s grip. The weeds of fear may try to latch on and drain us of life, but fear is what begins to struggle to exist in the same space as love.
Living loved cultivates a heart where Christ’s perfect love can grow inside us. We need to let the love of Christ within transform us from a seedling to a mighty oak of His righteousness, towering over any fear that dares to surface. (Isaiah 61:3)
God’s perfect love drives out fear.
There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love. (1 John 4:18, NIV, bold added for emphasis.)
The Greek word for “drives out” is ballo, an active verb that means to cast, thrust, scatter, or throw. Love brings a weeding process into our lives that will drive out fear.
Fears dissipate when scrutinized in the light of love. The truth reveals the weak foundation that contradicts God’s promises, leading us to eliminate the weeds of fear. We are then free to respond with courage and confidence grounded in solid roots of truth and love.
Gratitude plus love equals less fear.
“Love never brings fear, for fear is always related to punishment. But love’s perfection drives the fear of punishment far from our hearts. Whoever walks constantly afraid of punishment has not reached love’s perfection.
Our love for others is our grateful response to the love God first demonstrated to us. Anyone can say, “I love God,” yet have hatred toward another believer. This makes him a phony, because if you don’t love a brother or sister, whom you can see, how can you truly love God, whom you can’t see?
For he has given us this command: whoever loves God must also demonstrate love to others.” (1 John 4:18-21, TPT, bold added for emphasis.)
Have you ever received a generous gift or a selfless act of service that went above and beyond what was needed or deserved?
Expressing gratitude doesn’t even begin to capture the depth of appreciation we can feel towards God first loving us. His love came undeserved and was a lavish act of generosity. Willingly participating in the gratitude and love cycle is lending our hearts over to fear being pressed out.
Imagine a world where love is free to grow in your heart, and with each growth stage, love becomes more courageous, gratitude overflows, and fear is challenging to find.
I pray that God’s overflowing, never-ending love will plant seeds of thankfulness, and boldness that will grow wildly in your heart, pressing out all fears. As a fear arrives, may you run the fear through truth’s sieve and cast out the unhealthy fears. May you run with love’s freedom and live fearless. In Jesus’ name, so be it.
Meditate: Christ’s Love is greater than my fears.
Reflect: What fears in your life are holding you back? What do God’s Word and His Character say about those fears? How can you grow more in understanding God’s Love for you? How can growing in your understanding of God’s Love for you help fight your fears?
Deeper: (As you read through these additional verses, ask the Spirit to give you wisdom and teach you more about how God’s love can help you with your fears.) 1 John 4; John 15: 1-6, 12-15; Hebrews 10:35-39
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(Bible References: NLT – New Living Translation, NIV – New International Version, AMP – Amplified Version, TPT – The Passion Translation)
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