FEAR

 

FEAR

I John 4:18-19 Such love has no fear because perfect love expels all fear. If we are afraid, it is for fear of judgment, and this shows that his love has not been perfected in us. We love each other as a result of his loving us first. NLT

Perfect love, the love that God has, expels all fear. There are many different types of fear that plague us. Most of us have something we are afraid of, whether it be people, insects, animals, or whatever. The one thing all fear has in common is that it cripples us. Fear prevents us from going ahead and doing whatever it is we are doing at the moment. Until we are able to overcome our fear, we avoid whatever it is that is causing it.

In the Bible there is a fear that is good. It is fear as it relates to God. In this sense, fear is a reverence and respect for who God is. Every believer needs to have a fear of God. We must not have such a warped understanding of God that we have no respect for Him in His holiness or reverence of Him in His glory. When we lose that sense of who God is, we have no real God to worship and serve.

There is a fear that grips the heart of man when it comes to God's judgment. We won't know what it is like to stand before God face-to-face until it happens. When we realize that our eternity is in His hands and His decision is final, it can be a very scary thing. However, the love of God takes that fear away from us. Jesus is the flesh and bones of God's love. When we are living rightly in Jesus, we have nothing to fear when it comes to God’s judgment. God blesses and not curses those who are in Christ. If you are afraid of what it might be like for you as you stand before God, then you are either not living rightly in Christ, or you don't have the right understanding of what Jesus has done for you when He saved you.

In Christ, love has been perfected. The love of God has infiltrated our souls and we are now able to love one another, in the same way as God loves us, unconditionally and sacrificially. Without Christ in us, it is simply impossible to do. We are left with nothing but a cheap imitation of love.

The Apostle Paul describes what God’s perfect love is like in I Corinthians 13:4-8a. It should be every believer’s mission to become more and more like Jesus in His love.

God rewards those who live to love as Jesus loves.