Meditations Upon 1 John 4:18 - Part Two

 

Meditations Upon 1 John 4:18 – Part Two

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.

 

As I reflect upon these childhood and formative experiences, I regret that I heard so little about the love of God in Christ Jesus.  I cannot recall hearing any preaching or teaching on this verse. How marvelous it is to know the Lord’s perfect love annihilates fear. “There is no fear in  love.” I suspect fears borne of myopic, misguided and distorted views of the Christian religion compounded longstanding unconscious fears. Insecurity and instability emerge within tenuous relationships and conditional circumstances. Primary relationships with parents, siblings, extended family and others within a person’s formative community are often catalysts for internal and lifelong fears. An existential cauldron of fear, pain, trauma and pervasive threat of eternal punishment erodes faith, hope and peace. That predicament creates a lifelong foreboding that erodes dreams, paralyzes ambitions, undermines progress, disintegrates relationships and restricts a person’s ability to enjoy daily life. Instead of embracing the miracle of each day, a disciple can experience life as a prison sentence to be endured with a minimal and fleeting hope that a heavenly reward lay just beyond the threshold of death. However, the evangelist reminds his audience that Christ’s love triumphs over fear.

 

The Old Testament contains numerous usages of fear relating to respecting God’s holy character and sovereign will. Proverbs 9:10 exhorts, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.”  Israel was taught to live in the fear and admonition of Almighty God. Fear, in this sense, equates with reverence, obedience and admiration. The Law and Prophets admonished the people to follow God’s holy commands. The threat of punishment looms large in their wilderness wandering years and those of settling into the Promised Land. Disciples recall stories like Uzzah (2 Samuel 6:1-7 and 1 Chronicles 13:9-12) who experiences God’s wrath and judgment with immediate death. Chances are many people struggled with contrasting claims of God’s unfailing love and unquestioned provision with His anger and inclination to punish anyone who transgresses His holy nature. Understandably, it would be difficult for them to think of reciprocating God’s love. They probably would concentrate upon ensuring their strict adherence to the Law. Fear of a fate like Uzzah’s impedes reliance upon love and grace. A wholehearted desire for mercy predominates.

 

Contemporary Christians in South Carolina and elsewhere in the global village suffer a similar fate. Manipulated as a means of sociopolitical and economic control, corporate, institutional and orthodox religion emphasizes compliance to the Law, biblical and secular, as the surest means of demonstrating righteousness. Some disciples mistakenly pursue observance of rituals, loyalty to regulations in books of church discipline and order, celebration of rites and conformity with traditions and rules to quantify and prove their righteousness. Incredulously, some of them may silently hope that an angelic registrar is recording their church attendance, giving history, direct service to marginalized people, social justice activism and efforts to demonstrate that they are indeed Christian disciples. Theologians refer to this approach to discipleship as “works righteousness” wherein disciples mathematically prove that they deserve to enter the pearly gates in heaven. The elder brother in the “Parable of the Prodigal Son” is the ideal prototype of a disciple who believes he deserves to spend eternity in heaven. You will recall his words of righteous indignation when discovering his father’s celebration of his sinful brother’s return to their home. Moreover, Paul’s letter to Galatian disciples opposes the Judaizers and others who demand adherence to the Law and Jewish ordinances and customs as a prerequisite to Christian discipleship. The apostle condemns this alternative gospel message. Conversely, confession of faith in Christ, believer’s baptism and dedication to lifelong study and practice of the Lord’s teachings comprise the start of a new life in Christ.

 

The fourth evangelist in this verse offers an enduring solution to this theological and spiritual problem for the Christian community. He proclaims love as the essence of the Gospel and the new covenant that God makes with humankind through the gift of Christ. That love removes any fear of God and in living in a right relationship with Him. Rather than obeying His holy requitements to avoid His wrath and punishment, disciples keep God’s commands as an act of love and gratitude. The Lord tells His disciples to demonstrate their love for Him by obeying His commands. (John 14:15) He proposes a relationship based upon sacrificial, redemptive and transformative love that compels obedience, reciprocity, fidelity and dedication. The Law cannot coerce disciples to cultivate these attributes. The Law lends itself to self-aggrandizement and self-justification as disciples misguidedly manipulate the Law to achieve self-congratulatory ends. The evangelist depicts the Last Supper as an inauguration of a new covenant which establishes a “new Law of  Love.” The Gospel through grace converts the human heart; thereby enabling disciples to relate rightly to a  holy and immutable deity. Despite numbering more than six thousand verses, the Law could not accomplish a similar feat. Beyond gleaning obedience from disciples, Christ’s love liberates disciples to progress toward self-determination, self-realization and fulfillment of personal destiny as they accord with God’s will.

 

Simply stated, “there is no fear in love.” Consider being in a supposed love relationship with someone whom you fear is unreliable and untrustworthy. Your fears turn you into a detective. You check your significant other’s devices for errant email messages, unacceptable phone calls, injudicious text messages and inappropriate photos among other trespasses upon the boundaries of your relationship. Imagine being in a relationship that does not allow you any confidence regarding reciprocity, accountability and fidelity. You simply do not enjoy any peace of mind. In a marriage, a legally binding agreement presumably prevents violations of the contract that couples make with each other. Many couples prefer a religious ceremony rather than a civil one primarily sanctioned by local and state governments. The former ceremony mirrors God’s covenant with Abraham wherein husband and wife proactively bind themselves in a holy and divinely authorized covenant. They restrict themselves to each other in sickness and in health, for richer or poorer, for better, for worse, to love, to cherish, etc. More significant than the demands of black letter law, a developing understanding of Christ’s selfless, sacrificial, redemptive and transformative love compels fidelity within Christian marriage. Love yields loyalty, affirmation, support and commitment. Additionally, love increasingly eradicates fear of infidelity or other transgressions. The evangelist encourages his audience to cultivate Christ’s love as the surest antidote to fear.

 

To be continued