"Perfect Love Casts Out Fear" - 1 John 4:18

“Perfect Love Casts Out Fear” – 1 John 4:18

Fear does not come from God.  God does not want anyone to live as a prisoner to daily anxieties, unsettling feelings, persistent angst and pervasive fear.  Rather, He greatly desires for His children to live in perfect harmony under the canopy of His unfailing love.  Security in love and work is one of the heart’s deepest desires.  To love and be loved unconditionally is Cinderella’s biggest wish.  The Cinderella who lives in each person’s heart awaits the emergence of a prince with the golden, glass slipper.  Achievement, success and excellence in your chosen profession reflect your contribution to humankind and provide financial means to enjoy life.  Fear results naturally when a person does not experience emotional wellbeing in a loving relationship and self-confidence in work.  Fear about the lack of love and possibility of failure in life often erases a person’s dreams and goals.  Many persons live with a foreboding dread that they will never experience the bliss of a mutually encouraging and empowering love relationship or success within their work.  Many disciples of the Lord Jesus surrender to these fears as they doubt that life can be as abundant as scripture says.  Allowing fear to permeate your daily living is totally contrary to God’s will for you. 

In this verse, the Lord comforts us with His unfailing love which is fear’s main antidote.  He graciously and generously gives us His “perfect love” which casts out fear.  In this large letter to the young disciples in Ephesus, the great apostle of love, John, tells his audience that God fulfills the “unfailing love” of the Old Testament in the gift of Jesus Christ, His One and Only Begotten Son, who personifies love.  His example demonstrates how we can live a fearless life.  God’s unconditional love yields joy, wellness, success and peace as daily and constant companions.  God’s love annihilates persistent worries about whether anyone unconditionally loves us; accepting us as we are without any demands to change.  It further eradicates aimlessness and confusion about life’s destiny and purpose.  Christ’s  perfect love as demonstrated through His sacrificial life and atonement on Calvary’s cross completely defeats daily and practical fears.

Imagine a relationship in which you constantly check to ascertain whether your significant other is relating in good faith.  When he or she is not around, you check the cell phone messages, voicemail on the land line, email messages and open and reclose postal mail.  You inspect clothing for lipstick, perfume, and other items that prove infidelity.  You constantly call him or her at work to see if you can catch him or her unawares; possibly he or she will let down his or her guard and inadvertently reveal some untoward behavior.  The possibilities for uncovering deceit and lies within a relationship are as endless as there are people.  When channel surfing, you can find multiple reality shows and investigative programs that center upon insanity within “love” relationships.  Nevertheless, can a person live freely and fearlessly in love when he or she cannot possibly trust his or her significant other?  “Perfect love” yields trust, communication and respect; the three main pillars upon which we build mutual and loving relationships.

I grew up in a very Southern African American household which prioritized religion and weekly church attendance above everything else.  Short of death, I attended church each Sunday of my formative years.  Many of the sermons I heard centered upon the need to confess Christ as Lord and Savior in order to avoid eternal damnation in hell.  References to the burning lake of fire and enduring torment conjured incredible fear in my mind and heart.  Who wants to be doomed to such an eternal state?  Out of fear of living eternally in hell, many people came to Christ.  It was as if they took out an eternal life insurance policy.  They came to Him to prevent going to hell as He would prevent that possibility if they acceded to the proper creedal formulas and practiced the mandatory rituals.  The faithful practice of religion would resolve a person’s eternal destiny and offer meager assurances during his earthly pilgrimage.  Perhaps, knowing that he or she would go to heaven will provide a semblance of peace and greatly minimize his fears about standing before the Lord on Judgment Day.  Focusing upon dreadful possibilities in eternity robs us of realizing God’s amazing and unfailing love.  His loyal, endless and perfect love totally eliminates fear in this life and the one to come.

The second part of this verse states that fear arises when we consider punishment.  Sometimes, as a child I would be told that I would soon receive punishment for some offense I committed.  It was a living hell to wait for the punishment.  Similarly, disciples who relate to the Lord in order to avoid eternal punishment live daily in hell.  The dreaded consequences of your choices do not allow peace of mind.  Regrettably, this motive for relating to Almighty God prevents understanding His essential character which is love.  God is not a sadist who spends His time recording disciples’ misdeeds in order to punish them later.  Instead, God’s heart yearns for us to know His gracious and generous love which He gives to free us from fear.  Mostly, He desires that His children live freely within the unconditional love a parent inherently possesses for children.  Hopefully, children do not constantly dwell on fear and punishment which prevent enjoyment of love.

The evangelist additionally says, “The one who lives in fear cannot be made perfect in love.”  When you persist in fear, you will never know genuine and unconditional love.  Peace and love never emerge in a dysfunctional and disheartening relationship.  Anyone in that type of relationship can never really know whether he or she is in love.  A disciple who lives in fear of God rather than in awe of His majesty, love and grace will never be made perfect in God’s love.  God’s sacrificial, redemptive, loyal and transformative love liberates us to be the very best child of God and servant to humankind of which we are capable.  His love conquers all of our fears as we progress spiritually and develop personally on the road to wholeness.