Perfect Love Casts out Fear

CherieR · Nov 1, 2020

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.
1 John 4:18 KJV
https://bible.com/bible/1/1jn.4.18.KJV

Please explain your understanding of this verse.

Magenta · Nov 2, 2020

1 John 4:18

reneweddaybyday · Nov 2, 2020

I think understanding 1 John 4:16-17 is a good start to understanding vs 18:

1 John 4:16 And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.

We have to know that we know that we know that God loves us ... that God is love ... that we dwell (not just visit from time to time) in God's love ... that we dwell (not just visit from time to time) in God and God dwells in us.

1 John 4:17 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.

Our love is made perfect (brought to full maturity) ... that we may have boldness (free and fearless confidence, freedom in speaking) in the day of judgment because as He is, so are we in this world.

1 John 4:18 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.

Love that has been brought to full maturity casts out fear. When we dwell in love ... dwell in God and God dwells in us ... fear is cast away. We let that fear go and hold on to the truth of the love God has for us and we for Him. Fear torments us and causes us to not become fully mature in love.

Here is a portion of what is in Albert Barnes Notes on the Whole Bible concerning 1 John 4:18:

But perfect love casteth out fear - That is, love that is complete, or that is allowed to exert its proper influence on the soul. As far as it exists, its tendency is to deliver the mind from alarms. If it should exist in any soul in an absolutely perfect state, that soul would be entirely free from all dread in regard to the future.

Because fear hath torment - It is a painful and distressing emotion. Thus men suffer from the fear of poverty, of losses, of bereavement, of sickness, of death, and of future woe. From all these distressing apprehensions, that love of God which furnishes an evidence of true piety delivers us.

He that feareth, is not made perfect in love - He about whose mind there lingers the apprehension of future wrath, shows that love in his soul has not accomplished its full work. Perhaps it never will on any soul until we reach the heavenly world, though there are many minds so full of love to God, as to be prevailingly delivered from fear.

Tararose · Nov 3, 2020

It helps to know a biblical definition of being Perfect is to be complete and lacking nothing.

We can see that even though the fear of the Lord is the Beginning of Wisdom, there is something Even greater, that is beyond knowledge and wisdom. It is having the Spirit of love indwell and work in us to full capacity. At this point we have nothing to fear for we know Gods love so richly and experientially that we do not fear the wrath that unbelievers must face.

Ephesians 3
17 That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love,

18 May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height;

19 And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.

laymen · Nov 3, 2020

1 Peter 1:4 Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.
5 And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge;
6 And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness;
7 And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity.
The Holy Bible: King James Version. (1995). (electronic ed. of the 1769 edition of the 1611 Authorized Version., 2 Pe 1:4–7). Bellingham WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.

Peter tells us how to get to this love (charity). Philippians 4:7 And its a "Peace that surpasses understanding."

seed_time_harvest · Nov 3, 2020

CherieR said:

Certainly this would be talking about continuous renewal of the mind are the presenting of your bodies a living sacrifice because when GOD created us new HE created us perfect.GOD IS love and a person that Is In the process of renewing their mind should not be afraid of death.

Journeyman · Nov 3, 2020

CherieR said:

Paul said,

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law Gal.5:22-23

and,

Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore loveis the fulfilling of the law. Rom.13:10

The love Jesus gives us takes away the fear of being condemned by the law. Thank you Jesus!

MessageOfTheCross · Nov 3, 2020

”Perfect love” has its home in Christ, and is exercised at the Cross, the Saint can also have all that Christ has, which means that we can have “perfect love,” which is gained through our Faith in Christ and what He has done for us at the Cross. It is at the Cross that this great love was shown by God to a dying world, and it is at the Cross that the Believer takes upon himself this “perfect love.” It can be gained at no place other than the Cross (Jn. 3:16).“

Nehemiah6 · Nov 5, 2020

CherieR said:

As someone had remarked a long time ago "The only thing to fear is fear itself". Fear, or fears, are the greatest enemy of human beings.

Human fear began when Adam and Eve sinned against God: And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou? And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself. (Gen 3:9,10).

Thus all those who are not "in Christ" have a deep down fear of facing God and Christ on Judgment Day. But Christ died for our sins, and rose again for our justification. Therefore those who have believed on Him have no fear of death or fear of facing God. Christ bore God's wrath against sin for those who are children of God.

But the absence of fear within the believer goes much further. Since we are eternally secure in Christ, and God is indeed our Father in Heaven, we need not fear anything on earth (including all the assaults of the Enemy). Thus God's perfect love for us casts out all fear. And fear does indeed have torment. Those who are fearful in this life are constantly under torment. And what they imagine is generally far worse than what is the reality.

So when God says to the believer "He that feareth is not made perfect in love", what God is telling us that when Christians are fearful, we have not completely realized who God is, and what He has done for us in Christ. Our love for God must include total confidence in Him and His goodness, mercy, and grace. ("Perfect" here means complete).

mustaphadrink · Nov 6, 2020

CherieR said:

An interesting question as it highlights the fact that much of the church seems to like to rule by fear, especially the Roman Catholic Church where you have to earn your salvation. I worked alongside a very devout Catholic who went to mass every day of the week. I asked him why he did this and he said he wanted to make sure that he was going to heaven and apparently going to mass seven days a week would make this more likely. At the same time, it would reduce his time in purgatory.

I admit at one stage being good was important to me in the eyes of God until the time I went to heaven and met him. We hugged and he cried. I asked him why he cried and he said because he had been waiting for this for a long time. When I came back down to earth again I knew without a shadow of a doubt that he was crazy about me.

Since that day I have never doubted his love for me and I have never felt the need to measure up to some standard to please him. If the accuser of the brethren tries to get his hands on me, I revel in the fact that God is crazy about me. The accuser does not hang around long when I get into that mode because he has no understanding of perfect love.

SoulWeaver · Nov 6, 2020

I believe this is one of the hardest verses in the Bible to accept for most, because it means what it says. Most Christians explain it away. They love fear, feed off fear, love scaring others and aren't 100% sure in their salvation even when they say they are, and aren't sure if God can be discerned from satan. Here recently there was an argument that satan can heal, and do everything else God can do. What to say? Forgive the sharpness, it's a hard truth. Quite a dark mindset to live in.

Adstar · Nov 6, 2020

CherieR said:

When people first come to knowledge of the God of Abraham they should fear Him because He is an all powerful God and One who carries our firm justice upon sinners.. So in the beginning of ones walk with the LORD one should fear Him.. Fear motivates people to investigate to find out how they can get right with the One they fear..

Proverbs 1: KJV
7 "¶ The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction."

Note how the above verse says fear of the Lord is the Beginning of knowledge.. But it is not the end if one reads the entire Word of God.. That's when they discover the Awesome love of God and the Gospel ( good news ) that God has made a way for all your sins to be forgiven.. And it is by believing Jesus and trusting that the atonement He secured on the cross secures for us the atonement we all need.. So if we seek Him with all our heart and mind we end up having all that fear dispelled because we discover the awesome love that God has for us..

1 John 4:18 KJV
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.

pottersclay · Nov 6, 2020

My belief is a perfect love is trusting God in all things regardless of what your 5 senses tell you.
A good example of this is jesus in the wilderness.
Being led by the spirit into a unforgiving wilderness to be face to face with your enemy who is trying to bring doubt, discourse, and temptation, to a already weakened mind and body. With no sign of rescue, or preserving elements (food) (water) (shade).
Jesus standing firmly on the word of God defeats the advances of the devil knowing that he now embraces a fate far more cruel
Than starvation.

But for the joy that was set before him he endured the cross.

eternally-gratefull · Nov 6, 2020

I see it lie this

if you believe God loves you with a perfect love that never fails, and that in this love, your eternity is secure

you know he has your back.

and knowing this, you can become like Paul, where even great hardship or great pain becomes a momentary light affliction, because no matter what happens here on earth, compared to eternity, it is like a moment in time, it makes it easy to suffer for Christ also, because it allows you to serve and love others as Christ serves and loves you. And again, as paul always said, no greater joy that to suffer for the ones you love

Magenta · Nov 6, 2020

Tararose said:

It helps to know a biblical definition of being Perfect is to be complete and lacking nothing.
We can see that even though the fear of the Lord is the Beginning of Wisdom, there is something Even greater, that is beyond knowledge and wisdom. It is having the Spirit of love indwell and work in us to full capacity. At this point we have nothing to fear for we know Gods love so richly and experientially that we do not fear the wrath that unbelievers must face.

Ephesians 3
17 That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love,

18 May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height;

19 And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.

Ephesians 3:16-19

Magenta · Nov 6, 2020

Journeyman said:

Galatians 5:22-24

Magenta · Nov 6, 2020

Journeyman said:

Amen!

Romans 13:10

CherieR · Nov 6, 2020

mustaphadrink said:

An interesting question as it highlights the fact that much of the church seems to like to rule by fear, especially the Roman Catholic Church where you have to earn your salvation. I worked alongside a very devout Catholic who went to mass every day of the week. I asked him why he did this and he said he wanted to make sure that he was going to heaven and apparently going to mass seven days a week would make this more likely. At the same time, it would reduce his time in purgatory.

I admit at one stage being good was important to me in the eyes of God until the time I went to heaven and met him. We hugged and he cried. I asked him why he cried and he said because he had been waiting for this for a long time. When I came back down to earth again I knew without a shadow of a doubt that he was crazy about me.

Since that day I have never doubted his love for me and I have never felt the need to measure up to some standard to please him. If the accuser of the brethren tries to get his hands on me, I revel in the fact that God is crazy about me. The accuser does not hang around long when I get into that mode because he has no understanding of perfect love.

What a lovely experience! Reminds me of the story of the prodigal son when the father runs to his son to embrace him and kiss him.

notuptome · Nov 6, 2020

Only Gods love is perfect. We can never love Him as much as He loves us. We can only trust that Gods love will keep us for all of eternity no matter the circumstances we encounter.

Completely loved by God. Nothing can separate us from Him. My love can fail but His never.

For the cause of Christ
Roger

Mem · Nov 9, 2020

The preceding verses, John 4:16-17, explain perfect love well, "And we have come to know and believe the love that God has for us. God is love; whoever abides in love abides in God, and God in him. 17 In this way, love has been perfected in us, so that we may have confidence on the day of judgment; for in this world, we are just like Him.

Perfect love is realized when it is a truly reciprocated love (abides in God and God abides in him). the fullness of love is missing in a relationship if one or the other is 'absent' from the commitment to one another.

Perfect Love Casts out Fear

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