Perfect Love Casts Out Fear
The Love of God cannot truly be defined with human words, as it is beyond comprehension.
His Love brings stability in the knowledge that He is always on your side working things out for the good. When we trusting Him we know that He will always make our paths straight regardless what the enemy throws our way.
Scripture speaks of “perfect love casting away fear” and it is a verse the LORD wants me to expound on. He wants us to grasp the true meaning of how we come into perfect love.
Let’s jump into the Scriptures and hear what the Spirit of Truth is saying:
“There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love,” 1 John 4:18 (NKJV).
This verse has become familiar to many of us and from it we know that the only One who has perfect love is God. Fear is a symptom of not coming into this flawless love of God.
How exactly do we come into this perfect love?
This Epistle of John actually explains how love is perfected in us in the following verses:
“But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him,” 1 John 2:5 (NKJV).
Here we see that obedience to God’s Word that comes from faith, and is the working of Holy Spirit in us by this same faith, is an aspect of God’s love being perfected in us.
Keeping His word is evidence that we are in Christ because Jesus is the Word made flesh and the result is His love flowing through us.
“No one has seen God at any time. If we love one another, God abides in us, and His love has been perfected in us,” 1 John 4:12 (NKJV).
Here we see that our love for each other is evidence that God dwells in us and this love for each other moves us toward perfect love. There is an incredible harmony of His love that flows from Him and through each of us as we dwell in Him.
This love of God that flows through us is also not passive in nature – it produces good works that are in Him. It is not in what we say but rather in what we do. His love moves us into action by His Spirit:
“My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth. And by this we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before Him,” 1 John 3:18-19 (NKJV).
The Apostle James confirms this scripture when he speaks of faith without works being dead (James 2:17).
These works are a part of the good works prepared for us in advance to do (Ephesians 2:10) which is rooted in God and essentially done by Him through us by faith. It is not works based on attempting to win God’s favour and praise or even man’s recognition – this is dead works that is done in the flesh and where boasting manifests!
There is another identifier as to whether or not we are maturing in Christ and abiding in His Love which we see here:
“Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him,” 1 John 2:15 (NKJV).
As we grow in His love the things of this world grow dim; His desires become our desires and the various lusts and pride which controlled us begin to lose power over us. In this we know we are indeed IN HIM.
From the first verse in this post we learnt that “perfect love casts out fear.” We use this verse often with general fears that we face and this is true but the Apostle John was speaking of something far more weightier when He says that fear involves torment. He was speaking of eternal judgement:
“Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the Day of Judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world,” 1 John 4:17 (NKJV).
Boldness (no fear) on the Day of Judgement is the result of love being made perfect in us. And from this Epistle we learn that love is made perfect by the following:
- Dwelling in Christ (intimacy).
- Obedience to His Word which comes from dwelling in Him.
- Love for one another.
- Walking in Love through works that are in Truth (Him).
- Love for the world begins to fade from us.
- No fear of Judgement.
We see that “perfect love casts out fear” is the result of the transformation that comes from our position in Christ which will take us to obedience and will separate us from the temporary (the world) and through the journey we become as He is by faith. And this is how we can recognize spiritual growth in ourselves.
The Apostle Paul delivered the doctrine of Grace and his teachings do not contradict any other teachings in the New Testament but upholds the words of Christ and the other Apostles. This is what Paul says:
“But now having been set free from sin, and having become slaves of God, you have your fruit to holiness, and the end, everlasting life,” Romans 6:22 (NKJV).
We see the verse above speaks of the imputed righteousness we receive through Christ’s sacrifice which is by faith and it “sets us free from sin” and this work of the Cross should move us to surrender to God (slaves of God) and this surrender will produce fruit which leads to holiness and the end everlasting life which speaks of boldness on the Day of Judgement.
The LORD Jesus spoke of these things while He walked the earth and the Apostles teachings reflects the Unity in the Spirit. The LORD said this:
“As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love. If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love,” John 15:9-10 (NKJV).
Perfect Love that casts away fear is God’s love in us and we see obedience to His Word is what keeps us abiding in His love. All of this flows from our relationship with Christ.
Holy Spirit enables us to remain in a place of abiding through our surrender and Grace lifts us up if we fall so that we can continue in Him. God has given us all we need to be Holy as He is Holy, and to continue in His Word in all things.
Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our LORD Jesus Christ unto eternal life. Jude 1:21 (NKJV)
~ Ashley Hutheram
Ashley Hutheram – a son of God in Christ Jesus.
Amen!