To Fear or Not to Fear?

Today's reading: 1 John 4:1-21

'There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love.' - 1 John 4:18 ESV

The most often quoted command in the Bible is, "Do not be afraid." Yet, we see time and time again that we are to fear the Lord. Both the Old Testament and New Testament writers are clear that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom (see Proverbs 1:7, Colossians 3:22).

So, is John stepping into a contradiction on the rest of Scripture? I believe he's not.

The context of 1 John 4 is that because of God's great love for us, mainly Jesus' sacrifice, we longer have to fear punishment from God. The proof of us understanding this, of course, is reflected in how we love those around us. We are not anticipating divine wrath from God because we are trusting in Jesus.

At the same time, we do fear the Lord. Fear, in this sense, has to do with recognition and worship. We bow down. We lift our hands. We tremble at the magnitude of His word, it being the authority over us. We know what He is capable of, and we are thankful for His mercy.

Fear as worship to God. Fear not His punishment because of Jesus' blood, spilled for you.