Casting Out Fear

Day 338: 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." Still, we see time and time again that we are also commanded 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 with 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 no longer have to fear punishment from God. The proof of our understanding of this is reflected in how we love those around us. We are not anticipating divine wrath from God because we are trusting in Jesus’ protective blood.

David L. Aiken said it so well as he wrote, "This deficiency of love causes one to dread the day of judgment for fear of permanent departure from the presence of God. Therefore if one fears this day, he is not being perfected in love."

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. We continually sing.

Commit yourself to fear as a way to worship God. Fear not His punishment because Jesus' blood was spilled for you.