Meditations Upon 1 John 4:18 – Part Two
There
is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to
do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.
As I reflect upon these childhood and
formative experiences, I regret that I heard so little about the love of God in
Christ Jesus. I cannot recall hearing
any preaching or teaching on this verse. How marvelous it is to know the Lord’s
perfect love annihilates fear. “There is no fear in love.” I suspect fears borne of myopic,
misguided and distorted views of the Christian religion compounded longstanding
unconscious fears. Insecurity and instability emerge within tenuous
relationships and conditional circumstances. Primary relationships with
parents, siblings, extended family and others within a person’s formative
community are often catalysts for internal and lifelong fears. An existential
cauldron of fear, pain, trauma and pervasive threat of eternal punishment
erodes faith, hope and peace. That predicament creates a lifelong foreboding
that erodes dreams, paralyzes ambitions, undermines progress, disintegrates
relationships and restricts a person’s ability to enjoy daily life. Instead of
embracing the miracle of each day, a disciple can experience life as a prison
sentence to be endured with a minimal and fleeting hope that a heavenly reward
lay just beyond the threshold of death. However, the evangelist reminds his
audience that Christ’s love triumphs over fear.
The Old Testament contains numerous
usages of fear relating to respecting God’s holy character and sovereign will.
Proverbs 9:10 exhorts, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and
the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.” Israel was taught to live in the fear and
admonition of Almighty God. Fear, in this sense, equates with reverence,
obedience and admiration. The Law and Prophets admonished the people to follow
God’s holy commands. The threat of punishment looms large in their wilderness
wandering years and those of settling into the Promised Land. Disciples recall
stories like Uzzah (2 Samuel 6:1-7 and 1 Chronicles 13:9-12) who experiences
God’s wrath and judgment with immediate death. Chances are many people
struggled with contrasting claims of God’s unfailing love and unquestioned
provision with His anger and inclination to punish anyone who transgresses His
holy nature. Understandably, it would be difficult for them to think of
reciprocating God’s love. They probably would concentrate upon ensuring their
strict adherence to the Law. Fear of a fate like Uzzah’s impedes reliance upon
love and grace. A wholehearted desire for mercy predominates.
Contemporary Christians in South
Carolina and elsewhere in the global village suffer a similar fate. Manipulated
as a means of sociopolitical and economic control, corporate, institutional and
orthodox religion emphasizes compliance to the Law, biblical and secular, as
the surest means of demonstrating righteousness. Some disciples mistakenly
pursue observance of rituals, loyalty to regulations in books of church
discipline and order, celebration of rites and conformity with traditions and
rules to quantify and prove their righteousness. Incredulously, some of them
may silently hope that an angelic registrar is recording their church
attendance, giving history, direct service to marginalized people, social
justice activism and efforts to demonstrate that they are indeed Christian
disciples. Theologians refer to this approach to discipleship as “works
righteousness” wherein disciples mathematically prove that they deserve to
enter the pearly gates in heaven. The elder brother in the “Parable of the
Prodigal Son” is the ideal prototype of a disciple who believes he deserves to
spend eternity in heaven. You will recall his words of righteous indignation
when discovering his father’s celebration of his sinful brother’s return to
their home. Moreover, Paul’s letter to Galatian disciples opposes the Judaizers
and others who demand adherence to the Law and Jewish ordinances and customs as
a prerequisite to Christian discipleship. The apostle condemns this alternative
gospel message. Conversely, confession of faith in Christ, believer’s baptism
and dedication to lifelong study and practice of the Lord’s teachings comprise
the start of a new life in Christ.
The fourth evangelist in this verse
offers an enduring solution to this theological and spiritual problem for the
Christian community. He proclaims love as the essence of the Gospel and the new
covenant that God makes with humankind through the gift of Christ. That love
removes any fear of God and in living in a right relationship with Him. Rather
than obeying His holy requitements to avoid His wrath and punishment, disciples
keep God’s commands as an act of love and gratitude. The Lord tells His disciples
to demonstrate their love for Him by obeying His commands. (John 14:15) He
proposes a relationship based upon sacrificial, redemptive and transformative
love that compels obedience, reciprocity, fidelity and dedication. The Law
cannot coerce disciples to cultivate these attributes. The Law lends itself to
self-aggrandizement and self-justification as disciples misguidedly manipulate
the Law to achieve self-congratulatory ends. The evangelist depicts the Last
Supper as an inauguration of a new covenant which establishes a “new Law
of Love.” The Gospel through grace
converts the human heart; thereby enabling disciples to relate rightly to
a holy and immutable deity. Despite
numbering more than six thousand verses, the Law could not accomplish a similar
feat. Beyond gleaning obedience from disciples, Christ’s love liberates disciples
to progress toward self-determination, self-realization and fulfillment of
personal destiny as they accord with God’s will.
Simply stated, “there is no fear in
love.” Consider being in a supposed love relationship with someone whom you
fear is unreliable and untrustworthy. Your fears turn you into a detective. You
check your significant other’s devices for errant email messages, unacceptable
phone calls, injudicious text messages and inappropriate photos among other
trespasses upon the boundaries of your relationship. Imagine being in a
relationship that does not allow you any confidence regarding reciprocity,
accountability and fidelity. You simply do not enjoy any peace of mind. In a
marriage, a legally binding agreement presumably prevents violations of the
contract that couples make with each other. Many couples prefer a religious
ceremony rather than a civil one primarily sanctioned by local and state
governments. The former ceremony mirrors God’s covenant with Abraham wherein
husband and wife proactively bind themselves in a holy and divinely authorized
covenant. They restrict themselves to each other in sickness and in health, for
richer or poorer, for better, for worse, to love, to cherish, etc. More
significant than the demands of black letter law, a developing understanding of
Christ’s selfless, sacrificial, redemptive and transformative love compels
fidelity within Christian marriage. Love yields loyalty, affirmation, support
and commitment. Additionally, love increasingly eradicates fear of infidelity
or other transgressions. The evangelist encourages his audience to cultivate
Christ’s love as the surest antidote to fear.
To be continued
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