The Beloved Disciple's First Letter - Pt 17

 

By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because as he is so also are we in this world. 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. We love because he first loved us. If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother. (1 John 4:13–21 ESV).

 

There is much we could focus on in this reading; however, I want to center our attention on what John writes about fear. He says, “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.” (v. 18). The word “punishment” is κόλασιν (kolasis) in the original language. It is translated as punishment in most English versions, but it can also be more strongly translated as torment. The context of this verse is the final judgment. The sentence immediately preceding tells us “that we may have confidence for the day of judgment.” So it seems obvious that the fear that John refers to here is the fear of punishment on the day of judgment.

 

The only other place in the New Testament where this word occurs is in the parable of the sheep and goats (cf. Mathew 25:31-46). At the very end of the parable Jesus sends the goats to “eternal punishment” (κόλασιν αἰώνιον). But in the same parable Jesus also refers to the “eternal fire” (τὸ πῦρ τὸ αἰώνιον) that awaits the devil and his angels. Because Jesus in the parable sends the goats to the eternal fire and torment, the word eventually came to mean “hell”, and that is still its meaning in modern Greek.

 

But the man or woman who lives in the love of God does not live in fear. And not only fear of punishment or hell, but fear of life! Have you noticed how fearful we have become as a society? We are afraid of terrorism, afraid of hackers, afraid of immigrants, afraid of viruses – but also afraid of vaccines to prevent viruses (figure that one out!) – afraid of the food and water we consume, afraid of going out at night or walking alone, afraid of being stopped by the police. We live in fear, which has often been used as motivation to force us to do what we would not typically do. There is a culture of fear that has grown disproportionately far beyond the real dangers of our woprld. And fear separates us from our fellow humans. And ultimately fear separates us from God.

 

But isn’t it strange that the parable of the sheep and goats hardly scares anyone, while we lock our doors and our hearts to the countless fears that preoccupy us? We’re not scared of God because we’ve turned God into a meaningless “higher power” or “the man upstairs” – and these are the wrong reasons for not being afraid of God. We are missing the real reason for not being afraid of God: namely, that God is love and perfect love casts out fear. And perhaps it is love that is missing in our lives, real love – love not rooted in fear or self-interest, but love as God showed love in his Son, Jesus Christ. “For God so loved the world….” Think about how love can transform your fears into rational caution rather than irrational fear of everything that moves!