Biblical Reflections

LOVE CASTS OUT FEAR

There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear, because fear has restraint; and he who fears has not been perfected in LOVE. -- 1 John 4:18, Diaglott.

One can have fear of many things that would restrain one's love, both for God and our neighbor. One may be fearful of man, what people may think. One may be fearful of losing prestige in the world. One may fear persecution. One may fear to change the way that he lives in order to conform to what God wants. One may have all kinds of fears that may restrain love for God, and love for neighbor. "You shall love Yahweh your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might." (Deuteronomy 6:5) "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." -- Leviticus 19:18; See also Matthew 22:36-40.

The apostle Paul spoke of some who have "no fear of God before their eyes." (Romams 3:18) These are evidently those who are unregenerate. For most people of the world, there is very little thought regarding God or of loving their Creator as described in the Bible. They think very little about the promises of God in the Bible regarding the future.

We should not understand John 4:18 to be saying that all hearts have fear. John is speaking to the children of God, not the world. If any child of God does have fear, developing perfection of love will cast out that fear. To the extent that a child of God does have fear as John spoke of, he has not yet developed that perfect love. Thus, as the child of God learns to know God and Jesus better with true knowledge, love for God, Jesus, the brothers of Christ, as well as neighbor and enemy, increases, and fear diminishes. We may say that if any in the world have a reverential fear toward their Creator, to this degree they have developed a preferable frame of mind; they are in a better condition than are those who never come to such a frame of mind. In life, certain conditions which surround us call for reverence; and man's brain is so constituted that reverence will be a part of his mental attitude if he has not become extremely depraved. Often, however, reverence that should go to the Creator is given to idols, whether those idols be formed images by the hand of man, other men, state, country, or many other things that the heart of man may put first. Hence, the Scriptures say that "The fear of Yahweh [the reverence of Yahweh-- Rotherham] is the beginning of wisdom." (Proverbs 9:10) The fear of Yahweh, the reverence of Yahweh, will bring a blessing. This fear of Yahweh rather increases as the child of God comes to know His Maker; but it is a gradual process.

In view of Proverbs 9:10, It has been suggested that the thought of John 4:18 might be better expressed by saying: "There is no dread in love." We certainly should not be in dread of Yahweh, nevertheless, it is also true that the more we love, the more we fear. In what way? We fear to displease the one we have love for. On the other hand, we would not be so careful about pleasing a person whom we do not have love.

There is a certain kind of fear which comes as the result of imperfect knowledge. We should not credit the Adversary with producing every evil thought of the human mind, yet at the same time we realize that he has very much to do with the evil influences which surround our race. People may be without fear of God; and we think that even after they have come to Yahweh, and are learning to reverence Him and to know something about Him, they may be to some degree lacking in the right kind of fear. Then the Adversary's plan will be to plant dread in their minds, or fears of man, persecution, suffering for righteousness, etc.

Many of the heathen have all kinds of fears. As they may develop concepts of a higher being or a controlling force, the Adversary seems to conjure up slavish fear which crowds out love, and produces dread. We read that "the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving." (2 Corinthians 4:4) We think that this evil influence is accountable for many of the things which seem so remarkable to us. It explains the fact that the heathen have devilish doctrines mingled with dread of their deity or deities; and that all the worldly who have knowledge of God, both Jews and Christians, have fear also -- dread. Yet Christians, even if they have not come to fully know and comprehend Yahweh and Jesus, have much greater light upon God's character than have others, and so should have correspondingly less fear than the heathen. A Christian, however, should be "increasing in the knowledge of God." (Colossians 1:10) Peter wrote to the saints: "Grace to you and peace be multiplied in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord." -- 2 Peter 1:2.

A CERTAIN KIND OF FEAR PROPER

Evidently what was written in 1 John 4:18 is not intended to signify that a child of God should have no sense of fear at all. This fact is shown by the experience of the founder of Christianity, our Great Pastor (Hebrews 13:20) himself, in the Garden of Gethsemane. He there feared, as the scriptures tell us in speaking of this occasion, and he was heard in that he feared. He offered up strong cryings and tears to Him who was able to save him out of death. (Hebrews 5:7) If the Master, our Great Pastor, feared, so should his followers. The writer to the Hebrews states: "Let us fear therefore, lest perhaps a promise being left of entering into his rest, anyone of you should seem to have come short of it." (Hebrews 4:1) How shall we harmonize these fears with our text? John 4:18 is, evidently, not intended to contradict the great lessons otherwise taught in the Bible. Our Lord Jesus appealed to the Father who, he knew, loved him; but he knew also, that the Father was absolutely perfect, righteous, just; and he feared lest he might have come short in fulfilling some of the requirements.

So with us. We should know that "God is love" (1 John 4:8), but we should have fear respecting ourselves, and have such a carefulness, such a desire to please God, that we should feel fearful lest in any degree we should come short. Ignorance begets fear; but love for God will enable us to cast out that fear, and will also enable us to come to God with great confidence. So let us "draw near to God" (James 4:8) with full confidence that He will bless us.

This thought is the very opposite to that often found in heathen thought. Their conception of a god is often more like a demon. Many would express "God," or the Supreme Force of the Universe, as being impersonal, without having the quality of love, nor being able to receive love from others. The Christian, on the other hand, who is walking in the footsteps of the Master, learns to love his God and to wish to do the Father's will only. Nothing is acceptable in the nature of a sacrifice that is not prompted by that love. "True worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father seeks such to be his worshippers." -- John 4:23,24.

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