How Does Perfect Love Cast Out Fear?

 

by Barbara Latta

What does the Bible mean when it talks about perfect love?

There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. (1 John 4:18a NKJV)

I used to think the perfect love this verse talked about meant I had to display perfect love toward God and others for anxiety to leave me.

But after I heard someone explain this Scripture, the light came on in my mind. (Sometimes I'm slow!)

This verse speaks of God's love, not ours, because His love is the only perfection. We can't express perfect love no matter how close to Him we grow because we still have our flesh (mind and emotions) to deal with.

The second part of that verse says, But he who fears has not been made perfect in love. (1 John 4:18b)

How does perfect love cast out fear? 

We receive the full revelation of how much our heavenly Father cherishes us.

When we let worry dominate our thoughts we are really giving satan power over us. That's why this verse tells us if we fear we have not realized the perfection of His grace. We haven't totally trusted our Lord's bond with us.

Fear does bring torment. Our minds can fill with tangled thoughts that grow and wind into other areas. Condemnation and guilt can form sharp mental thorns. Satan uses this dreadful emotion to separate us from fellowshipping with God. When we feel apprehension, we aren't fully depending on the Lord.

For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. (2 Timothy 1:7)

We may have grown up in church and heard sermons about John 3:16 and other references to the compassion of God. But we can still sometimes think that His affection is withheld or at least not displayed toward us when we sin. If we react this way, we are saying the blood of Jesus wasn't powerful enough to cover whatever we did, said, or thought.

Our mistakes, transgressions, iniquities, or whatever word we use for them can't undo what Jesus did for us.

No matter how many times we hear lessons about the Lord's compassion, we will never get to the end of His devotion.

We are approaching Easter, the time we celebrate the death and resurrection of Christ.

No greater selflessness has ever been shown to the world than by the Savior who willingly left His heavenly home, left the presence of His Father, to come to earth and dwell with sinful humans.

He did that because of the unconditional affection that brought Him to the cross. He suffered and died for each of us because we are so special to Him.

I urge you to let Jesus express His adoration to you in ways you may never have before. Celebrate His victory over every action or thought you have ever expressed.

We were not given the spirit of anxiety, but the spirit of adoption. We are the Father's children and He has given us the power to live in that identity.

The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, "Abba, Father." The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children. (Romans 8:15-16 NIV)

To help you remember how much you are cherished, I have included a download of "Scriptures About God's Love For Me." This is a way to keep these powerful words in your mind and dispel any attacks from the enemy.  Speak these over yourself and personalize them. 

I have enjoyed and benefited from videos by Carrie Pickett, Executive Vice-President of Andrew Wommack Ministries and Charis Bible College. Her message, "God's Love for You," is part of her Life Foundations teaching. This has blessed me in many ways, and I hope you will be encouraged by these too.

Please feel free to share what God's grace and acceptance means to you.

How does perfect love cast out fear? (Click to share on X)

Image by Kati from Pixabay