October 30, 2022

Passage Read: 1 John 3-4
Meditation Verse: 4:18

Thought

How does this relate to the commands to fear God. Even Peter taught that we should fear God. How can there be fear where perfect love has driven out fear? Even John, when he saw Jesus glorified, fell down in fear at the beginning of the Revelation. As he says here, there should be no fear of punishment if we really know the love of God. His love should produce such security in us, such confidence because we know He will never leave us or forsake us, no matter how we fail Him. Yet seeing God in all His glory, knowing that in His perfect love for us He is still the Almighty, there remains a fear, but it shouldn't be of rejection. And it should purify us, it should drive us to want to be perfect even as He is perfect.

Application

Fear is not wrong, and to fear God is not sin, nor is it necessarily a lack of understanding of His love. If I fear punishment, it is probably because I don't understand His commitment to me. But if I am eager to do His will, why would He ever have to punish me? If I get something wrong, He should only have to speak to me to correct me. But if I'm not so eager to do His will, He will bring hardship into my life to discipline me, but it's because He loves me, not because He hates me, and that should bring assurance of His love. Any discipline triggers fear in my heart, but if I really understand His love for me, that fear should go away. But the fear that comes from knowing His greatness and majesty, that should never go away.