Love and Fear

Perfect love casts out fear [1Jn.4:18]:  ALL fear. Even the fear that you might somehow screw this up--this salvation that Christ has purchased for you. How could you screw it up? Those verses in Hebrews Ch. 6 are pretty scary. But let's think about it:  One thing we know for sure is that God loves us.  He IS love. [1 Jn4:8]  He sacrificed His only Son for us.  And since we are created in His image, and we have children, we have a deep connection with that level of love. And we know that when you love someone that much, you don't want them to fear, which is a form of suffering. You want them to have peace [something Jesus promises]. But how could you ever have peace if you could drop the ball in the most important arena of life: eternal salvation? You would have to be in denial--something we know God does not want for us. He is the God of Truth--not denial. So when we look deeply into the Scripture in the Spirit of Christ, we realize that we can rest deeply, even though we know that we are not yet perfected in Him. He has promised to complete this wonderful work He has begun in us [Philp1:6]; and He will never leave or forsake us [Mt.28:20].  We are "sealed" in His Spirit [Eph. 1:13, 4:30].  Our peaceful, joyful work is to be filled with His Love for us, and in us for all. To abide in Christ is to abide in this Love.  And this Love drives out ALL fear.  When we were under the Law we needed fear. Now that we are in Grace, we need only Love.