Letters from the Beloved: Love, Love, Love – Part 1
John, the self-titled “disciple whom Jesus loved” talks a LOT about love in his letters. We’ll be focusing on that too for a couple of blogs.
We can understand how the love of Jesus and His example impacted John, by recalling that Jesus called John one of the “sons of thunder” for wanting to call down fire from heaven on some folks [Mark 3:17] and noting that later John used the word “love” 35 times in just the five short chapters of his first letter. What a change!
1 John 4:17-19 [NKJV] 17 Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world. 18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love. 19 We love Him because He first loved us.
I have often heard it implied that “perfect love casts out fear” in every circumstance. If that were true, then why does it seem that Jesus feared the severe trial He was about to endure in brutal beating and torturous death He knew He faced? He certainly had mental torment, if you don’t want to call it fear.
Of course, God’s love makes us less afraid of many things, and the more we grow in love and in understanding God’s love and plan for us, the less we will fear those who can destroy only the body. That is because we learn that what is ahead for us is so much greater and more wonderful than anything this current world has to offer.
I like the way the New Living Translation puts this segment because of the way it addresses the issue more frankly and in a more direct manner.
1 John 4:17-19 [NLT] 17 And as we live in God, our love grows more perfect. So we will not be afraid on the day of judgment, but we can face him with confidence because we live like Jesus here in this world. 18 Such love has no fear, because perfect love expels all fear. If we are afraid, it is for fear of punishment, and this shows that we have not fully experienced his perfect love. 19 We love each other because he loved us first.
But let’s not miss that John is specifically discussing judgement day. Those with the love of God in them, need not fear standing before the Father on judgement day. In fact, John says, we will boldly face that day and our loving Judge specifically for two reasons:
1. Because love has been perfected among us – that is in the example of Jesus we have witnessed perfect love in action.
2. Because, as the NLT puts it, “we live like Jeus her in this world”.
The fear of judgement comes when “we have not fully experienced His perfect love”. If we are afraid of judgemen,t then we have not let the love of God into our hearts and minds. We don’t fully comprehend or understand it.
Maybe we are holding back on forgiving ourselves when Jesus, out of His perfect love in action, has already paid the price for our sins. Maybe we think that God cannot or will not forgive something, when He sent His son to die for us so that He could forgive ALL sin.
That is exactly what the sacrifice – the brutal, undeserved death of Jesus – was for.
1 John 4:17 [NLT] 17 And as we live in God, our love grows more perfect. So we will not be afraid on the day of judgment, but we can face him with confidence because we live like Jesus here in this world.
If we, as Christians, fear judgement day, then we are doing love all wrong. Maybe, however, it isn’t that we don’t understand God’s love for us, but that we don’t understand His love for everyone else.
If “we have not fully experienced His perfect love” it may be that we are not extending that love to others. Maybe we fear judgement because we condemn others whose sins are different than our sins. If we are doing that, sweet sisters, then we do have reason to fear judgement day.
Maybe we are fearful of judgement because of what we read in Matthew 7:1-2 [NKJV] 1 "Judge not, that you be not judged. 2 "For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you.
These should be chilling words to us IF we are judging others, whom Jesus also died for and whom the Father also loves and forgives. We ought to live with care, and, as John advises us, “love others because He first loved us”. That is how we “live like Jesus in the world”.
More on love to come…
I welcome your comments and questions. You can write me at Nancy@DynamicChristianMinistries.org