Answer
In 1 John 4, John encourages believers that, because God has loved us, we should love one another “Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.”, (1 John 4:11). And “there is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love” “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.”, (1 John 4:18).
If God lives in us, then His love also lives in and is perfected in us “No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us.”, (1 John 4:12). But how can we know that God lives in us? We can be certain because His Holy Spirit dwells in us “Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit.”, (1 John 4:13). So, if He lives in us and we in Him, and if His love lives in us, then we have the tools we need to live in His love and show that love to others “And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.”, (1 John 4:16).
John explains what he means when he says that God’s love is “perfected” or “made complete” in us in 1 John 4:17—that, even in this world, we are like Him because His love is in us. We don’t need to fear the coming judgment because we are in Him and He in us. As Paul put it in Roman
As stated in Romans 8:1, “There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”
John explains in 1 John 4:18 that fear is related to punishment. He emphasizes that one who fears punishment is not perfected in love. The verse says, “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear: because fear has torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.” If we acknowledge our union with Christ and His presence in us, we can live without the fear of future condemnation. We are assured of His Spirit dwelling in us. His perfect love is manifested in us—He has bestowed Himself upon us. Why should we dread His judgment in the future? We are His own. If we (rightly) dread punishment, then we are not abiding in His love because those who are in Him have been rescued from condemnation. Jesus affirmed that God’s love for the world was so immense that He gave His only begotten, or unique, Son so that whoever believes in Jesus will not face destruction (i.e., perish in condemnation) but will have eternal life. The verse reads, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16). Those who have put their faith in Jesus are enveloped in His love and have no grounds for dreading judgment and condemnation. Conversely, those who are not in Christ Jesus have cause to fear judgment. John, the apostle, clarifies that if we are in Christ, we need not fear—“there is no fear in love.” When we are in Christ, we witness His love perfectly displayed in His deliverance, and we should exhibit that love to others.
The verse in 1 John 4:18 reiterates, “There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear.” God’s flawless love has eradicated our apprehension of punishment and condemnation.In a sense, we should always revere God because He is the Creator who is sovereign over all (2 Corinthians 7:1; 1 Peter 2:17; Revelation 14:7), but that is quite different from dreading judgment and condemnation. We don’t fear God because we are afraid He might break His promises and cast us into condemnation—no, we fear God because of His greatness, worthiness, and awesomeness. It is because the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, wisdom, and understanding (Proverbs 1:7; Proverbs 9:10) that we can comprehend what a gift His love truly is. To be loved by One so incredible and great means that His love is stronger than anything we can imagine. If God is for us, then who can be against us «What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? », (Romans 8:31)?
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