"For God has not given
us a spirit of fear,
but of power and of love
and of a sound mind."
2 Tim 1:7
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Hello again...let's begin with prayer...
"Heavenly Father, as we come together this day to study Your word again, I pray earnestly that You will speak to us through Your word. I pray that You will be glorified here in this study today. Thank You , Lord, for giving us that spirit of power and of love and of a sound mind that we can know who You are and that we can know that perfect love.
I seek the forgiveness of my sins today, Lord, because I know it is against You and only You that I have sinned. I know that my iniquities separate me from You and I do not want that. I want to be in Your presence. So, I pray that You will search me, wash me, and cleanse me this day from my sins against You.
I lift up each lady reading this study to you today. I pray that she will find encouragement in this study today. I pray that she will cast all her cares upon You and that You will give her peace and rest. I pray that she will seek You this day with all her heart. Speak to her, Lord, through Your word daily and give her strength to face each challenge of each day.
In Jesus' name.....amen."
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The Consummation of Love
In our last lesson we looked at how love has been perfected among us through Christ Jesus. We looked at how we are not perfect, but Christ is therefore we will be perfect one day. As a result of Christ's perfect obedience, we can have that boldness and confidence at the Lord's coming.
John ended the verse with a sort of commission: "because as He is, so are we in this world."
Then he begins the new verse with a sort of admonition about fear. Hmmm, I wonder why? Perhaps those reading his letters would be concerned about being as Christ is in the world. They remember that Jesus died on a cross for His beliefs.....and maybe they became afraid.
But John does an excellent job of explaining what fear is and isn't.
1 John 4:18-
"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."
As usual, John gives us much to think about as Christian servants to the Lord. But he also gives us hope...that reccuring hope that echoes throughout this book.
"There is no fear in love..."
Does this contradict the Bible that tells us that "the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge" (Prov 1:7)? Are not to fear the Lord?
There are many kinds of fear in Scripture and John is writing of the kind found in the world.
Please read:
Gen 42:18- Joseph had a fear of the Lord.
Deut 4:10- God commanded that the people learn to fear Him
Ps 19:9- the Psalmist acknowledged that fearing God is a good thing
Ps 27:1
Ps 33:8
Ps 34:9
Is 35:4- here the prophet is told to tell the people not to fear God.
Obviously there is a difference between earthly fear and a godly fear.
"...but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment."
Here we see that John is writing about worldly fear which involves torment. Fearing God does not.
Jer 32:40
Matt 10:28
We see that both God and Jesus advise that it is best not to fear the world or anyone in the world...but to fear God Himself who can destroy the world and everything in it.
John desires for his readers to remember that they have been given that perfect love of Christ so that they can have confidence in the day of Judgment. We have been made perfect and one day we will be as He is.
Why, then, should we fear anything? Well, all of know it can be intimidating to stand before a crowd and proclaim the Gospel message. It is hard to walk door to door and tell our neighbors we believe in the risen Christ.
But we Christians have been commanded to tell others about the Gospel message. We have been commissioned to go and make disciples of other nations. If that scares us now, imagine how it will be when the whole world turnds against us.
I recently heard a radio broadcast from Ravi Zacharias, a prominent theologian and missionary to the Middle East. He was saying that he has visited Egypt and has seen many Muslims come to the Lord Jesus as their savior. He has seen sheiks entering into Christian churches worshiping next to Christians. He said it is happening throughout the Muslim countries today at great risk of harm to Christian missionaries. They are spreading the Gospel message at risk to their lives or the lives of their families.
I also read this week about how Great Britain has allowed their country to be taken over by the Islamic religion. Soon Islam will take over all of Europe.
Can we, as Christians, still take the Gospel message out to the community even if it means our lives are at risk...or the lives of our children or grandchildren?
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"But he who fears has not been made perfect in love."
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but the fear of the world is foolishness.
Heb 2:14-15
2 Tim 1:7
1 Pet 2:17
Heb 10:31
Ps 25:12
Yes, according to the Scriptures, it is much wiser to fear the One who created all things rather than the creation itself. That seems easy now, when everything is fine and our houses have not been destroyed by a tornado or cyclone or war.
But will we be able to still not fear when things do get bad? When we are forced out of our comfort zone, will we still be able to remain in that perfect love?
That is why we must remain in the Scriptures. We must remember these verses that remind us that God has not given us that spirit of fear....because fear involves torment...but He has given us a spirit of power and of love and of a sound mind to get us through even the toughest times here on earth.
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Life Application
Each day in the life of a Christian is faced with challenges because God allows Satan to tempt us just as He allowed His Son to be tempted.
It is easy to become afraid of the things around us because this world is uncertain. But we can find solace in the Scriptures. These verses assuage our fears and uncertainties.
Ps 111:10
Ps 112:1
When we concentrate on fearing God, then we find that peace and rest. The Psalmists understood this.
If you are ever in the midst of fear.....go to the Scriptures. Let them calm you and give you peace.
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Until next time....
"If we know God's love experientially and trust him, we may view any afflictions that we suffer in the context of Provers 3:12....As we grow and mature in faith, we understand that God's discipline proves his love for us. It also deepens our love for him. So we must allow the truth of God's glorious love to bathe our minds daily and to wash away our fear."
-Dr. Joel Beeke (The Epistles of John, 2006, p. 170)
Blessings,
Ruth
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