Perfect Love Casts Out All Fear!

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 John 4:16-21 God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them. 17 This is how love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment: In this world we are like Jesus. 18 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. 19 We love because he first loved us. 20 Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen. 21 And he has given us this command: Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister.
You can see the common theme in this passage is "love".  The passage starts by saying "God is love".  If we want to really understand love, we have to look at its source, God.  There is nothing about God that is not love.  The love John is referring to is a different kind of love than we might usually associate the word love with.  Generally speaking people in the world think of "love as a feeling".  But the love John is speaking of is "agape love".  This is a love marked by action not "just" feelings.  
So John is pointing to love lived out as the lithmus test of someone who knows God.  And he uses two more words to describe how the word "love" works itself out in our lives.  He uses the word, "complete".  It is where we get our word "maturity".  The idea is that the more we learn to love like God the more complete we become in Christ.  Secondly, Paul talks about as we mature in loving like Jesus did, we develop confidence for the day of judgment.  As we love others unconditionally and sacrificially, we will know we are in God's love.  We will sometimes see ourselves loving in ways we never thought possible before.  And we know it was not in our own strength, but God gives us a new capability to love like He did by the power of the Holy Spirit.  
Finally, John gives us a promise about this kind of love.  He says there is "no fear in love".  Fear has to do with punishment.  Love has to do with forgiveness.  Therefore, perfect love drives out all fear.  This is a great verse to remember.  "Perfect love drives out all fear." Jesus showed us perfect love even when his enemies were taunting him, mocking him and scourging him. It is only out of God's love could he say, "Father forgive them for they know not what they do?"    
So you see why this would be such an important message for John to give the first century church.  The most important quality in the church is love.  And that starts with you and me.  Let us grow in love.  Let us follow the perfect model of love, Jesus.  I think the greatest thing anyone could say at my funeral would be, "he loved like Jesus did".  This is why Paul says to the Corinthians, "Faith, hope and love; the greatest of these is love."

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