aBible.com     

1 John 4:18 - Love and Fear Do Not Mix!

1 John 4:18 (ESV) There is no fear in love, 
but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to 
do with punishment, and whoever fears has not 
been perfected in love. 

1 John 4:18 (NCV) Where Gods love is, 
there is no fear, because Gods perfect love 
drives out fear. It is punishment that makes a 
person fear, so love is not made perfect in the 
person who fears.  

INTRODUCTION

   My boys love to scare me. The other 
night, I was walking into my room when Addison, my 
thirteen-year-old, jumped out from behind the door and yelled, 
"Boo!" I screamed and lurched to the side, my hands 
immediately closing into fists. Addie jumped back, 
knowing my response would be to strike at whatever 
had just scared me. He couldn't stop laughing. I 
was irritated and said, "What in the world?" 
Addle laughed and said, "Mom, you look so funny 
when you are scared." I wasn't laughing. My heart 
was racing. I was scared, ready to fight. 
   I tend to collect fears: fear of spiders, 
fear of heights, fear of giant children jumping 
out from behind doors. But fear wasn't a part of 
Jesus's original plan. There is no reason for fear 
when you are surrounded by perfect love. The 
moment Adam and Eve stepped out of that love to 
shape their own destiny - fear rushed in. Hence, 
we all have that heart-pounding response toward 
anything beyond our control or understanding. Fear 
sucks the joy out of life. 
   Jesus said, "I have come that they may 
have life, and have it to the full" (John 10:10, 
NIV). It is hard to live life to the full when we 
are freaking out. Jesus came into this world to 
forgive our sins, to restore us, and to help us 
share His love with others. When we invite Jesus 
to shape our destiny, He begins to cast out 
every fear, surrounding us with His perfect love - 
joy in its fullest form. Susanna Foth Aughtmon 
   Faith Step: What are you afraid of? Tell 
Jesus about it. Believe that you are hemmed in by 
His perfect love. Step out today and live 
unafraid. [Mornings With Jesus 2021 Devotional by 
Guideposts and Zondervan] 

COMMENTARY PEARL

Committed Love
   When I understand something of Christ's 
love for me as a sinner, I respond with love for 
Christ - and that love includes feelings and 
emotions. 
   But emotions come and go, and we must not 
allow them to mislead us. God loves me, whether I 
"feel" it or not. Christians who gauge their 
relationship with Christ only by their feelings seldom 
have a stable spiritual life. 
   What makes the difference? It can be 
summarized in one word: commitment. Feelings come and 
go, but commitment stays. (The same should be 
true in a marriage.) We who have committed our 
lives to Christ may feel joy, gratitude, love, and 
so on. But even when we don't have those 
feelings, our commitment keeps us true to Christ. 
   This commitment not only keeps us 
faithful to Christ when we don't feel like it; it 
also keeps away negative emotions such as doubt 
and fear. John Witherspoon, the only cleric to 
sign the Declaration of Independence, once said, 
"It is only the fear of God that can deliver us 
from the fear of man."  
   When Christ chose the cross, He was 
forever committing himself to us. Lets choose, on 
the front end, to be equally committed to Him no 
matter what trials or tragedies may come.  [Hope 
for Each Day by Billy Graham] 

COMMENTARY

Replace Insecurity with Gods Love
   Insecurity ruins relationships. But when 
you open your life to others, even though they 
could potentially hurt you, youll come alive in 
ways youve never experienced before.   
   Why does insecurity ruin relationships? 
Because it prevents intimacy. You long to be close, 
but you also fear being close. You long to have 
intimacy with others, but it also scares you to 
death.   
   You cant get close to someone if 
theres fear in the relationship. This is why living 
together doesnt work in the long run. Theres no 
lifetime commitment. You never know when somebody is 
going to walk out.  
   But fear vanishes, and intimacy - real 
intimacy - rises when two people say, Were 
committed no matter what. Were going to make this 
thing work. 
   What do you fear in your relationships? 
Maybe you dont want people to find out what 
youre really like - so you hide yourself. This is 
the oldest fear, all the way back to Adam, the 
first man. He said, I was afraid because I was 
naked; so I hid (Genesis 3:10 NIV).  
   When youre afraid, you get insecure 
and hide who you are. You cover up, not just 
physically but emotionally. You build walls around 
yourself and pretend to be someone youre not.   
   But while insecurity ruins relationships, 
love builds them up. The Bible says in 1 John 
4:18, Love has no fear, because perfect love 
expels all fear  If we are afraid  this shows 
that we have not fully experienced his perfect 
love (NLT). Love takes the focus off you and puts 
the focus on the other person. 
   People often ask pastors: Do you ever 
get nervous talking in front of a lot of 
people? Of course we do! But the minute we think 
about how much we love our people, instead of 
being worried about what they think of our clothes 
or car or speaking style, fear goes out the 
back door.    
   But the only way to love others is to 
realize that God loves you more than you can ever 
imagine. Suddenly, you dont have to prove yourself 
to anyone anymore, and your identity and 
self-worth arent caught up in what others think. 
Instead, theyre caught up in your relationship 
with Jesus.  
   You may have had some relational 
disasters in your life. Welcome to the human race. But 
in order to open up to others and fight 
insecurity, God wants you to first open up to Jesus, 
letting him fill you with his love so you can share 
it with others. [Daily Devotional by Rick 
Warren: https://pastorrick.com/devotional/] 

LINKS FOR FURTHER STUDY 

1 John 4:18 - Love and Fear Do Not Mix!

http://www.abible.com/devotions/2020/20201208-1106.html 

John 3:16 - LOVE SUPREME!

http://www.abible.com/devotions/2021/20211206-0816.html 

YOUR COMMENTS

If anyone has a paraphrase, commentary or 
testimony on this passage of Scripture, either 
personal or otherwise, I would be interested in 
hearing from you.  Thanks in advance and let's keep 
uplifting Jesus that all might be drawn to Him. Fred 
Gibbs  

LINKS WORTH CHECKING OUT

Most Important Decision in Life: 
http://www.youtube.com/embed/WGnEuGwvXqU?rel=0 

A Man without Equal by Bill Bright: 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NiVa7UoruIo 

Steps to Peace by Billy Graham: 
https://stepstopeace.org/ 

Seeking God Made Real: 
http://vimeo.com/31489782 

Prayer Made Real: 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tc8VdMV26VE 

LINKS FOR BIBLE STUDIES 

Lifting Up Jesus Bible Studies: 
http://www.liftingupjesus.net/ 

Amazing Facts Bible Studies: 
http://www.amazingfacts.org/bible-study/bible-study-guides.aspx  

Voice of Prophecy Discover Bible Study 
Guides: 
https://www.voiceofprophecy.com/study/discover 

Glow Tract Video Bible Studies: 
http://www.bibleresearch.info/ 

LINKS FOR BIBLE PROPHECY SEMINARS

Unlocking Bible Prophecies by Cami Oetman of 
Adventist World Radio: https://www.awr.org/bible 

Panorama of Prophecy with Pastor Doug 
Batchelor: https://www.panoramaofprophecy.com/  

Hope Awakens by John Bradshaw of IIW: 
https://itiswritten.tv/programs/hope-awakens 

Prophecies Decoded by Pastor Ron Clouzet: 
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL1A435C5373550657