"For fear has to do with punishment, and he who fears is not perfected in love."
Please tell me your understanding of this Bible verse?
2007-10-29 11:56:10 · 11 answers · asked by It's Ms. Fusion if you're Nasty! 7 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
The way I have interpreted this is that love cannot exist or thrive in the presence of fear. Is this correct?
2007-10-29 11:59:36 · update #1
That you cannot love someone and be in fear of them at the same time?
2007-10-29 12:02:33 · update #2
Or, is it someone cannot love you and make you fearful at the same time?*
Help....I'm so confused here......lol!
2007-10-29 12:03:59 · update #3
I think I would state it the other way - that fear cannot exist in the presence of Love.
It is written in the context of everything else John has been saying in his letter.
I think he is simply saying that once you become persuaded of and receive a revelation of the true nature of God as revealed through Jesus Christ and the Gospel, there is no longer any reason to be afraid, since God Himself has undertaken to remedy the problem that makes us subject to His punishment - namely, the guilt of sin.
2007-10-29 12:04:09 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 4⤊ 1⤋
'Fear' used in 1 John 4:18 is 'phobos' in Greek, which means 'dread or terror.' The love used in this verse is agape love, or unconditional love. So there is no terror or dread in the unconditional love of the Lord.
'Fear' as often used in 'Fear the Lord,' e.g. Prov. 3:7 or John 1:9 is the adjective 'yare' with a slightly different meaning. Here is means 'reverence and afraid.'
Being afraid is different from dread or terror. Unfortunately, modern English often uses them as synonyms. Whereas dread implies imminent doom - a helpless, sinking feeling, where hope is lost, afraid, on the other hand, is a major component of respect. For instance, we respect those with amazing abilities. Confronting such a person, where he is right and you are wrong, may likely make you afraid. Afraid does not necessarily imply doom or death, rather the desire to not have something undesireable cast upon you. Job had a good handle on this when he said, "The calamity of the Lord is a terror to me." Job acknowledged that God can bring adversities as well as blessings, and in both we ought to praise the Lord. The likelihood of adversities in our lives, however, may often be something we are afraid of.
Therefore, there is nothing wrong with revering the Lord, being afraid of the Lord, and loving the Lord with all our heart.
I think modern evangelism often leaves us with the impression of God as a giant Teddy Bear, waiting to make us happy when called upon...and leaves it at that. God is so much more; but, when that is all we know, we have trouble understanding why such a good God would allow this bad thing or that terrible thing to happen. It's a failing of modern evangellism. We ought to know our low, insignificant place before a holy, just, and righteous God who has the power and authority to cast us to our eternal torment in the lake of fire. It is only out of His mercy we are not immediately consumed in the flames of Hell. And it is only out of His love that He made a way for us to escape that torment through faith in His only Son, Jesus Christ, as Lord. We ought to respect Him for that, and be afraid, and revere, and praise.
We are much less likely to sin against an almighty God, when we recognize His power and are afraid with great respect.
2007-10-30 08:29:33 · answer #2 · answered by BowtiePasta 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
"Fear is not in charity"... Perfect charity, or love, banisheth human fear, that is, the fear of men; as also all perplexing fear, which makes men mistrust or despair of God's mercy; and that kind of servile fear, which makes them fear the punishment of sin more than the offence offered to God. But it no way excludes the wholesome fear of God's judgments, so often recomended in holy writ; nor that fear and trembling, with which we are told to work out our salvation. Phil. 2. 12.
2007-10-29 19:09:31 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
"There is no fear in love" is a statement of fact. Love means to be "One". If you are then one with something or someone fear has no place. Fear isn't necessarily punishment but can be the beginning of wisdom.
2007-10-29 19:09:17 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
The word fear here is talking about the way a child fears his father, as a child you knew your parents loved you but there was a fear there that said I had better do what dad says. God loves us so much he only wants whats best for us as your earthly mom and dad only wanted what was best for you. Jesus doesn't want us to have a fear of him that just scares us to death but its more of a parent and child relationship, Jesus said unless you become as a little child you cannnot enter into the kingdom of Heaven. Remember the Greek probably had a half dozen different words for fear but in the english translation we don't. Its like the word love, the greeks had at least three different ways of saying I love you that I know of, remember when Jesus told peter to feed my sheep, In the greek there were three different words used there for our word love. Hope this helped you out. God bless you for digging into Gods word, You are making a difference in this world. As a fellow Christian, it motivates me, thanks!!
2007-10-29 20:15:41 · answer #5 · answered by victor 7707 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Fears, is nothing to fear about it, but never be afraid of fears it self, in short be fearless?, and or never be afraid of your own fears?, fears are something real for many, never be afraid of knowing your about your own fears, so we don't live in chain. John love for Jesus, and for the Father, seams greater that any other form of Love, Love of a man, for and to a man, in fact it needs to be seeing wisely?, in which case he is right to me, as to mention punishment, a deeper analysis for such verse it may be necessary. The Love John was spiking about was Love, a Humanistic kind?, form? of Love. Spiritual Love, the one in which we will use to give our self's to God only....., and not only what man thinks is love for a woman?, a/o vice-n-verso?
2007-10-29 19:13:53 · answer #6 · answered by paradiseemperatorbluepinguin 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
True love there is no fear in it. Perfect love ( Christ's Love) can cast out fear. Fear causes sadness. Those that fear don't have True Love. You can have True love you just have to ask Christ for it.
2007-10-29 19:02:46 · answer #7 · answered by smart1 2 · 2⤊ 0⤋
God is love. In his presence if fullness of joy...and fear..flees away.
Fear cannot exist in the presence of God . Nor can it exist when the love is God is manifest. The love of God..will cast out fear.
The person who fears, has not developed in the love of God.
2007-10-29 19:04:35 · answer #8 · answered by Eartha Q 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
That if you love God than you shouldn't be fearing him.
2007-10-29 18:59:35 · answer #9 · answered by Blue girl in a red state 7 · 1⤊ 2⤋
People love to fear me, but are somehow afraid of loving me.
That's all there is to it.
2007-10-29 18:59:41 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 2⤋