No Fear in Love

View daily reading plan: 1 John 4.17-21

Divine love achieves its aim when its recipients love each other. That in turn gives those individuals the assurance of salvation and any former fear of the judgment of God has gone. “Fear has to do with punishment” (ESV), thus, “He that feareth is not made perfect in love”.

Expressing love is the consequence of being loved by God. Most translations drop the word “him” in v.19. Any love that we have is ”because He first loved us”. His love is original; ours is reciprocal.

John makes no allowance for the hypocrisy of claiming to love God while hating a brother! In uncompromising language, he brands the one who expresses such a claim “a liar”. Loving God and loving our brethren must go together. The second is the expression and evidence of the first. When Peter avowed his affection for the Lord Jesus, the Saviour indicated that Peter’s love for Him had to be channelled towards those whom He called, “my lambs” and “my sheep” (Jn 21.15-17). the responsibility to love our brethren is not optional but a “command” (v.21).

Tuesday, 14 May, 2024