1 John 4:7-21
Beloved, let us love one another, because love is from God; everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, for God is love. God’s love was revealed among us in this way: God sent his only Son into the world so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins. Beloved, since God loved us so much, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God lives in us, and his love is perfected in us.
By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. And we have seen and do testify that the Father has sent his Son as the Savior of the world. God abides in those who confess that Jesus is the Son of God, and they abide in God. So we have known and believe the love that God has for us.
God is love, and those who abide in love abide in God, and God abides in them. Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness on the day of judgement, because as he is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear; for fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not reached perfection in love. We love because he first loved us. Those who say, ‘I love God’, and hate their brothers or sisters, are liars; for those who do not love a brother or sister whom they have seen, cannot love God whom they have not seen. The commandment we have from him is this: those who love God must love their brothers and sisters also.
This morning’s reading reminds me of the one about a church whose Sunday morning services were going along quite smoothly one week. All of a sudden, a flash of light and smoke appeared in front of the pulpit followed by a large BOOM! When the smoke cleared, the astonished congregation saw a red figure standing up front, complete with horns, pitchfork and tail. Immediately, panic set in. People screamed and crowded through the doors, trampling each other in their rush to get away. Satan watched the situation with great glee, but his mood was disturbed by the sight of one man still lounging comfortably in his pew. “Do you not know who I am?” Satan thundered. The man’s reply was nonchalant, “Sure I do.” Satan was puzzled. “And do you not fear me?!” “Nope.” “Why not?” The man snorted, “What for? I’ve been married to your sister for 35 years!”
I suppose that one’s only funny because the man claimed to have been married to Satan’s sister for so long. I mean, how bad of a marriage could it have been for him to make such a claim?! Satan’s sister is a pretty bold claim! But besides suggesting the man was married to Satan’s sister, that one isn’t all that funny. That man should have been afraid of Satan just like everyone else. But because his marriage was so horrific, he was numb to Satan’s presence. Far too many marriages leave the participants numb to suffering. But this isn’t God’s purpose for marriage. No, God intends for marriages to be relationships that encourage growth and security, that enable the exchange of love, that bear fruit for the betterment of the world. Marriages are powerful relationships that can create good for the world. It’s the sinful natures of people that corrupt marriages but marriages are gifts from God. And believe it or not, all marriages bear fruit. As horrible as that man’s marriage was to “Satan’s sister,” it did bless him with the lack of fear in Satan’s presence…strange fruit but fruit nonetheless.
For many people, the fear of the unknown is their greatest fear. But the unknown is only as powerful as our minds enable it to be. The unknown can also be the least of our fears if we keep it that way. If we focus on overcoming our known fears, then we really have no time or inclination to dwell in unknown fears. There’s enough in this world to be afraid of, why wrestle with unknown fears? Easier said than done, I suppose. We are imaginative, creative people. We can’t help but let our minds wander into fear of the unknown. We want to know the unknown. We’re inquisitive! Sometimes we have to just manage what we know and leave the unknown for another day. Deal with the fears we know and leave the unknown fears for a different time.
This is all to say that fear plays a big part in living in this world. We live in a big world with a lot of unknown forces at play. Lucky for us, we have the wisdom of scripture to provide clarity and peace. Our passage from 1 John tries to give us such clarity and peace. Nestled in the passage, we hear an interesting insight: “There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear; for fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not reached perfection in love.” The rest of the passage seems to support this insight in one way or another. Fear plays a big part in this world but there is an antidote to it: love. Love overcomes fear and takes away its power. And our God is a God of love. God understands there is much to be afraid of in this world. But He is in control of it all. God knows all, sees all, loves all. God loves all his creation, the good and the bad, and we shouldn’t be afraid of any of it. Isn’t that what Jesus told us over and over, “Do not be afraid?” Friends, we shouldn’t be afraid of any of God’s creation, either the known or the unknown. When we are afraid, we’re showing God that we don’t trust him. God wants us to trust him and obey him. God wants us to love him as He loves us. God IS love, perfect love, complete love, and that love casts out all fear. We must simply dwell in that love and live without fear.
Paul writes in his 2nd letter to Timothy, “for God did not give us a spirit of cowardice, but rather a spirit of power and of love and of self-discipline.” God’s love is for us and within us. We have what it takes to overcome all fear. Let us listen to the psalms, as David writes, “When I am afraid, I put my trust in you.” (56:3) And a little earlier, “I sought the Lord, and he answered me, and delivered me from all my fears.” (34:4) Friends, our God is a God of love and because of this we ought to be without fear. Let us rejoice in this and give thanks for it. Thanks be to God!
In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
