"18There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love." (1 John 4: 18)
Perfect love casts our fear.
That is wonderful!
This love is not our love for others, but God's love for us!
"10Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins." (1 John 4: 10)
Did you know that our understanding of God's love is not perfect?
Then how is this love perfected among us? Check it out:
"17Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world." (1 John 4: 17)
A better translation reads:
"By this, love is perfected with us, so that we may have confidence in the day of judgment; because as He is, so also are we in this world." (NASB)
We need to see that when God looks down, He sees us in Christ. He does not see us in our sins, or our sin, or our failures. As Christ is, so are we in this world!
That's why Paul prayed this prayer for the Ephesians Christians and by extension all of us:
"16That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man; 17That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, 18May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; 19And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God." (Ephesians 3: 16-19)
When we understand how much God loves us, then we love others:
"Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another." (1 John 4: 11)
and then
"19We love him, because he first loved us." (1 John 4: 19)
A better translation reads:
"We love, because He first loved us." (NASB)
If you are afraid, then there is more about the perfect love of God which you need to know!
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