Perfected Love Casts Out Fear

"Herein 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)

I have written this statement before, and I want to affirm this statement once again.

Our love is not perfect. God's love is perfect, and this love is perfected with us.

How? Because we are like Jesus, we are in Christ, and God sees us in His Son, as one with His Son.

Then the next verse steps in:

"There 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)

The verse better reads "perfected love casts out fear", and this revelation is borne out in the end of the verse, which speaks "made perfect".

Also, the verb feareth is continual, a state which is unending.

People who walk around in chronic fear believe that God is seeking to punish them.

That is not the case today.

We have nothing to fear from God, because God has taken out all of His holy wrath against sin on His Son:

"13And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses; 14Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross; 15And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it." (Colossians 2: 13-15)

When we understand that we have a new identity in Christ, that we are sons of God today (1 John 3:1-3), then we can rest in this new identity, this new life which we receive in Christ, and even when we feel fear in our lives, we are not condemned because of it, we do not identify with it (for God has not given us a spirit of bondage again to fear -- Romans 8: 15, 2 Timothy 1: 7).

This revelation has given me such peace.

As Christ is, so am I in this world. I am in Christ, not in my thoughts and feelings, and how I feel does not change my status before Him.