Perfect Love Casts Out Fear

Every human knows what fear is.  Little children exhibit fear in new situations.  College students experience fear when called on in class. In the seconds before our car crashes, we know fear. When we are sitting in a hospital emergency room, we know what fear is.  So, how do we react when we hear the Apostle John say to us, “There is no fear in love [agape], because perfect love [teleia agape] casteth out fear”? [I John 4:18 KJV].  I imagine each of us wants Perfect Love Casts Out Fear to reign in our lives.  So how do I get “perfect love” into my life, and what is “perfect love” anyway?

The bible is literally filled with examples of human beings facing fear.  The Psalmists repeatedly address “fear.”  Psalm 23:4 may be the most famous “fear” passage: “Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for thou art with me.” [NLT].  Psalm 27:1 is my favorite on fear: “The LORD is my light and my salvation—so why should I be afraid?  The LORD is my fortress, protecting me from danger, so why should I tremble?” [NLT].

Many times Jesus talked about fear with his disciples, and thus to us also.  They were terrified in the middle of a torrential storm on the Sea of Galilee, and Jesus says to them, “Don’t be afraid.  Take Courage, I am here”. [Matthew 14:27 NLT].   After the resurrection, when Jesus shocked them by appearing suddenly to them in the upper room, he said, “Peace be with you. . . Why are you frightened?” [Luke 24:36, 38 NLT].

When I am tempted to fear, my heart often zooms to the I john 4:18 passage quoted above from the King James Version.  Hear the same verse from a popular paraphrase: “There is no room in love for fear.  Well-formed love banishes fear.  Since fear is crippling, a fearful life –fear of death, fear of judgment – is one not yet fully formed in love” [The Message].  I love how The Message has handled teleia agape: “Well-formed love,” and “fully formed in love,” both of which grab the true sense of teleia which involves mature, healthy, whole, genuine, not at all visible in our English word “perfect.”   Where there is fear, there can be no teleia agape, since Perfect Love Casts Out Fear!

I believe teleia agape comes into our lives when we focus on the nature of God’s love for us.   His love to the world is our model for how we ought to love those around us. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life” [KJV].  God’s love for us was perfect in the full sense of teleia. Too often, I confess and invite your honesty here, my love for people in my life may have that sneaky little quid pro quo lurking under the surface:  so…what will it get me in return for my doing XYZ?  Not hardly true agape, much less teleia agape. 

The Merton prayer reaches a powerful crescendo with “Therefore, I will not fear!”  Merton knew, and stated clearly, that since God is “ever with us” and since God “will never leave us to face our perils alone,” we may indeed say with confidence, “I will not fear!”  Merton’s words also reflect the words of Jesus on the Sea of Galilee quoted above: “Don’t be afraid, take courage.  I am here.”  This week, as you analyze the love in your heart, may you reach for teleia agape and may you enjoy the incredible blessing of Perfect Love Casts Out Fear!

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