Fear Not! – The Presidential Prayer Team

There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. – 1 John 4:18

An often-repeated command in Scripture is “fear not,” or “do not be afraid.” Love and fear are incompatible. In the context of today’s verse, John is saying that believers who have been born-again in Jesus Christ are free from the fear of the judgment to come. Why? Because of perfect love.

The only love that is perfect is God’s love. “In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins” (1 John 4:10). Jesus was the sacrifice that took away your sin. “For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us” (Psalm 103:11-12). As a believer, you no longer have fear when you realize that kind of sacrifice and that kind of love. “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God! I will strengthen you; I will help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand” (Isaiah 41:10). When you trust His love and His promises, your fear dissipates.

Theologian Charles Spurgeon said, “Fear not… because it injures yourself. Nothing can weaken you so much, nothing can make you so unhappy, as to be distrusting. Nor is this a small thing. … For your own sake, for your neighbor’s sake, for the church’s sake, for the world’s sake, for Christ’s sake, for God’s sake, fear not neither be dismayed.” The hymnist wrote, “Trusting Him whate’er befall, Trusting Jesus, that is all.”

Today’s Verse: 1 John 4:18

There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love.

All Scripture quotations and audio are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Recommended for further reading: 1 John 4:13-21

¹³By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. ¹⁴And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. ¹⁵Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. ¹⁶So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. ¹⁷By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because as he is so also are we in this world. ¹⁸There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. ¹⁹We love because he first loved us. ²⁰If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. ²¹And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother.