1 John 4:18 (NIV) There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.
As I’ve been meditating on this key passage from John’s first epistle, my thoughts have gone repeatedly to the cross where Jesus died, the perfectly just for the unjust, and to the centurion who stood at the foot of the cross, praising God and exclaiming, “Surely this was the Son of God!” The experience of this man at the cross shows how the love of God (perfect love) drives out the fear of man.
With fear and trembling, I tried to put myself in the place of this centurion and imagine the emotional turmoil he must have been experiencing. Wasn’t this the officer in charge of those Roman soldiers who tormented Jesus, mocked Him, crucified him, and sat down to keep watch over him as He died? (Matt 27:36). Matthew tells us that the centurion “saw all that happened” (Matt 27:54). It is likely that he also heard everything that happened. He heard those passers-by who insulted Jesus saying, “…Come down from the cross, if you are the Son of God!” (Matt 27:39-40) He heard the chief priests and elders who mocked Jesus for trusting God and claiming to be the Son of God (Matt 27:41-43). The centurion heard the mockers but he did not mock….”Surely he was the Son of God,” he exclaimed (Matt 27:54). What made the difference?
First, it is very likely that the centurion heard Jesus’ dying words when He “called out with a loud voice, ‘Father, into your hands I commit my spirit’” (Luke 23:46). The centurion knew those were the words of an innocent man, perfectly at peace with God, and he saw that a great miscarriage of justice had been carried out on his watch. He cried out, “Surely this was a righteous man” (Luke 23:47). He saw the darkness that enveloped them; he felt the earth tremble beneath his feet; he was terrified (Matt. 27:54)! This was guilt-fear, but it moved quickly to awe and faith. Why?
Mark tells us that the centurion was standing right in front of Jesus (Mark 15:39). Surely he had heard Jesus’ words earlier when He said, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing” (Luke 23:34). Not only was this a righteous man, but He also asked God to forgive his executioners. At that moment, did the centurion’s eyes meet the eyes of Jesus? …They were piercing eyes; they were eyes full of “tough love.” The centurion’s guilt-fear moved to awe and worship when he saw how Jesus died! Unashamedly he stood there in front of his men, in front of the chief priests; were there tears of joy streaming down his face? Mark doesn’t say…but we know the centurion was praising God and exclaiming, “Surely this man was the Son of God!” (Mark 15:39).
That is how the love of God overcomes the fear of man!
Saturday, July 31, 2010
Monday, July 5, 2010
The Love of God
1 John 4:18 There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.
My last meditation saw that the remedy for the fear of man in our culture is to grow in the “fear of God,” which moves from terror, to awe, to faith. My thoughts now take me from faith to the love of God, but first I retrace my steps back to the starting point of the fear of God. It starts with terror, as one recognizes both the power of God and His Holy wrath against all ungodliness. When God gave the law to the Israelites through Moses at Mt. Sinai the mountain trembled, and the people witnessed a display of power greater than any 4th of July fireworks celebration. The Israelites experienced terror because they knew that God is Holy, they were not. And God had the power to punish those who fall short. This was the same “terror” (sometimes translated as “awe”) that the centurion at the foot of the cross experienced when he heard Jesus, dying on the cross, cry out, “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.” The centurion saw that Jesus was a righteous man, but instead of calling down God’s Holy wrath upon His tormentors, as Jesus could have done, He prayed to His Father to forgive them. Again, the earth shook as it had at Sinai, where it was the power of God’s Holiness that caused the mountain to tremble. But here at Calvary, as Jesus died, the perfectly just for the unjust, it was the power of God’s Mercy that caused the earth to shake and the veil in the temple to be torn in two. And it was God’s love that flooded the soul of the centurion as he praised God and exclaimed, "Surely this was the Son of God!" Fear had moved to faith. The centurion knew, without a doubt, Who Jesus was, and as John wrote in his first epistle, “If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in him and he in God” (1 John 4:15). God has put His Spirit into such a person. The result is that he will walk in God’s statutes, loving God and loving other people. God’s love is perfected in the born again believer who no longer needs to fear God’s judgment because he knows his sins are forgiven and God’s Spirit lives within him. This is how God’s perfect love drives out fear. The power of this kind of love to overcome the fear of man will be the subject of my next meditation.
My last meditation saw that the remedy for the fear of man in our culture is to grow in the “fear of God,” which moves from terror, to awe, to faith. My thoughts now take me from faith to the love of God, but first I retrace my steps back to the starting point of the fear of God. It starts with terror, as one recognizes both the power of God and His Holy wrath against all ungodliness. When God gave the law to the Israelites through Moses at Mt. Sinai the mountain trembled, and the people witnessed a display of power greater than any 4th of July fireworks celebration. The Israelites experienced terror because they knew that God is Holy, they were not. And God had the power to punish those who fall short. This was the same “terror” (sometimes translated as “awe”) that the centurion at the foot of the cross experienced when he heard Jesus, dying on the cross, cry out, “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.” The centurion saw that Jesus was a righteous man, but instead of calling down God’s Holy wrath upon His tormentors, as Jesus could have done, He prayed to His Father to forgive them. Again, the earth shook as it had at Sinai, where it was the power of God’s Holiness that caused the mountain to tremble. But here at Calvary, as Jesus died, the perfectly just for the unjust, it was the power of God’s Mercy that caused the earth to shake and the veil in the temple to be torn in two. And it was God’s love that flooded the soul of the centurion as he praised God and exclaimed, "Surely this was the Son of God!" Fear had moved to faith. The centurion knew, without a doubt, Who Jesus was, and as John wrote in his first epistle, “If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in him and he in God” (1 John 4:15). God has put His Spirit into such a person. The result is that he will walk in God’s statutes, loving God and loving other people. God’s love is perfected in the born again believer who no longer needs to fear God’s judgment because he knows his sins are forgiven and God’s Spirit lives within him. This is how God’s perfect love drives out fear. The power of this kind of love to overcome the fear of man will be the subject of my next meditation.
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