There is no fear in love

 

There is no fear in love

                                         

Good morning my Lord Jesus. I was reading in 1 John this morning and the following verse just popped out at me. 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. It goes on in 1 John 4:16, 17 – God is love. Whoever lives in love, lives in God and God in him. In this way love is made complete.

 

Satan is the father of all lies, it says in 1 John 5:19 – that the whole world is under control of the evil one. In 1 John 5:17 – it says all wrong doing is sin. I like this saying even though it does not apply what I am writing about.

 

 2 Peter 2:19 – A man is a slave to whatever has mastered him. If you are mastered by sin and evil, you will die and receive a death with the evil one. If you have mastered truth, you will live and receive life and eternal salvation.

 

1 John 3:7, 8 Dear children, do not let anyone lead you astray. The one who does what is right is righteous, just as he is righteous. ⁸ The one who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work.

 

Pretty much sums us what I have spoken about before on good and evil. Dear children, do not let anyone lead you astray. He who does what is right is righteous, just as he is righteous. He who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning since the beginning.

 

How about this saying?

 

1 John 3:15 – Anyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life. This goes along with the lines of Matthew 5:27, 28 – You have heard it said, do not commit adultery. But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery in his heart. Have we committed murder, adultery?

 

Have we actually committed the crime of murder or the act of adultery?

 

No.

 

How about this one

 

1 Timothy 2:11 – A woman should learn in quietness and full submission. I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man, she must be silent.

 

How about this one

 

1 Corinthians 14:34, 35 – As in all congregations of the saints, woman should remain silent in churches. They are not allowed to speak but must be in submission as the law says. If they want to inquire about something they should ask their husbands at home, for it is disgraceful for a woman to speak in church.

 

How about this one

 

1 Corinthians 11:6 – If a woman does not cover her head, she should have her hair cut off, and if it is a disgrace for a woman to have her hair cut or shaved off, she should cover her head.

 

There are all kinds of examples in the bible where we ask our self, do we take every verse in the bible literally or do we adjust for our times, our lives today?

 

How much of the bible is symbolism and how much of it is written exactly as prescribed?

 

Literally – conforming to or in accordance with the exact meaning of the word. Word for word, verbatim. Without embellishment or exaggeration. Concerned primarily with the facts.

 

How about what is says in

 

Revelations 22:18, 19 – I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophesy of this book, if anyone adds anything to them, God will add to him plagues described in this book. And if anyone takes words away from this book of prophesy, God will take away from him his share in the tree of life and in the Holy City (Zion), which are described in this book.

 

Here is another one

 

1 Peter 3:31 – Your beauty should not come from outward adornment such as braided hair and wearing gold jewelry and fine clothes.

 

Should women really remain silent in church, not braid their hair, shave their hair off if it is not covered, and not wear gold jewelry or nice clothes?

 

Have we really committed the crime of murder if we hate our brother or adultery if we look lustfully upon a woman?

 

What do we select from the bible and act upon it literally and what do we take from the bible and discount because it does not seem to apply to modern times?

 

What do we ignore all together because it has no application?

 

What were the writers literally stating and what is regarded by them to be symbolism?

 

Which version of the bible is the correct one to study from, which has the most accurate translation of the ancient Greek, Hebrew and Egyptian?

 

How many translations of the bible has there been since it was first written, who made these translations, what do we know about these people?

 

Who chose these books to be incorporated into what we call today the bible?

 

How accurate are the translations from the original writer’s pen?

 

Our English language has one word for love in Greek they have 5 words, how do we know we are getting the full story?

 

So many questions without answers!

 

So what is the point?

 

It doesn’t matter!

 

What does matter is that you have faith, love and charity.

 

That you love our God with all your heart and soul and your neighbor as yourself.

 

That you obey the commands of the Lord and you accept and believe that Jesus Christ is our Lord, redeemer and savior.

 

We will never have all the answers but we do know the following.

 

When you have questions, pray about it.

 

When you don’t have all the answers, have faith.

 

When in doubt, fear or feeling uncertain, love.

 

It is always better to give than receive, love rather than to be loved and serve rather than to be served.

 

Will we ever have all the answers to our questions?

 

 No!

 

Will we always have some fear, doubt and uncertainty?

 

Yes!

 

Is there hope?

 

Absolutely!

 

We are not perfect, never will be; shouldn’t expect that you are able to be. For this very reason Jesus Christ came to earth to die on a cross for the redemption of our sins. In order for us to have life, Christ needed to come to earth and die. You see we were dead in our sins but the Lord shed his blood on the cross once and for all so that we might be forgiven of our sins.

 

Without the shedding of blood there would be no forgiveness. Hebrews 9:22 – In fact the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.

 

In the Old Testament high priests would sprinkle the blood of animals as a sacrifice to God so as to receive forgiveness of their sins. When Jesus came to earth and died on the cross he did away with the old law and gave us a new covenant. He died for us; he shed his blood on the cross so that our sins may be forgiven. No longer do we need to perform animal sacrifices for Christ came and shed his blood one time for all mankind for the redemption of our sins.

 

That is why if we just believe in the name of Jesus Christ, accept him as our Lord and savior we will receive the goal of Eternal Salvation.

 

Those who deny him do not receive forgiveness of their sins and therefore they are with sin and sin leads to death, eternal damnation.

 

Those who believe in him, receive forgiveness of their sins which leads to life and eternal life in heaven.

 

I choose a life with Christ.

 

The bible is a tool, a gift from God, a set of instructions to follow.

 

We should read the bible, study it and put into action that which we pray about.

 

 When in doubt, have no fear, our Lord Jesus is always near.

 

Fear is an emotion controlled by Satan; love is the emotion which comes from our father in heaven. It says in Isaiah 41:10 – So do not fear, for I am with you, do not be dismayed for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you, I will uphold you with my righteous hand. In Hebrews 13:5 – He says he will never leave us or forsake us.

 

We will always have the Lord as our guide. He has provided us with his spirit to comfort and guide us. Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.