"Perfect Love Casts Out Fear" God’s love is perfect because God is love.  If we can understand this precept and receive the love of God, fear cannot remain within us.  Faith gratefully receives truth (Jesus is Truth), and truth displaces the lie.  Fear is the faith of the devil.  1 John 4: 18 conveys this truth beautifully: “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment.  But he who fears has not been made perfect in love.”  How do we know if we are made “perfect in love?”  The answer is in the preceding verse: “Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world” (verse 17). “Boldness” is not the word that comes to mind when I imagine standing before the Creator of the Universe, Who is the Judge of the whole earth and the King of Kings!  I know only too well my faults and sins render me unworthy to face Him.  Godly boldness does not arise from any delusions of self-righteousness, but from humility, accepting the righteousness that comes from trusting Christ alone: “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast” (Ephesians 2: 8-9).  There is no goodness that we can claim to justify ourselves before a holy God; indeed, “no flesh shall glory in His presence” (1 Corinthians 1: 29).  The truth that God extends His everlasting mercy to us to rescue us in our wretchedly lost state is what makes the gospel such good news: “But God, Who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 2: 4-6).  Because Jesus came to earth as a Man and suffered temptation in the flesh, He has compassion upon us in our struggle against sin: “For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.  Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace in the time of need” (Hebrews 4: 15-16).  This is the crux of the gospel: we are incapable of saving ourselves; it is all the work of God and not of ourselves.  It takes great faith and humility to deny ourselves any credit of “goodness” and throw ourselves at the mercy of the court!  Yet it is this very act of wholehearted trust in Jesus that is saving faith, allowing us to stand boldly and blameless before God in the day of judgment.  There is no longer any fear of condemnation and hell, but a deep abiding peace and joy that comes from the revelation that we are “joint heirs” with Christ in eternal life…”because as He is, so are we in this world” (1 John 4: 17).   Does this mean that we are “equal” to God?  No.  This means that when God looks upon His redeemed children on that Day of reckoning, God only sees the precious, sin-washing blood of His Son.  Our sins are covered and only Jesus remains. It is this faith in what Jesus accomplished at the cross that makes us holy and righteous before God.  This perfect love casts out all fear of damnation.  “Now the just shall live by faith, but if anyone draws back, My soul has no pleasure in him.  But we are not those who draw back to perdition, but of those who believe to the saving of the soul” (Hebrews 10: 38-39).  When we do fall into sin, we do not have to fear like Adam and hide from God: “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness”(1 John 1: 9).  As a father pities his children, God also pities us.   He knows that our frame is but dust (Psalm 103).  Being perfected in God’s love is totally relying upon Him, trusting in His love to bring us safely home to Heaven to live with Him forever.  What a joy to know that we can run into Daddy’s arms! “Behold, what manner of love the Father has bestowed upon us, that  we should be called children of God!” (1 John 3:1) “We love Him because He first loved us.” (1 John 4: 19) “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name; you are Mine.” (Isaiah 43: 1)