Love Over Fear
As soon as I read 2 Timothy 1:7 which says: “God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self–control,” my mind races to another verse. In his first epistle, John wrote “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.” (1 John 4:18)
Fear and love don’t mix very well. I’m always a little sceptical when one, or sometimes both, partners in a marriage express fear of the other. Respect is great. Esteem is great. Honour is great. Fear? Not great at all. I suspect that it is very difficult, if not impossible, to experience love and fear at the same time.
It is well worth pointing out that in the First Timothy passage the three things that God gives us to substitute for fear are power, love and self-control. Hard on the heels of power comes love. Remember that our purpose - the reason God made us and saved us - is to glorify Him. God doesn’t get much glory when we wield power without love.
God is powerful and He is love. Yet it is evident that if we were powerful without the motivation of love we wouldn't reflect the likeness of God, would we? The fact is that when Jesus was challenged about what mattered most, He said two things only,
When we have those two aspects of our love motivating all our action, then we get it right. We glorify God. Why? Because we love Him. We love to help other people see Him to some extent the same way we do. We have an appreciation for Him and so we reflect His likeness to those around us.
This is what matters. He's called us to do this. We don't do it because it is a rule, we do it because He has given us a terrific motivation and this motivation is love. This motivation of love has two aspects. Ideally, love for God is expressed in the desire to obey. Jesus put it as plainly as can be put when He said: "If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.” (John 14:15 ESV) But this is often more of a goal to be aimed at than a reality we experience. Obedience is nearly always a struggle for us humans. A love relationship makes it easier, but it is still tougher than we would like it to be.
The other aspect of love as a motivation is rooted in the fact that God loves us. “We love, because He loves us.” (1 John 4:19) This is not so much a matter of obedience, but of response. One of the most irresistible forces in the world is love. We are typically attracted to people who love us and find it easier to love them than it is to love people who hate us. God’s love is perfect, untainted by human selfishness, when we experience that love for ourselves, we respond with love for Him and for those He loves.
Check up question 11: Am I motivated by and expressing the love of God to others, even the unlovely and unlovable?
Ron Hughes
© December 2008
That the world may come to
Faith By Hearing.
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