1 John 4:7-21
God is LOVE, and LOVE Drives Out All Fear
7 Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9 This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. 10 This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.11 Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 12 No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.
13 This is how we know that we live in him and he in us: He has given us of his Spirit.14 And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. 15 If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in them and they in God. 16 And so we know and rely on the love God has for us.
God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them. 17 This is how love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment: In this world we are like Jesus. 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.
19 We love because he first loved us. 20 Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen. 21 And he has given us this command: Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister.
Proverbs 1:7
Fear of the LORD
7 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction.
Matthew 19:16
Nothing is Impossible for God
16 Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible."
Isaiah 41:10
God Says Fear Not
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 right hand.
John 3:16
God LOVES the World
16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
God is LOVE...When one is in love they are not motivated by fear toward the ones they love...That is not love...To try to get a partner or someone you love fearful towards something or someone else so that they love you or love you more is not a loving thing to do...And I would question whether that act of fear toward their beloved is even love at all...
The words fear God are in the Bible...And Solomon writes about the fear of God in Proverbs...Solomon tells us that the fear of the LORD is the beginning of our knowledge...This "Fear of the LORD" is the reverence we have toward our Father and who He is and what He can do and has done...Those without wisdom do what they want to do, and follow their own thoughts, ways, and whims...They do things without this reverence towards God...This fear of God, that Solomon writes about, is not about being afraid of Him...We are His children, and He is our Father and Creator...God does not want His children to be afraid of Him, any more than a mother or father wanting their children to be afraid of them...We are not to be afraid of Him...But as children, we need to respect His will and what He does with praise, worship, awe, and wonder...And in that way and with that attitude toward Him, we fear and respect Him...We must remember He can do all things, and nothing is impossible for Him...The use of fear, speaks about His great powers and Providence over the universe and over us...
God is LOVE...Love is kind, tender, and protecting...And whoever lives in His LOVE and in love lives in God, and God in them...He wants to protect us in His LOVE...This is how LOVE is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment: In this world we are like Jesus...There is no fear in LOVE...But perfect LOVE drives out fear...By knowing He is always with us, there is less fear in our lives...Now there is a kind of fear that has to do with punishment... But His LOVE tells us not to fear...Perfect LOVE drives out any and all fears...God speaks with kindness and tenderness and tells us, to fear not, for He is with us...And He is our God and He will protect us...He will uphold us with His righteous hand...He strengthens our heart, as we walk through our own fears...And He shall strengthen our souls...
God LOVES the World...He gave His Only Child, His Son to us so that we would be cleansed of our sins, and have eternal life with Him...That is a great sign of LOVE...