fear vs. perfecting LOVE
Reading recently from John’s account of Peter’s denial of Jesus, I noticed a little detail that had previously escaped me.
Simon Peter followed Jesus, and so did another disciple. Since that disciple was known to the high priest, he entered with Jesus into the courtyard of the high priest, but Peter stood outside at the door. So the other disciple, who was known to the high priest, went out and spoke to the servant girl who kept watch at the door, and brought Peter in. The servant girl at the door said to Peter, “You also are not one of this man’s disciples, are you?” He said, “I am not.”
– John 18:15-17
The very same servant girl that John had bring Peter in immediately recognized the obvious connection. Yet the fight-or-flight self-preservation deep within Peter’s soul reacted without hesitation… and continued twice more with increasing angst each time!
My wife often notes how she adores the innocence of her pre-schoolers who fear-lessly admit to whatever it is they’ve done… no wonder we’re called to come to the Father as little children (Matthew 18:3). But it doesn’t take long before that innocence is lost and, whether it’s a truth that we’re ashamed of or guilty of, we all inherently have that gut-level, fear-driven reaction to deny, deflect, and dodge even the most obvious – and the more glaringly obvious, the more vehemently we can tend to do so.
You see, perfecting LOVE was not yet working within Peter to cast out fear.
There is a transformation that begins when LOVE enters in – a transformation that can utterly overwhelm and defy and purge all that provokes fear… a transformation that faces even the most insurmountable fear with the most indestructible courage – knowing there is an ultimate victory indwelling us that unites us with the eternal. This has been the hallmark of every Christian martyr of all time – even ultimately including Peter!
Now, we don’t pretend that there are no temporal/earthly fears; but there is nothing greater to fear than the eternal punishment that we are due (Matthew 10:28). And like all of humanity, we inherently know full well our own condemnation (John 3:17-18). But far greater than any fear is the LOVE Who is God Himself (1 John 4:13-17). The more we “grow-up in” and “mature in” He Who is perfect LOVE, the more we are led to confess all that we have hidden and have hidden from – and the more free we become from the fear of punishment as we live and thrive in the knowledge that all is forgiven.
In this freedom, we are then to walk in surrender and obedience so that the LOVE of God may be perfected in us (1 John 2:4-6).
So, let us LOVE the Lord our God perfectly… with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength – and our neighbor as ourself – so that we may fear no more (Mark 12:30-31; 1 John 4:12).