Scripture in Focus: “There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear …” 1 John 4:18
This scripture provides a classic example of the importance of context in understanding the Bible, and the problems that come when we forcibly remove verses or parts of verses from their setting. Taken out of proper context, the words “There is no fear in love” are often quoted as a kind of spiritual “rabbit’s foot” or good luck charm – a mantra suggesting that if we have enough love, we will have no fear.
But if this is the case, real life experience would indicate that none of us has enough love. We can be filled with love for God and fellow humans, but still find we are afraid of heights, or roaring lions, spiders, snakes, or whatever else might cause us fear. The answer is clearly not that we need to love heights or lions more, but that we need to see what exactly the fear is that love casts out. The apostle John gives us the answer if we look at the context in which “there is no fear in love” is found:
“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, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love” (1 John 4:17-18).
The context makes it immediately clear that John is talking about judgment and how we can have confidence on the Day of Judgment (vs. 17). He tells us that in this regard love casts out fear because if we truly love God and others, we will have nothing to fear in judgment. That this is the only fear John is talking about is made doubly clear when we look at the rest of verse 18 – where John tells us “… perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment …” It is the fear of judgment and resulting punishment that love cancels out.
Now this understanding of the proper context and meaning of 1 John 4:18 does not leave us without encouragement in the area of fear. A simple word search in a Bible concordance or on a Bible website will show that there are a great many verses affirming that believers need not live lives of fear. We may still be afraid of heights, and maybe even of snakes or roaring lions (Psalm 34:4, 56:3), but many of the psalms show that God’s love for us can help cancel out fear of men (Psalm 27:1), disaster (Psalm (1:5-6), or uncertainty (Psalm 23:4) in our lives. A wonderful scripture to which we can turn in this regard is 2 Timothy 1:7 that “God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.” Here, in fact, Paul contrasts an attitude of fear with that of the love that comes from the Spirit of God, a concept that is not so different from the way many people use 1 John 4:18 – but it’s so much better to use a verse that means what we think it means, even when we look at in context.
“Any man or woman who wrongs another in any way … must make full restitution for the wrong they have done, add a fifth of the value to it and give it all to the person they have wronged” (Numbers 5:6–7).
The concept of restitution in the Old Testament is often said to refer to repayment of stolen property, but Numbers 5:6-7 makes it clear that the principle is broader and should be applied if we wrong another “in any way.” We also have other Old Testament scriptures specifically showing restitution for any type of loss we cause. For example: “If a man borrows an animal from his neighbor and it is injured or dies … he must make restitution” (Exodus 22:1, 3-6, 14).
Certainly, if we have intentionally or even unintentionally defrauded anyone of anything, we should make restitution for what we have taken. We see a clear example of this in the New Testament where Luke tells us that when Jesus was passing through Jericho, “A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy” (Luke 19:2). Unfortunately, some of this man’s wealth may have come from overcharging on the taxes he had power to collect. But Zacchaeus told Jesus: “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount” (Luke 19:8).
Zacchaeus doubtless knew that the law only commanded him to repay with an additional fifth of what he had taken, but he was glad to pay back with even greater restitution. Jesus welcomed this repentant attitude and stated that salvation had come to the tax collector that day (Luke 19:9). Clearly, Jesus approved of Zacchaeus’ attitude of restitution, and the New Testament records the tax collector’s words for our edification.
So is there a principle in these biblical verses from which we can learn and one we can apply today? How about the item we borrowed from a friend and damaged in some way before we returned it? Or what about the time we were over at our friend’s home and accidentally knocked over a vase or spilled a staining beverage on their new carpet? It’s often considered polite for the host to gloss over such accidents, but as Christians we should always consider the principle of restitution – to insist on paying to clean the carpet we have stained or to replace the item we damaged. If the person whose property we have damaged will not accept direct restitution, then a gift of something else might certainly be appropriate according to the spirit of the principle of restitution.
While people may say the damage we have caused does not matter, humanly, it often does matter. Restitution can help others not be upset as they may feel deep down that the right thing would be to have insisted on paying for our damage. As Mark Twain candidly noted in a different context: “When a man says it’s not the money, it’s the principle of the thing – it’s the money.” Even when people are gracious about loss we cause them, the principle of restitution is the application of love and the “golden rule.”
So consider applying the principle of restitution in your own life. Did you lose or damage a borrowed item? – Why not replace it with something better? Did you borrow a friend’s car? – How about returning it with more gasoline than it had when you started out? There are many ways we can apply the principle of restitution. It may not be a “law” we are obligated to keep, but it’s a principle we should want to follow.
The Book of Luke tells the well-known story of how Jesus was invited to the home of a Pharisee named Simon. While he was there, a woman who was a prostitute slipped into the house and, weeping at His feet, wiped her tears from Him with her hair before kissing His feet and pouring expensive perfume onto them.
When Simon began to think that Jesus surely could not be a prophet of God, or he would have known the sinfulness of the woman, Jesus rebuked him by comparing her loving behavior with the loveless failure of the Pharisee.
The story has additional significance because if we read it carefully, we see that it actually reveals important aspects of true and complete love for others. This week’s article on the Strategic Understanding page, “Three Components of Real Love,” shows what those aspects are.
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