NOTES for Jo1 4:18

Why are fear and love incompatibles? Is God afraid of anything? Certainly, no! Well, it is so because He is almighty... And what of us? Here is John the Evangelist speaks about it: God Himself indwells in the one who loves, because God is love. And we thus have to be afraid of nothing. But if ever there is fear in us there (it is identified by the "torment"), then it is evident that love, God's presence in us is imperfect, insufficient.

There is another important moment here. The apostle John writes that love is manifested in the fulfillment of the commandments. Fear was the main motive for the fulfillment of the commandments in the Old Testament, and this fear paralyzed man. Indeed, commandments indicated what shouldn’t be done, and by longing to fulfill them, man was afraid of doing, in order not to do what is wrong. The new commandment, of which John writes, is formulated differently: do, love one another. The aspiration to fulfill this commandment frees man, manifests in him activity, initiative.

In ordinary words John speaks of what is simple and natural to him, yet so difficult to grasp with the mind, and still more difficult to experience fully: God's mysterious presence in those who confess Jesus as the Son of God. When this thought truly sinks in, our first reaction is like Peter's when he cried out to Christ: “Depart from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man” (Luke 5:8). Yet He comes to us precisely to free us from the power of sin.

If God is love, then abiding in love means abiding in God. In unfolding the qualities of love, John stresses that there is no fear in love, whereas fear involves torment. This means that there is no torment in God. If so, how are we to explain the torments of unrepentant sinners? Is it not that, in turning away from God, they have rejected the source of love and fallen under the power of fear, from which they cannot free themselves, however brave a face they may put on? For fear involves torment...

Love for one's brother is the sign of love for God. All people are called to brotherhood; and if we are told to help our neighbours, it is because we must begin with those close at hand, not excuse ourselves by saying we first need to care for those far away. The beginning is always near, within ourselves and close by, but from this little patch of ground we are called to go further, serving the Lord, who seeks to save and transform the whole world.

Boldness on the day of judgment... What is the apostle John talking about? Boldness means both courage and confidence. But imagine His judgment. Eye to eye with the only Righteous One... Is it really possible at that judgment to remain calm and confident? The apostle John says that the Lord has given us enough capacity to love, and love can reach such perfection in us that we will act as He does, and therefore will not fear His judgment... Simple? Not simple at all, because this is only a capacity, a possibility. This is what He has given; His gift is boundless, His gift has been given in fullness. But the degree to which we accept His gift is another question. And it depends not on someone or something else, but on us ourselves.