Jesus and the commandment not to fear

 1 John 4:18 - King James Version <18> There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.

Matthew 24:6 - King James Version <6> And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.

This commandment not to fear is one of the more extraordinary features of Christianity. We are not to be troubled about the morrow, as we read in the Sermon on the Mount. Again and again it is reiterated.

And look what it says: "perfect love casteth out fear". That means if you get afraid and worried that is an indicator of your personally not possessing that perfect love, be it even so that you are improving in it.

How it works: Jesus does not necessarily answer questions we have about the terrible troubles of this world, its wars and tumults and pestilences. But the presence of His Spirit bypasses that middle man of directly telling us not to worry about global warming and peak oil and ww3 and so forth and directly. attacks. the. fear.

That is why one referred to the commandment not to fear as one of the more extraordinary features of Christianity. It is a distinctive and characteristic feature of God's commandments that they are only to help us!

Nowhere perhaps is it more obvious than in this commandment not to fear: why, it is only the sense and wholesomeness of doing something practical, spiritually and naturally! For it is practical not to fear. It has many benefits! Joy, peace, contentment, lack of emulation and pride, a sincere service.

 John 15:11 - King James Version <11> These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.

This is the old rugged cross, the sword of the living God, the reality of Jesus in your thoughts and every last detail of the world around us. It is He who orchestrates even the thoughts which you receive, and their relation to your fructification; and the circumstances of your lives, and theirs.

When we obey the commandments of Jesus, we come into greater and greater conjunction with the pattern that they represent. Every one of His commandments is "that your joy might be full". May we even get there, all of us! Amen

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