Perfect Love
"Perfect love casts out all fear"
This oft quoted passage is an end-time passage in its correct context:
I John 4:17-19 Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love. We love Him because He first loved us.
Look at what John was focused on: the day of judgment. John was describing his incentive for "becoming perfected" in love. John described it as a process.
John didn't claim that he had been perfected from the moment of salvation. No. He had followed Jesus in the way...just as Jesus "was" in the earth...submitting to the will of the Father...so had John learned to be. His incentive was the coming time of tribulation, his measurement for how he was growing in perfection was "boldness" as he imagined what the day would look like.
The false grace message says "you are perfect now no matter what you do." That is partially true, but partial truths simply won't endure the day of judgment! If you are saved, then your spirit is brand new and hosting the very Spirit of God. Perfect DOES reside in your spirit. BUT, there is more to you than spirit:
I Thessalonians 5:23 Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Jesus told saved people to be ready for His return. Your spirit is ready if your are saved, but your heart (mind, will, and emotions) may not be! You can tell by your fear level when you actually spend time thinking about the tribulation. If you don't even want to think about it, you are clearly not ready to endure it.
Being saved is not the same as being ready. Pretending to be perfect in spirit, soul, AND body is not the same as actually being perfected. Jesus isn't into lying and saying dirty is clean...He is into true grace, which is empowerment to GET clean, to get ready, if you want to. Confidence in holiness sets you apart...sanctifies you. THIS gets you ready for the hour in human history every true lover of Jesus has looked forward to and we have been privileged to actually live in!
The irony is that many Christians who live in the hour all the other Christians longed to live in don't actually want to think about it! Ugh! Tragedy! This is all about fear...lacking confidence and knowledge of what this hour is really all about. We are not supposed to turn off the news, we are supposed to be letting the news turn us on to zealous agreement with Jesus about how to get ready! Getting ready is measured by how much interest and fear we have in the events in the news. Boldness in the day of judgment. Ignoring the news now keeps you trapped in comfort...very, very dangerous waters...
Understanding...watching for...the day of judgment was John's reason for getting perfected in love. Getting perfected in love was John's confidence for not fearing the day of judgment! It is a glorious cycle of EMPOWERMENT...boldness builds by design. This is called being perfected in love!
John was basically saying this: if you are the beloved of the Author, the story always goes well for you! But John was also saying this: If you love the Author, then you really want to know the story He is telling and agree with your role in it. The crowns are for those who love His appearing...all of it:
II Timothy 4:6-8 For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing.
Don't settle for a false Gospel of comfort. There is only one Gospel...one truth of good news: that you don't need to fear the day of judgment IF you are agreeing with Jesus about getting ready: spirit (salvation), soul (sanctification), and body (glorification).
This process requires three basic components. Every time Jesus spoke of His return He told saved people to do three things: WATCH, PRAY, BE READY. You can gauge where you are at in this by measuring the fear in your heart about what is certainly coming, and how bold you are to meet it!
Matthew 24:8-14 All these are the beginning of sorrows. “Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake. And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another. Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. But he who endures to the end shall be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.
This oft quoted passage is an end-time passage in its correct context:
I John 4:17-19 Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love. We love Him because He first loved us.
Look at what John was focused on: the day of judgment. John was describing his incentive for "becoming perfected" in love. John described it as a process.
John didn't claim that he had been perfected from the moment of salvation. No. He had followed Jesus in the way...just as Jesus "was" in the earth...submitting to the will of the Father...so had John learned to be. His incentive was the coming time of tribulation, his measurement for how he was growing in perfection was "boldness" as he imagined what the day would look like.
The false grace message says "you are perfect now no matter what you do." That is partially true, but partial truths simply won't endure the day of judgment! If you are saved, then your spirit is brand new and hosting the very Spirit of God. Perfect DOES reside in your spirit. BUT, there is more to you than spirit:
I Thessalonians 5:23 Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Jesus told saved people to be ready for His return. Your spirit is ready if your are saved, but your heart (mind, will, and emotions) may not be! You can tell by your fear level when you actually spend time thinking about the tribulation. If you don't even want to think about it, you are clearly not ready to endure it.
Being saved is not the same as being ready. Pretending to be perfect in spirit, soul, AND body is not the same as actually being perfected. Jesus isn't into lying and saying dirty is clean...He is into true grace, which is empowerment to GET clean, to get ready, if you want to. Confidence in holiness sets you apart...sanctifies you. THIS gets you ready for the hour in human history every true lover of Jesus has looked forward to and we have been privileged to actually live in!
The irony is that many Christians who live in the hour all the other Christians longed to live in don't actually want to think about it! Ugh! Tragedy! This is all about fear...lacking confidence and knowledge of what this hour is really all about. We are not supposed to turn off the news, we are supposed to be letting the news turn us on to zealous agreement with Jesus about how to get ready! Getting ready is measured by how much interest and fear we have in the events in the news. Boldness in the day of judgment. Ignoring the news now keeps you trapped in comfort...very, very dangerous waters...
Understanding...watching for...the day of judgment was John's reason for getting perfected in love. Getting perfected in love was John's confidence for not fearing the day of judgment! It is a glorious cycle of EMPOWERMENT...boldness builds by design. This is called being perfected in love!
John was basically saying this: if you are the beloved of the Author, the story always goes well for you! But John was also saying this: If you love the Author, then you really want to know the story He is telling and agree with your role in it. The crowns are for those who love His appearing...all of it:
II Timothy 4:6-8 For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing.
Don't settle for a false Gospel of comfort. There is only one Gospel...one truth of good news: that you don't need to fear the day of judgment IF you are agreeing with Jesus about getting ready: spirit (salvation), soul (sanctification), and body (glorification).
This process requires three basic components. Every time Jesus spoke of His return He told saved people to do three things: WATCH, PRAY, BE READY. You can gauge where you are at in this by measuring the fear in your heart about what is certainly coming, and how bold you are to meet it!
Matthew 24:8-14 All these are the beginning of sorrows. “Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake. And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another. Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. But he who endures to the end shall be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.
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