1 John 4:18

Proof of the preceding statement that perfect love will give us boldness, by shewing the mutually exclusive nature of love and fear. Love moves towards others in the spirit of self-sacrifice: fear shrinks from others in the spirit of self-preservation. The two are to be understood quite generally; neither love of God nor fear of God is specially meant. In all relations whatever, perfect love excludes fear, and fear prevents love from being perfect. And the two vary inversely: the more perfect the love, the less possibility of fear, and the more the fear, the less perfect the love. But, though as certain as any physical law, the principle, that perfect love excludes all fear, is an ideal that has never been verified in fact. Like the first law of motion, it is verified by the approximations made to it. No believer's love has ever been so perfect as entirely to banish fear; but every believer experiences that as his love increases his fear diminishes. It is worthy of note that S. John here abandons his antithetic method. He does not go on to state anything about him that feareth not. And rightly, for the absence of fear proves nothing: it may be the result of ignorance, or presumption, or indifference, or unbelief, or inveterate wickedness.

Tertullian quotes this verse in insisting on the duty of suffering martyrdom, adding "What fear would it be better to understand than that which gives rise to denial (of Christ)? What love does he assert to be perfect, but that which puts fear to flight, and gives courage to confess (Christ)? What penalty will he appoint as the punishment of fear, but that which he who denies is to pay, who has to be slain, body and soul, in hell" (Scorp.xii.). Simon Magus is said to have "freed his disciples from the danger of death" by martyrdom, "by teaching them to regard idolatry as a matter of indifference" (Origen c. CelsumVI. xi).

because fear hath torment Better, as R. V., because fear hath punishment. The word for -punishment" (κόλασις) occurs nowhere else in N. T., excepting Matthew 25:46, but it is not uncommon in LXX. nor in classical Greek. Its radical signification is -pruning", and hence it gets the notions of -checking, correcting, punishing". -Torment" as distinct from -punishment" is expressed by a different word (βάσανος), which occurs Matthew 4:24; Luke 16:23; Luke 16:28. Both words are found together in Wis 19:4; -That they might fulfil the punishmentwhich was wanting to their torments." Wiclif has -peyne" representing poenain the Vulgate: other English Versions have -painfulness". -Fear hath punishment" is true in two ways; (1) fear involves the idea of punishment; (2) fear is a foretaste of punishment.

He that feareth With Wiclif we must prefix -but", or with Genevan, Rhemish, and R. V. -and", to represent the Greek conjunction: and he that feareth(ὁ δὲ φοβούμενος). The main sentence is here resumed, -but perfect love … punishment" being parenthetical. The present tense indicates a constant condition: the habitual fearer is necessarily imperfect in his love.

S. Paul teaches the same doctrine; -Ye received not the spirit of bondageagain unto fear; but ye received the spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father" (Romans 8:15). The servile fear, which perfect love excludes, is therefore altogether different from the childlike awe, which is a necessary element in the creature's love for its Creator. Even servile fear is necessary as a preparationfor perfect love. -The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom"; and it is also the beginning of love. The sinner must begin by fearing the God against whom he has sinned. Bengel gives the various stages thus: -neither love nor fear; fear without love; both fear and love; love without fear". Fear is the child of bondage; love of freedom. In this case also the bondwoman and her son must be cast out (Galatians 4:30).