Fearless Hope

17 And as we live in God, our love grows more perfect. So we will not be afraid on the day of judgment, but we can face him with confidence because we live like Jesus here in this world.

18 Such love has no fear, because perfect love expels all fear. If we are afraid, it is for fear of punishment, and this shows that we have not fully experienced his perfect love. 19 We love each other because he loved us first.

20 If someone says, “I love God,” but hates a fellow believer, that person is a liar; for if we don’t love people we can see, how can we love God, whom we cannot see? 21 And he has given us this command: Those who love God must also love their fellow believers.

You could say that the opposite of hope is despair. I think you could also make a good case for saying that the opposite of hope is fear. Fear looks at the future with worry or dread, but hope looks at the future with eager expectation.

In today’s verses we see that hope and love are closely re­lated to each other. We can look to the future and hope because of God’s love for us in Jesus Christ. Because we live in hope, we are free to love one another.

Because we are loved by Jesus, we are free from the punishment for our sins. Jesus has already paid the price for our sin on the cross.

We do not need to be afraid that God will punish us someday. We do not need to be afraid of the future, because God has given us salvation and new life in Jesus Christ. God holds our future in his loving hands.

There are many things in this life that can tempt us to live in fear: the unknown, war, sickness, death. But no matter what happens, God promises that nothing can separate us from his love (Romans 8:39). Because of that love, we can live in hope, free from fear.

Do you have that hope in your life?

Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, we confess that we often feel afraid. Assure us of your love and of the hope we can have in you. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.