It appears that there is a contradiction between 1 John 4:18, which says there is no fear in love, and other verses, such as Hebrews 12:28, which exhort us to fear God. As in most other cases of seeming contradictions in the Bible, a close examination of the context solves the problem. John is talking about fear of God in the sense of being under His eternal condemnation. That is the context. See 1 John 4:14-17. The writer of Hebrews, on the other hand, is talking about fear of God in Christian living in the sense of being afraid of His displeasure and chastisement, like a son fearing a father’s loving but firm discipline. That, too, is clear in the context. See Hebrews 12:5-11. (Friday Church News Notes, September 13, 2013, www.wayoflife.org, [email protected], 866-295-4143) Comments are closed.
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