How Love Works: The Power That Drives Out Fear and Builds Trust


"And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him." — 1 John 4:16 (KJV)

Love is not just an emotion.
It’s not a fleeting feeling or a poetic ideal.

According to Scripture, love is a Person — and that Person is God Himself.

When we talk about how love truly works, we are talking about how God operates inside us and through us.
Understanding this transforms everything: our fears, our trust, our obedience, and ultimately, how we live.

Let's explore how love works according to the powerful insights in 1 John.

1. Love Begins with God Dwelling in Us

"God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him." — 1 John 4:16

When we receive Christ, we receive God’s very nature into our hearts.

God doesn't just instruct us from the outside —
He lives in us and becomes the Source of our ability to love.

Love works because God Himself is working in us.
We are not striving to love from human strength;
we are yielding to the life of God flowing through us.

2. Perfect Love Drives Out Fear

"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." — 1 John 4:18

Fear and love cannot coexist.
Where fear dominates, love is absent or immature.

Perfect love — the full understanding and embrace of God’s love — drives out every trace of fear:

  • Fear of rejection

  • Fear of failure

  • Fear of abandonment

  • Fear of death itself

When love is perfected in us, torment dies.
We begin to live freely — fully anchored in the unshakable certainty of God's care.

3. We Love Because He First Loved Us

"We love him, because he first loved us." — 1 John 4:19

God is always the initiator.

Our love for God is not something we generate ourselves;
it is a response to the overwhelming revelation that He loved us first — unconditionally, without merit.

When we grasp this truth,
love becomes spontaneous.
It flows not out of duty, but out of gratitude and trust.

4. His Commandments Are Expressions of His Love

Throughout 1 John and the New Testament, we learn:
God's commandments are not harsh restrictions.
They are expressions of His love — given to protect us, bless us, and guide us into fullness of life.

"For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous." — 1 John 5:3

Every commandment from God is an act of love,
calling us into peace, joy, safety, and purpose.

5. Loving God Flows from Trusting His Love for Us

When we are confident in God's love, we stop striving to protect ourselves.

We no longer carry the heavy burden of self-preservation.
Instead, we rest in Him, trusting that:

  • He will defend us

  • He will provide for us

  • He will guide us

  • He will complete what concerns us

True love flows from this place of rest.
We no longer obey to earn love;
we obey because we trust His love.

6. Faith in His Love Kills Fear and Produces Obedience

"And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us." — 1 John 4:16

Knowing God's love is not enough — believing it transforms us.

When we truly believe that He loves us:

  • Fear dies

  • Anxiety fades

  • Striving ceases

  • True obedience naturally emerges

Fear is often evidence that we have not yet fully embraced God's love.
Where fear lingers, love has not yet fully ruled the heart.

The deeper we believe in His love,
the more naturally we love Him back —
and loving Him means keeping His commandments joyfully, not grudgingly.

Saved by Love, Called to Love

In conclusion:
We are saved by love — the sacrificial love of Christ on the cross.
And now, we are called to live by love — reflecting His nature to the world.

  • Love is how God works in us.

  • Love is how we are called to work in the world.

When we understand that love:

  • Begins with God,

  • Perfects us by casting out fear, and

  • Empowers our obedience,

we stop struggling and start living freely, boldly, and joyfully.

This is how love works.

Key Scriptures Recap:

  • 1 John 4:16 — God is love; He dwells in us.

  • 1 John 4:18 — Perfect love casts out fear.

  • 1 John 4:19 — We love Him because He first loved us.

  • 1 John 5:3 — His commandments are expressions of love.

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