Fear and Love...

[sowinskija]

Does Fear of God lead to Love? I am confused with the relationship between fear and love in the most Holy Bible, please help. Also, how should we directly Love God?

1 John 4 17-18

"In this way, the love of God is perfected with us, so that we may have confidence on the day of judgment. For as he is, so also are we, in this world. 18Fear is not in love. Instead, perfect love casts out fear, for fear pertains to punishment. And whoever fears is not perfected in love. "

 

[aragonjohn1]

Does Fear of God lead to Love? I am confused with the relationship between fear and love in the most Holy Bible, please help. Also, how should we directly Love God?

fear of God is a holy fear
The fear of the Lord is numbered among the seven gifts of the Holy Ghost (Isaiah 11:3).

"hope has two objects, one of which is the future good itself, that one expects to obtain, while the other is someone’s help, through whom one expects to obtain what one hopes for …
Accordingly, in the first way God, Who is goodness itself, cannot be an object of fear; but He can be an object of fear in the second way
in this way one cries out to God abba Father

Further, the gift of fear corresponds to the virtue of hope, as stated above (9, ad 1). Now the last beatitude which is, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God,” seems above all to correspond to hope, because according to Romans 5:2, “we . . . glory in the hope of the glory of the sons of God.” Therefore that beatitude corresponds to the gift of fear, rather than poverty of spirit.

• newadvent.org/summa/3019.htm
• newadvent.org/cathen/07409a.htm
  ^after gifts

hope this helps
God bless
Merry Christmas

 

[MarcoPolo]

Perhaps this article by Dr. D’Ambrosio will help explain the term “Fear of the Lord.”

 

[sowinskija]

I lack wisdom. Thanks you for the gift of yours and Merry Christmas to you both. God Bless!