Evolving in Monkey Town by Rachel Held Evans

I have had a lifelong or at least decades long struggle with fear. There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear for fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not reached perfection in love. Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness on the day of judgment, because as he is, so are we in this world. The commandment we have from him is this: those who love God must love their brothers and sisters also. Those who say, “I love God,” and hate a brother or sister are liars, for those who do not love a brother or sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen. God is love, and those who abide in love abide in God, and God abides in them. So we have known and believe the love that God has for us. God abides in those who confess that Jesus is the Son of God, and they abide in God. And we have seen and do testify that the Father has sent his Son as the Savior of the world. No one has ever seen God if we love one another, God abides in us, and his love is perfected in us.īy this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. Beloved, since God loved us so much, we also ought to love one another.

In this is love, not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins. God’s love was revealed among us in this way: God sent his only Son into the world so that we might live through him. Whoever does not love does not know God, for God is love. Beloved, let us love one another, because love is from God everyone who loves is born of God and knows God.

Evolving in Monkey Town by Rachel Held Evans