love, faith, and fear.

Some of the American tele-pastors equate faith with courage, such that fear is the opposite condition.  One particularly famous one mentioned having faith, yet being afraid, which contradict those others, such that when afraid and needing to act, don't pray away the fear, but simply perform the task while still being afraid......

Love is the impetus, perhaps, that which makes people display superhuman strength and courage at times, perfect love, and in the Bible, it is of course love that casts out fear.

faith <----> fear (????)

love <-----> fear  (right)

Nevertheless, doesn't it seem like unbelief is less heinous than simple fear, which is an everyday emotion for some, depending on circumstances.  We could be stricken to a standstill by fear, but let us hear a family member shouting---we run towards it to help.

"Perfect love casteth out fear."  (from the King James Version of the Holy Bible)


So love and faith have some commonalities, in terms of how they bring forth courage, but rarely in the scriptures are we exhorted to have courage.  Instead, even Christ himself says the chief of commandments is to love God, and then secondly to love your neighbors as you love yourself.

Mind, loving others in the same way you love yourself can seem dubious to some of our more self-destructive among the brethren, and indeed, we would then ask, of these people who harm themselves, why not love others even more?  Such as, in the case of self-harm, when the love of another person can prevent a tragedy.




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