Devotionals

To Be Fully Known and Loved is Freedom and Peace

by Michael Edwards 
11/22/19
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But if anyone loves God, he is known by Him. 1 Cor 8:3 NAS

We all long to be known, accepted, and loved. This is authentic love, a love that heals all things and brings us peace, joy, and freedom. This type of love requires that we are known. The following is my adaptation of a quote from Tim Keller.

To be loved but not known is superficial.

To be known and not loved is our greatest fear.

But to be fully known and deeply loved is freedom. 

The more that is known about us, the stronger the bond and deeper the love can be. But we all fear not being loved if everything about us were revealed. This is the part that we are ashamed of, and like Adam and Eve in the garden, we try to make our own covering to conceal these areas. Sadly, even in the best marriages, there are often things that are kept hidden for fear of rejection. 

The good news is that God knows everything about us and still sent Jesus to die for and save us. Love perfected by the One who fully knows us and deeply loves us. With all revealed, no fear of rejection remains, and an eternity to love Him in return awaits. His perfect love known, believed, and fully embraced has cast out all fear and ushered in His peace, joy, and freedom. 

So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because as he is so also are we in this world. There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. We love because he first loved us. 1 John 4:16-19 ESV

Many more New Covenant Bible Studies HERE. Jesus poured out His blood for the New Covenant of grace and truth, replacing the Old Covenant law of Moses. Believers are exclusively under the New Covenant, the last will and testament of Jesus that began after the cross. 

And in the same way He took the cup after they had eaten, saying, "This cup which is poured out for you is the new covenant in My blood. Luke 22:20