"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)
We have this perfect love in us through the Holy Spirit, of whom the first fruit is love! (cf Galatians 5:22)
When I conducted a word study of "cast out", I discovered that it had a more forceful and final meaning:
exō ἔξω out ballei βάλλει casts --
Original Word: ἐκβάλλω
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: ekballo
Phonetic Spelling: (ek-bal'-lo)
Short Definition: I throw, cast, put out, banish, bring forth, produce
Definition: I throw (cast, put) out; I banish;
From ek and ballo; to eject (literally or figuratively) -- cast out, drive (out), expel, leave, pluck (pull, take, thrust) out, put forth (out), send away (forth, out).
Paul also writes this verb in the context of the Scripture types and shadows, in which grace (represented by Sarah) supersedes the law and bondage (represented by the bondmaid Hagar):
"Nevertheless what saith the scripture? Cast out the bondwoman and her son: for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the freewoman." (Galatians 4:30)
This verse is quotes from Genesis:
"Wherefore she said unto Abraham, Cast out this bondwoman and her son: for the son of this bondwoman shall not be heir with my son, even with Isaac." (Genesis 21:10)
On a side note, a number of commentators point out the authority which Paul levels to Sarah's drastic command, for in quoting this verse from the old Testament, Paul indicates that "the scipture says" as opposed to "Sarah says". Quite an authoritative statement, indeed!
In the Septuagint translation of Genesis 21:10, the translators rendered the Hebrew Word "gā·rêš גָּרֵ֛שׁ " for "Cast out" into the Greek:
εκβαλε -- from ek ballo -- the same verb used in 1 John 4:18.
It is striking also that the first mention of "gā·rêš גָּרֵ֛שׁ "
גָּרַשׁ
Transliteration: garash
Phonetic Spelling: (gaw-rash')
to drive out, cast out, drive out, expel
This is the first mention of "Cast out" as a concept in the entire Bible, whether Greek or Hebrew!
What truth can we glean from this wonderful revelation?
God' perfect love casts out fear - thrusts it out of doors, indicating that it will have no dominion or share in our inheritance from God!
Not only that, but perfect love is greater than the law! How is this possible? John explains this in his First Epistle:
"Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins." (1 John 4:10)
God so loved the world, you and me and everyone, that He sent His only Son to die for us, taking upon Himself the wrath and evil and punishment that we deserve for our sins. Jesus is "the propitiation for our sins" as we
Through our confession of Christ's mastery and Finished work (1 John 4:15), through the power of the Holy Spirit working in us (1 John 4:16), we can then say:
"Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world." (1 John 4:17)
If we are as Christ in this world, then we have nothing to fear. There is no condemnation on Him, for He has risen from the dead; therefore, there is no condemnation on us.
How can we say that there is no condemnation for us?
"Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ; that ye should be married to another, even to him who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God." (Romans 7:4)
And of course:
"There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit." (Romans 8:1)
And Paul also makes the point that through Christ's death, we are also dead, and therefore the damning qualifications of the law are no longer against us:
"For I through the law am dead to the law, that I might live unto God." (Galatians 2:19)
Through Christ's death, we are forever free from the curse of the law (cf Galatians 3:13)-- we are made the righteousness of God in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:21), accorded the righteousness from the law which we could never earn by our own efforts (cf Romans 8:4)
So, His perfect love casts out all fear because there is no longer fear of torment or punishment, since all of God's wrath was exhausted on His Son!
So, how does this connect with Sarah telling her lawful husband Abraham to "cast out the bondwoman?"
Paul illustrates the typology of law and grace superlatively:
"Tell me, ye that desire to be under the law, do ye not hear the law?
"For it is written, that Abraham had two sons, the one by a bondmaid, the other by a freewoman.
"But he who was of the bondwoman was born after the flesh; but he of the freewoman was by promise.
"Which things are an allegory: for these are the two covenants; the one from the mount Sinai, which gendereth to bondage, which is Agar.
"For this Agar is mount Sinai in Arabia, and answereth to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children.
"But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all." (Galatians 4:21-26)
Sarah represents grace, the gift of righteousness given to us by promise; Hagar represents the law, and the bondage associated with it.
"Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise.
"But as then he that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the Spirit, even so it is now." (Galatians 4:28)
What is this promise of which we are now partakers?
"But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith.
"And the law is not of faith: but, The man that doeth them shall live in them.
"Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:
"That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith. " (Galatians 3:11-14)
What does Paul speak of when he writes "born after the flesh persecuted" (cf Galatians 4:28)?
He is referring to the reason why Sarah ultimately told Abraham to expel Hagar:
"And Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, which she had born unto Abraham, mocking." (Genesis 21:9)
Ishmael, Hagar's son, was mocking, persecuting Isaac. Sarah would not tolerate that! Immediately, she told her husband to "cast out the bondwoman and her son."
Believers who dwell in the love of Christ need never tolerate abuse at the hands or tongue of those who insist on living by the flesh and under law, whether in pursuit of pleasure or in attempts to achieve self-righteousness through self-effort.
This was a tremendous revelation for me. For many years, I was taught that I was supposed to simply suffer the browbeating persecution of others. I was afraid to speak up, to rebuke the harshness and cruelty that others would spew at me or others because of their own rebellious and self-righteous spirit.
Perfect love casts out fear; it also casts out all shame, all guilt, and all condemnation! You and I are not called to suffer arbitrary, unremitting abuse, especially from fellow believers still in bondage to keeping the law in order to earn God's blessings. In fact, Paul even exhorts his listeners to confront such perversion:
"Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted." (Galatians 6:1)
It is infinitely fitting that God permitted the first mention of "cast out" to be associated with doing away with the bondage and persecution that comes with legalism and self-righteousness, all replaced by the righteousness accorded to all who believe by grace through faith in the Finished Work of Jesus Christ!
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