As biological creatures, we are not saved from the fear of death—that would be an impossible, foolish goal. We are, rather, saved from a slavery to the fear of death. When perfect love casts out fear, it does not fully eradicate the fear of death, but it empowers us to deny the dominion of death and gain victory over the moral power and influence of death in our lives. Across the great spectrum of fear—from merely feeling foolish in the eyes of others, all the way to mortal terror—the cross grants us the ability to choose love instead of death.
