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.
What does 1 John 4:18 mean?
The Father sent the Son, he willed his coming into this world. The apostle attests this.
Key themes
Read with
Keep this verse inside 1 John 4:17-19 and alongside a few nearby related passages.
Commentary on 1 John 4:18
He that feareth is not made perfect in love. There is no fear in love - Love is not an affection which produces fear. In the love which we have for a parent, a child, a friend, there is no fear. If a man had perfect love to God, he would have no fear of anything - for what would he have to dread? He would have no fear of death, for he would have nothing to dread beyond the grave. It is guilt that makes people fear what is to come; but he whose sins are pardoned, and whose heart is filled with the love of God, has nothing to dread in this world or the world to come.
Key words
- love
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He that feareth is not made perfect in love.
- perfect
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He that feareth is not made perfect in love.
- fear
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He that feareth is not made perfect in love.
Context in 1 John 4
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1 John 4 belongs to the late movement of the book, especially the section often described as assurance and final warning. First John is a profound epistle of light, truth, love, assurance, obedience, and confession of the incarnate Son. Read this chapter with the wider themes of love, truth, and assurance in view so the individual verses keep their proper weight.
Related topics
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