The more deeply we know the love of God, the more freely we can live without fear and love one another well. Jesus has taken our guilt and given us His righteousness, so we can face judgment with confidence—not because we have proven ourselves innocent, but because His innocence has become ours. Perfect love casts out fear because in Christ our future is secure.
That assurance changes the way we live now. We love because He first loved us, and as His love becomes clearer, His commands become less like a burden and more like the path to life. We practice righteousness, love our brothers and sisters, and trust God’s way because we know His heart toward us. As we abide with Jesus, remember the gospel, and remind one another of His love, His Spirit produces love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. In this way, faith overcomes the world and the life of Jesus becomes visible through us.
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. If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother.
Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and everyone who loves the Father loves whoever has been born of him. By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey his commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome. For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?