1 John 4:18 (KJV)

Passage

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.

Nearby Context

1 John 4:16 And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.

1 John 4:17 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 4:18 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 4:19 We love him, because he first loved us.

1 John 4:20 If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "fear", "love", "perfect", "casteth", and "hath". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "fear" and "love", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 17's "Herein is our love made perfect that..." into verse 19's "We love him because he first loved...", so "fear" and "love" belong inside that flow. In 1 John context, the local focus is Christ, faith, and discipleship.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "fear" and "love" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.