1 John 4:18 (DRB)

Passage

Fear is not in charity: but perfect charity casteth out fear, because fear hath sin. And he that feareth is not perfected in charity.

Nearby Context

1 John 4:16 And we have known and have believed the charity which God hath to us. God is charity: and he that abideth in charity abideth in God, and God in him.

1 John 4:17 In this is the charity of God perfected with us, that we may have confidence in the day of judgment: because as he is, we also are in this world.

1 John 4:18 Fear is not in charity: but perfect charity casteth out fear, because fear hath sin. And he that feareth is not perfected in charity.

1 John 4:19 Let us therefore love God: because God first hath loved us.

1 John 4:20 If any man say: I love God, and hateth his brother; he is a liar. For he that loveth not his brother whom he seeth, how can he love God whom he seeth not?

Study Lenses

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

The nearby context moves from verse 17's "In this is the charity of God..." into verse 19's "Let us therefore love God because God...", so "fear" and "charity" 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 "charity" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.