¹⁶ And we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and the one who remains in love remains in God, and God remains in him.

¹⁷ In this, love is perfected with us so that we may have confidence in the day of judgment,^(A) for we are as He is in this world.^{(B) 18} There is no fear in love; instead, perfect love drives out fear,^(C) because fear involves punishment.^[a] So the one who fears has not reached perfection in love.^{(D) 19} We love^[b] because He first loved us.^(E)