¹⁶ And we have come to know and have believed the love that God has in us. God is love, and the one who resides in love resides in God, and God resides in him. ¹⁷ By this love is perfected with us, so that we may have confidence in the day of judgment, because just as that one is, so also are we in this world. ¹⁸ There is no fear in love, but perfect love drives out fear, because fear includes punishment, and the one who is afraid has not been perfected in love. ¹⁹ We love, because he first loved us.