1 John 4:15-21

15 ¹Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God.

16 So ²we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. ³God is love, and ⁴whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.

17 By this ⁵is love perfected with us, so that ⁶we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because ⁷as he is so also are we in this world.

18 There is no fear in love, but ⁸perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not ⁹been perfected in love.

19 ¹⁰We love because he first loved us.

20 ¹¹If anyone says, "I love God," and ¹²hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot^[a] love God ¹³whom he has not seen.

21 And ¹⁴this commandment we have from him: ¹⁵whoever loves God must also love his brother.