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1 John 4:18

约翰一书 4:18

The Passage

There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear.

In the other language

爱里没有惧怕;爱既完全,就把惧怕除去。

Theme

Love casts out fear

Bring a question to this passage

Many readers arrive here from a real question. These are reflections for how this passage speaks to the questions people bring most often — not an answer about what will happen, but an invitation to sit with it slowly.

How do I face this season of pressure at work?

Fear can make every email feel like a verdict and every mistake feel larger than it is. This passage does not address workplace pressure directly; it speaks of love that casts out fear. It invites you to notice what fear is asking you to believe about yourself, and to hold that belief beside the love described here. Feeling anxious is not proof that you have failed at faith. You can acknowledge the demands before you without letting them become the whole measure of your worth. This passage does not address workplace demands directly. Which part of your fear at work could you hold before the love it describes rather than treating that fear as a verdict on your worth?

Carry thisFear is not the whole truth about you.

Other passages for this questionGenesis 1:26-28 · Isaiah 41:10 · 1 Corinthians 7:3-4

I want to learn to love better in this relationship.

When you want to love better, fear is worth noticing gently. This passage places fear beside love and says that perfect love casts it out. You may recognize the fear of rejection, of being misunderstood, or of losing control. None of that needs to be hidden as you sit with God. Rather than forcing yourself to feel differently, you can let yourself be loved where you feel most guarded. In your relationship, that might make room for honest listening without abandoning your own limits. Fear can make closeness feel risky, but what would become possible if it no longer had the final word in how you respond?

Carry thisLove is not the same as fear of rejection.

Other passages for this questionGenesis 1:26-28 · Isaiah 41:10 · 1 Corinthians 7:3-4

What do I need to let go of in the coming weeks?

Letting go can feel less like relief than like stepping beyond the things you have used to keep yourself safe. This passage does not name what you need to release in the coming weeks, but it offers a place to begin: love, rather than fear, can hold you as you consider what you are carrying. You need not force yourself into courage; you can bring your attachments, worries, and need for certainty into prayer, allowing yourself to be loved without first making everything secure. Fear can make holding on feel necessary—what might you loosen your grip on if you trusted that you were loved?

Carry thisFear is real, but it is not love's measure.

Other passages for this questionGenesis 1:26-28 · Isaiah 41:10 · 1 Corinthians 7:3-4

How can I find stillness in a busy life?

Even when your surroundings are quiet, fear can keep you busy inside. This passage does not offer a schedule for stillness, but it speaks of love casting out fear. You may recognise the urge to keep checking, proving, or preparing. There is no need to scold yourself for feeling afraid. Instead, bring that fear into your time with God. Let the words about love remain with you for a few breaths. You do not have to turn this pause into another achievement. Where in your busy day do you notice fear keeping you restless, and how might you pause there to receive God's love?

Carry thisPerfect love is not another demand to live fearlessly.

Other passages for this questionGenesis 1:26-28 · Isaiah 41:10 · 1 Corinthians 7:3-4

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Write what you are actually carrying right now, and Lectio will answer it with this passage — 1 John 4:18.

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1 John 4 — in context

12No one has seen God at any time. If we love one another, God remains in us, and his love has been perfected in us.

13By this we know that we remain in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit.

14We have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son as the Savior of the world.

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

16We know and have believed the love which God has for us. God is love, and he who remains in love remains in God, and God remains in him.

17In this love has been made perfect among us, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment, because as he is, even so are we in this world.

18There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear has punishment. He who fears is not made perfect in love.

19We love him, because he first loved us.

20If a man says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who doesn’t love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen?

21This commandment we have from him, that he who loves God should also love his brother.

More from 1 John

Related topics

The Love of God

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