16 and are sure that God loves us.God is love. If we keep on loving others, we will stay united in our hearts with God, and he will stay united with us.
17 If we truly love others and live as Christ did in this world, we won't be worried about the day of judgment.
18 A real love for others will chase those worries away. The thought of being punished is what makes us afraid. It shows that we have not really learnt to love.
19 We love because God loved us first.
20 But if we say we love God and don't love each other, we are liars. We cannot see God. So how can we love God, if we don't love the people we can see?
21 The commandment that God has given us is: “Love God and love each other!”