Two passages on fear, hatred, and a different response.
Christianity · New Testament
1 John 4:17–18
In this, love has been made perfect among us, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment, because as he is, even so we are in this world. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear has punishment. He who fears is not made perfect in love.
World English Bible translation project · 2020 stable text edition; archived 13 November 2026
The preceding verses speak of God’s love, Jesus Christ, and love for one another. Verse 17 explicitly names the day of judgment; verse 18 connects fear with punishment.
Both passages oppose destructive patterns with a transformed way of relating. They place value on something more demanding than retaliation or defensive hostility. Reading them together can open a careful conversation about love and non-hatred without making those terms interchangeable.
Where they differ
First John frames love through God, Christ, community and judgment. Dhammapada 5 belongs to a Buddhist sequence about the effects of thought and conduct, and speaks directly about hatred. These passages do not establish that every kind of fear is unreal, that danger should be ignored, or that compassion means accepting harm. “Compassion” is a useful modern question here, not the literal word in both quoted verses.
A question to sit with
Recall a small disagreement. Which response might reduce hostility without surrendering a necessary boundary? Treat this as a question for reflection, rather than as a promise that kindness alone resolves every conflict.
A present-day reflection, offered as an invitation.
Translation & context notes
1 John 4:17–18: This is a passage from the First Letter of John. It is not recorded here as Jesus speaking in a Gospel.
Dhammapada 5: Müller translates the contrast as “hatred” and “love”. The Pāli avera is also rendered “non-hatred” in other translations; the English word love should not silently make this identical to Johannine love of God.