Love drives fear of punishment away
“If we truly love others and live as Christ did in this world, we won’t be worried about the day of judgment.
A real love for others will chase those worries away. The thought of being punished is what makes us afraid. It shows we have not really learned to love.
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?
The commandment that God has given us is: “Love God and love each other!”
1 John 4:17-18, 20-21 CEV