Problem: This verse tells us that our love isn’t perfect if we’ve had fear. Other verses clearly extoll fear as something near necessary (Rom. 3:18, 11:20; 2 Cor. 5:11, 7:1, 11, 15; Eph. 6:5; Heb. 11:7; Jude 1:12, 23; Rev. 19:5).
Solution: But just as there are different kinds of love, so also there are different situations requiring fear. One is supposed to be careful not to get in trouble, and this is clearly a healthy fear (Rom. 13:3). But overall, 1 Jn. 4:18 and related verses presume that one has learned the righteous habits of the faith and that now is exercising the law of love (a main theme in John’s writings), so one shouldn’t really exhibit any kind of fear overall (Rom. 8:15 – which letter speaks of fear in different senses and contexts as good or bad).
