We love him, because he first loved us.
What does 1 John 4:19 mean?
The Father sent the Son, he willed his coming into this world. The apostle attests this.
Key themes
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Keep this verse inside 1 John 4:17-19 and alongside a few nearby related passages.
Commentary on 1 John 4:19
(1) that the fact that he first loved us is the "ground" or "reason" why we love him, or. (2) that as a matter of fact we have been brought to love him in consequence of the love which he has manifested toward us, though the real ground of our love may be the excellency of his own character. If the former be the meaning, and if that were the only ground of love, then it would be mere selfishness, (compare Matthew 5:46-47 ); and it cannot be believed that John meant to teach that that is the "only" reason of our love to God.
Key words
- because
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Some read the words as an exhortation, "let us love him"; and others as in the subjunctive mood, "we should love him", because, &c.
Context in 1 John 4
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1 John 4 belongs to the late movement of the book, especially the section often described as assurance and final warning. First John is a profound epistle of light, truth, love, assurance, obedience, and confession of the incarnate Son. Read this chapter with the wider themes of love, truth, and assurance in view so the individual verses keep their proper weight.
Related topics
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A guided collection of passages on God’s love, neighbor-love, steadfast covenant love, and the shape of love in Christian life.
Passages on the nature of truth, honesty, deception, the word of God as truth, and Jesus' claim to be the truth.