1 John 4:19
1 John 4:19 in Multiple Translations
We love because He first loved us.
We love him, because he first loved us.
We love, because he first loved us.
We have the power of loving, because he first had love for us.
We love because he loved us first.
We loue him, because he loued vs first.
we — we love him, because He — He first loved us;
We love him, because he first loved us.
We love him, because he first loved us.
Let us therefore love God, because God first hath loved us.
We love God and our fellow believers because God loved us first.
Berean Amplified Bible — 1 John 4:19
BAB
Word Study
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1 John 4:19 Interlinear (Deep Study)
BIB
GRK
ημεις
αγαπωμεν
αυτον
οτι
αυτος
πρωτος
ηγαπησεν
ημας
ημεις
egō
G1473
I/we
Pron-1NP
αγαπωμεν
agapaō
G25
to love
Verb-PAI-1P
αυτον
autos
G846
it/s/he
Pron-ASM
οτι
hoti
G3754
that/since: that
Conj
αυτος
autos
G846
it/s/he
Pron-NSM
πρωτος
prōtos
G4413
first
Adj-NSM-S
ηγαπησεν
agapaō
G25
to love
Verb-AAI-3S
ημας
egō
G1473
I/we
Pron-1AP
Greek Word Study
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Greek Word Reference — 1 John 4:19
ημεις
egō
G1473
"I/we"
Pron-1NP
This is a pronoun meaning I or me, used by the speaker to refer to themselves. It is often used in the Bible to emphasize the speaker's identity.
Definition: ἐγώ, genitive, etc., ἐμοῦ, ἐμοί, ἐμέ (enclitic μου, μοι, με), pl. ἡμεῖς, -ῶν, -ῖν, -ᾶς, of person(s) pron. I. __(a) The nom. is usually emphatic, when expressed as subjc, as in Mat.3:11, Mrk.1:8, Luk.3:16, al. But often there is no apparent emphasis, as Mat.10:16, Jhn.10:17; ἰδοὺ ἐ. (= Heb. הִנֵּנִי, cf. 1Ki.3:8), Act.9:10; ἐ. (like Heb. אֲנִי), I am, Jhn.1:23 (LXX), Act.7:32 (LXX). __(b) The enclitic forms (see supr.) are used with nouns, adjectives, verbs, adverbs, where there is no emphasis: ἐν τ. πατρί μου, Jhn.14:20; μου τ. λόγους, Mat.7:24; ὀπίσω μου, Mat.3:11; ἰσχυρότερός μου, ib.; λέγει μοι, Rev.5:5; also with the prep. πρός, as Mrk.9:19, al. The full forms (ἐμοῦ, etc.) are used with the other prepositions, as δι᾽ ἐμοῦ, ἐν ἐμοί, εἰς ἐμέ, etc., also for emphasis, as Luk.10:16, Jhn.7:23, Mrk.14:7, al. __(with) The genitive μου and ἡμῶν are often used for the poss. pronouns ἐμός, ἡμέτερος: τ. λαόν μου, Mat.2:6; μου τῂ ἀπιστιᾳ, Mrk.9:24. __(d) τί ἐμοὶ καὶ σοί ( = Heb. מַה־לִי וָלָךְ, Jdg.11:12, al.), i.e. what have we in common: Mat.8:29, Mrk.1:24, 5:7, Luk.8:28, Jhn.2:4; τί γάρ μοι, 1Co.5:2. __(e) The interchange of ἐγώ and ἡμεῖς, common in π., appears in Pauline Epp. (see M, Pr., 86f., M, Th., 131f.). __(f) κἀγώ (= καὶ ἐγώ), and I, even I, I also: Mat.2:8, Luk.2:48, Jhn.6:56, Rom.3:7, 1Co.7:40, al.; κἀγώ . . . καί, both . . . and, Jhn.7:28. (AS)
Usage: Occurs in 1872 NT verses. KJV: I, me See also: 1 Corinthians 1:2; 1 Corinthians 16:24; 1 Peter 1:3.
αγαπωμεν
agapaō
G25
"to love"
Verb-PAI-1P
To love means to show esteem and goodwill towards someone, as seen in Matthew 5:43 and John 8:42. This love is not just a feeling, but an action that is demonstrated towards others. It is a key concept in the Bible.
Definition: ἀγαπάω, -ῶ, [in LXX chiefly for אהב ;] to love, to feel and exhibit esteem and goodwill to a person, to prize and delight in a thing. __1. Of human affection, to men: τ. πλησίον, Mat.5:43; τ. ἐχθρούς, ib. 44; to Christ, Jhn.8:42; to God, Mat.22:37; with accusative of thing(s), Luk.11:43, Jhn.12:43, Eph.5:25, II Tim 4:8, 10, Heb.1:9, 1Pe.2:17, 3:10, 2Pe.2:15, 1Jn.2:15, Rev.12:11. __2. Of divine love; __(a) God's love: to men, Rom.8:37; to Christ, Jhn.3:35; __(b) Christ's love: to men, Mrk.10:21; to God, Jhn.14:31; with cogn. accusative, Jhn.17:26, Eph.2:4. SYN.: φιλέω. From its supposed etymology (Thayer, LS; but see also Boisacq) ἀ. is commonly understood properly to denote love based on esteem (diligo), as distinct from that expressed by φιλέω (amo), spontaneous natural affection, emotional and unreasoning. If this distinction holds, ἀ. is fitly used in NT of Christian love to God and man, the spiritual affection which follows the direction of the will, and which, therefore, unlike that feeling which is instinctive and unreasoned, can be commanded as a duty. (Cf. ἀγάπη, and v. Tr., Syn. §xii; Cremer, 9, 592; and esp. MM, VGT, see word) (AS)
Usage: Occurs in 109 NT verses. KJV: (be-)love(-ed) See also: 1 Corinthians 2:9; John 3:35; 1 Peter 1:8.
αυτον
autos
G846
"it/s/he"
Pron-ASM
This pronoun refers to a person or thing, like 'he', 'she', or 'it'. It is used in the Bible to emphasize a person or thing, like in John 2:25 where it says 'he himself knew'.
Definition: αὐτός, -ή, -ό, determinative pron., in late Gk. much more frequently than in cl. (WM, 178f.; Jannaris, HGG, §1399). __1. Emphatic (so always in nom. exc. when preceded by the art., see infr., iii); __(1) self (ipse), expressing opposition, distinction, exclusion, etc., αὐ. ἐκχυθήσεται, Luk.5:37; αὐ. ἐγινώσκεν, Jhn.2:25; αὐ.ὑμεῖς, Jhn.3:28; καὶ αὐ. ἐγώ, Rom.15:14; αὐ. Ἰησοῦς, Jhn.2:24; αὐ. καὶ οἱ μετ᾽ αὐτοῦ, Mrk.2:25; ὑμεῖς αὐ., Mrk.6:31; esp. (as freq in cl.) αὐ. ὁ, Mat.3:4, Mrk.6:17, Jhn.16:27, 1Th.3:11, al.; in late Gk., sometimes weakened, ἐν αὐτῇ τ. ὥρᾳ, in that hour, Luk.10:21 (M, Pr., 91; MM, see word); __(2) emphatic, he, she, it (M, Pr., 86; Bl., §48, 1, 2, 7), Mat.1:21, 12:50, Luk.6:35, al.; pointing to some one as master (cl.), Mat.8:24, Mrk.4:38, al.; αὐ., καὶ αὐ. = οὗτος, ὁ δε (BL, §48, 1), Mat.14:2, Mrk.14:15, 44, Luk.1:22, 2:28, al. __2. In oblique cases (cl.), for the simple pron. of 3rd of person(s), he, she, it, Mat.7:9, 10:12, 26:44, al.; with ptcp. in genitive absol., Mat.9:18, Mrk.13:1, al. (for irreg. constructions, V. Bl., §74, 5); pleonastically after the relative (cf. Heb. אֲשֶׁר לוֹ; WM, 184ff.; Bl., §50, 4; MM, see word), Mrk.7:25, Rev.3:8, 7:2, al.; in constr. ad sensum, without proper subject expressly indicated, Mat.4:23, Act.8:5, 2Co.2:13, al.; genitive αὐτοῦ = ἐκείνου, Rom.11:11, 1Th.2:19, Tit.3:5, Heb.2:4. __3. ὁ, ἡ, τὸ αὐ., the same: Heb.1:12, 13:8; τὸ αὐ., ποιεῖν, Mat.5:46, 47, al.; φρονεῖν, Rom.12:16, 15:5, Php.2:2, al.; τὰ αὐ., Act.15:27, Rom.2:1, al.; κατὰ τὸ (τὰ) αὐ. (MM, see word), Act.14:1, Luk.6:23, al.; ἐπὶ τὸ αὐ., together (MM, see word), Mat.22:34, Act.1:15, al.; ἓν κ. τὸ αὐ., 1Co.11:5, 12:11; with dative (cl.), 1Co.11:5; with a noun, λόγος, Mrk.14:39; μέτρος, Php.1:30; πνεῦμα, 1Co.12:4. (AS)
Usage: Occurs in 3773 NT verses. KJV: her, it(-self), one, the other, (mine) own, said, (self-), the) same, ((him-, my-, thy- )self, (your-)selves, she, that, their(-s), them(-selves), there(-at, - by, -in, -into, -of, -on, -with), they, (these) things, this (man), those, together, very, which See also: 1 Corinthians 1:2; 1 John 3:10; 1 Peter 1:3.
οτι
hoti
G3754
"that/since: that"
Conj
This Greek word means 'that' or 'because', used to introduce a reason or explanation. It appears in the New Testament, such as in Matthew 3:9 and Romans 8:38. It helps to show cause and effect in sentences.
Definition: ὅτι, conjc. (prop. neut. of ὅστις). __I. As conjc, introducing an objective clause, that; __1. after verbs of seeing, knowing, thinking, saying, feeling: Mat.3:9 6:32 11:25, Mrk.3:28, Luk.2:49, Jhn.2:22, Act.4:13, Rom.1:13 8:38 10:9, Php.4:15, Jas.2:24, al.; elliptically, Jhn.6:46, Php.3:12, al. __2. After εἶναι (γίνεσθαι): defining a demonstr. or of person(s) pron., Jhn.3:19 16:19, Rom.9:6, 1Jn.3:16 al.; with pron. interrog., Mat.8:27, Mrk.4:41, Luk.4:36, Jhn.4:22 al.; id. elliptically, Luk.2:49, Act.5:4, 9, al.; __3. Untranslatable, before direct discourse (ὅτι recitantis): Mat.7:23, Mrk.2:16, Luk.1:61, Jhn.1:20, Act.15:1, Heb.11:18, al. (on the pleonastic ὡς ὅτι, see: ὡς). __II. As causal particle, for that, because: Mat.5:4-12, Luk.6:20, 21, J0 1:30 5:27, Act.1:5, 1Jn.4:18, Rev.3:10, al. mult.; διὰ τοῦτο ὅτι, Jhn.8:47 10:17, al.; answering a question (διὰ τί), Rom.9:32, al.; οὐκ ὅτι . . . ἀλλ᾽ ὅτι, Jhn.6:26 12:6. (AS)
Usage: Occurs in 1185 NT verses. KJV: as concerning that, as though, because (that), for (that), how (that), (in) that, though, why See also: 1 Corinthians 1:5; 1 John 5:2; 1 Peter 1:12.
αυτος
autos
G846
"it/s/he"
Pron-NSM
This pronoun refers to a person or thing, like 'he', 'she', or 'it'. It is used in the Bible to emphasize a person or thing, like in John 2:25 where it says 'he himself knew'.
Definition: αὐτός, -ή, -ό, determinative pron., in late Gk. much more frequently than in cl. (WM, 178f.; Jannaris, HGG, §1399). __1. Emphatic (so always in nom. exc. when preceded by the art., see infr., iii); __(1) self (ipse), expressing opposition, distinction, exclusion, etc., αὐ. ἐκχυθήσεται, Luk.5:37; αὐ. ἐγινώσκεν, Jhn.2:25; αὐ.ὑμεῖς, Jhn.3:28; καὶ αὐ. ἐγώ, Rom.15:14; αὐ. Ἰησοῦς, Jhn.2:24; αὐ. καὶ οἱ μετ᾽ αὐτοῦ, Mrk.2:25; ὑμεῖς αὐ., Mrk.6:31; esp. (as freq in cl.) αὐ. ὁ, Mat.3:4, Mrk.6:17, Jhn.16:27, 1Th.3:11, al.; in late Gk., sometimes weakened, ἐν αὐτῇ τ. ὥρᾳ, in that hour, Luk.10:21 (M, Pr., 91; MM, see word); __(2) emphatic, he, she, it (M, Pr., 86; Bl., §48, 1, 2, 7), Mat.1:21, 12:50, Luk.6:35, al.; pointing to some one as master (cl.), Mat.8:24, Mrk.4:38, al.; αὐ., καὶ αὐ. = οὗτος, ὁ δε (BL, §48, 1), Mat.14:2, Mrk.14:15, 44, Luk.1:22, 2:28, al. __2. In oblique cases (cl.), for the simple pron. of 3rd of person(s), he, she, it, Mat.7:9, 10:12, 26:44, al.; with ptcp. in genitive absol., Mat.9:18, Mrk.13:1, al. (for irreg. constructions, V. Bl., §74, 5); pleonastically after the relative (cf. Heb. אֲשֶׁר לוֹ; WM, 184ff.; Bl., §50, 4; MM, see word), Mrk.7:25, Rev.3:8, 7:2, al.; in constr. ad sensum, without proper subject expressly indicated, Mat.4:23, Act.8:5, 2Co.2:13, al.; genitive αὐτοῦ = ἐκείνου, Rom.11:11, 1Th.2:19, Tit.3:5, Heb.2:4. __3. ὁ, ἡ, τὸ αὐ., the same: Heb.1:12, 13:8; τὸ αὐ., ποιεῖν, Mat.5:46, 47, al.; φρονεῖν, Rom.12:16, 15:5, Php.2:2, al.; τὰ αὐ., Act.15:27, Rom.2:1, al.; κατὰ τὸ (τὰ) αὐ. (MM, see word), Act.14:1, Luk.6:23, al.; ἐπὶ τὸ αὐ., together (MM, see word), Mat.22:34, Act.1:15, al.; ἓν κ. τὸ αὐ., 1Co.11:5, 12:11; with dative (cl.), 1Co.11:5; with a noun, λόγος, Mrk.14:39; μέτρος, Php.1:30; πνεῦμα, 1Co.12:4. (AS)
Usage: Occurs in 3773 NT verses. KJV: her, it(-self), one, the other, (mine) own, said, (self-), the) same, ((him-, my-, thy- )self, (your-)selves, she, that, their(-s), them(-selves), there(-at, - by, -in, -into, -of, -on, -with), they, (these) things, this (man), those, together, very, which See also: 1 Corinthians 1:2; 1 John 3:10; 1 Peter 1:3.
πρωτος
prōtos
G4413
"first"
Adj-NSM-S
The Greek word for first or foremost, used in Luke 14:18 and 1 Corinthians 14:30. It can refer to the first in a sequence, like the first day of the week, or the most important thing, like the first commandment.
Definition: B. Superl., πρῶτος, -η, -ον, [in LXX chiefly for רִאשׁוֹן, also for אֶחַד, etc. ;] first, __1. of Time or Place; __(a) absol., as subst., ὁ π.., Luk.14:18, Jhn.19:32, 1Co.14:30; ὁ π. καὶ ὁ ἔσχατος, Rev.1:17 2:8 22:13; neut., τὸ π., opposite to τ. δεύτερον, Heb.10:9; τὰ π., opposite to τ. ἔσχατα, Mat.12:45, Luk.11:26, 2Pe.2:20; anarth., Mat.10:2; pl., Mat.19:30, Mrk.10:31, Luk.13:30; ἐν πρώτοις (EV, first of all), 1Co.15:3; __(b) as adj.: πρώτῃ; (sc. ἡμέρᾳ) σαββάτου, Mk 16:[9]; φυλακή, opposite to δευτέρα, Act.12:10; equiv. to adv. in English, Jhn.8:[7] 20:4, 8 Act.27:43, Rom.10:19, 1Ti.1:16, 1Jn.4:19; = πρότερος (see infr.; cf. M, Pr., 79; Bl, §11, 5; Thackeray, Gr., 183f.): with genitive, π. μου ἦν (my chief: Abbott, Jg., 509ff.; but cf. M, Pr., 245), Jhn.1:15, 30; with art., Mrk.14:12, Act.1:1, al.; before ὁ δεύτερος, etc., Mat.22:25, Mrk.12:20, al. __2. Of Rank or Dignity, chief, principal: Mat.20:27 22:38, Mrk.9:35, Eph.6:2, al.; with genitive, Mrk.12:28, 29 al.; πόλις (Field, Notes, 124), Act.16:12; with art., Luk.15:22 19:47, Act.13:50, al. __3. Neut., πρῶτον, as adv., first, at the first; __(a) of Time: Mat.8:21, Mrk.4:28, al.; τὸ π., Jhn.10:40, al.; __(b) of Order: Rom.3:2, 1Co.11:18, al. (AS)
Usage: Occurs in 93 NT verses. KJV: before, beginning, best, chief(-est), first (of all), former See also: 1 Corinthians 14:30; Luke 15:22; Hebrews 8:7.
ηγαπησεν
agapaō
G25
"to love"
Verb-AAI-3S
To love means to show esteem and goodwill towards someone, as seen in Matthew 5:43 and John 8:42. This love is not just a feeling, but an action that is demonstrated towards others. It is a key concept in the Bible.
Definition: ἀγαπάω, -ῶ, [in LXX chiefly for אהב ;] to love, to feel and exhibit esteem and goodwill to a person, to prize and delight in a thing. __1. Of human affection, to men: τ. πλησίον, Mat.5:43; τ. ἐχθρούς, ib. 44; to Christ, Jhn.8:42; to God, Mat.22:37; with accusative of thing(s), Luk.11:43, Jhn.12:43, Eph.5:25, II Tim 4:8, 10, Heb.1:9, 1Pe.2:17, 3:10, 2Pe.2:15, 1Jn.2:15, Rev.12:11. __2. Of divine love; __(a) God's love: to men, Rom.8:37; to Christ, Jhn.3:35; __(b) Christ's love: to men, Mrk.10:21; to God, Jhn.14:31; with cogn. accusative, Jhn.17:26, Eph.2:4. SYN.: φιλέω. From its supposed etymology (Thayer, LS; but see also Boisacq) ἀ. is commonly understood properly to denote love based on esteem (diligo), as distinct from that expressed by φιλέω (amo), spontaneous natural affection, emotional and unreasoning. If this distinction holds, ἀ. is fitly used in NT of Christian love to God and man, the spiritual affection which follows the direction of the will, and which, therefore, unlike that feeling which is instinctive and unreasoned, can be commanded as a duty. (Cf. ἀγάπη, and v. Tr., Syn. §xii; Cremer, 9, 592; and esp. MM, VGT, see word) (AS)
Usage: Occurs in 109 NT verses. KJV: (be-)love(-ed) See also: 1 Corinthians 2:9; John 3:35; 1 Peter 1:8.
ημας
egō
G1473
"I/we"
Pron-1AP
This is a pronoun meaning I or me, used by the speaker to refer to themselves. It is often used in the Bible to emphasize the speaker's identity.
Definition: ἐγώ, genitive, etc., ἐμοῦ, ἐμοί, ἐμέ (enclitic μου, μοι, με), pl. ἡμεῖς, -ῶν, -ῖν, -ᾶς, of person(s) pron. I. __(a) The nom. is usually emphatic, when expressed as subjc, as in Mat.3:11, Mrk.1:8, Luk.3:16, al. But often there is no apparent emphasis, as Mat.10:16, Jhn.10:17; ἰδοὺ ἐ. (= Heb. הִנֵּנִי, cf. 1Ki.3:8), Act.9:10; ἐ. (like Heb. אֲנִי), I am, Jhn.1:23 (LXX), Act.7:32 (LXX). __(b) The enclitic forms (see supr.) are used with nouns, adjectives, verbs, adverbs, where there is no emphasis: ἐν τ. πατρί μου, Jhn.14:20; μου τ. λόγους, Mat.7:24; ὀπίσω μου, Mat.3:11; ἰσχυρότερός μου, ib.; λέγει μοι, Rev.5:5; also with the prep. πρός, as Mrk.9:19, al. The full forms (ἐμοῦ, etc.) are used with the other prepositions, as δι᾽ ἐμοῦ, ἐν ἐμοί, εἰς ἐμέ, etc., also for emphasis, as Luk.10:16, Jhn.7:23, Mrk.14:7, al. __(with) The genitive μου and ἡμῶν are often used for the poss. pronouns ἐμός, ἡμέτερος: τ. λαόν μου, Mat.2:6; μου τῂ ἀπιστιᾳ, Mrk.9:24. __(d) τί ἐμοὶ καὶ σοί ( = Heb. מַה־לִי וָלָךְ, Jdg.11:12, al.), i.e. what have we in common: Mat.8:29, Mrk.1:24, 5:7, Luk.8:28, Jhn.2:4; τί γάρ μοι, 1Co.5:2. __(e) The interchange of ἐγώ and ἡμεῖς, common in π., appears in Pauline Epp. (see M, Pr., 86f., M, Th., 131f.). __(f) κἀγώ (= καὶ ἐγώ), and I, even I, I also: Mat.2:8, Luk.2:48, Jhn.6:56, Rom.3:7, 1Co.7:40, al.; κἀγώ . . . καί, both . . . and, Jhn.7:28. (AS)
Usage: Occurs in 1872 NT verses. KJV: I, me See also: 1 Corinthians 1:2; 1 Corinthians 16:24; 1 Peter 1:3.
Study Notes — 1 John 4:19
Show Verse Quote Highlights
- Context
- Cross References
- 1 John 4:19 Summary
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Reflection Questions
- Gill's Exposition on 1 John 4:19
- Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on 1 John 4:19
- Matthew Poole's Commentary on 1 John 4:19
- Trapp's Commentary on 1 John 4:19
- Ellicott's Commentary on 1 John 4:19
- Adam Clarke's Commentary on 1 John 4:19
- Cambridge Bible on 1 John 4:19
- Barnes' Notes on 1 John 4:19
- Whedon's Commentary on 1 John 4:19
- Sermons on 1 John 4:19
Context — Love Comes from God
17In this way, love has been perfected among us, so that we may have confidence on the day of judgment; for in this world we are just like Him.
18There is no fear in love, but perfect love drives out fear, because fear involves punishment. The one who fears has not been perfected in love.
19We love because He first loved us.
20If anyone says, “I love God,” but hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen. 21And we have this commandment from Him: Whoever loves God must love his brother as well.Cross References
| Reference | Text (BSB) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 John 4:10 | And love consists in this: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as the atoning sacrifice for our sins. |
| 2 | John 3:16 | For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that everyone who believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. |
| 3 | John 15:16 | You did not choose Me, but I chose you. And I appointed you to go and bear fruit—fruit that will remain—so that whatever you ask the Father in My name, He will give you. |
| 4 | Titus 3:3–5 | For at one time we too were foolish, disobedient, misled, and enslaved to all sorts of desires and pleasures—living in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another. But when the kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared, He saved us, not by the righteous deeds we had done, but according to His mercy, through the washing of new birth and renewal by the Holy Spirit. |
| 5 | 2 Corinthians 5:14–15 | For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that One died for all, therefore all died. And He died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died for them and was raised again. |
| 6 | Luke 7:47 | Therefore I tell you, because her many sins have been forgiven, she has loved much. But he who has been forgiven little loves little.” |
| 7 | Ephesians 2:3–5 | All of us also lived among them at one time, fulfilling the cravings of our flesh and indulging its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature children of wrath. But because of His great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in our trespasses. It is by grace you have been saved! |
| 8 | Galatians 5:22 | But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, |
1 John 4:19 Summary
[This verse tells us that we are able to love God and others because God first loved us. It's like a chain reaction of love - God loves us, and that enables us to love Him and others in return, as seen in 1 John 4:10. In everyday life, this means that we can show love to those around us, like our family and friends, because of the love that God has shown us, as taught in Matthew 22:37-40 where it says to love God and our neighbors.]
Frequently Asked Questions
What does it mean that God first loved us?
This means that God's love for us is the foundation and motivation for our love for Him and others, as seen in John 3:16 where it says God so loved the world that He gave His only Son.
How can we be sure that God loves us?
We can be sure of God's love for us because the Bible tells us that He demonstrated His love by sending Jesus to die for us, as stated in Romans 5:8, and because of the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives, as mentioned in Romans 8:16.
Does this verse mean that our love for God is a response to His love for us?
Yes, that's exactly what it means - our love for God is a response to His initiative of love towards us, as also seen in 1 John 4:10 where it says that love is from God.
How does this verse relate to our love for others?
This verse implies that our love for others is also a result of God's love for us, and that we cannot truly love others without first experiencing God's love, as also taught in 1 John 4:20-21 where it says that if we do not love our brothers, we cannot love God.
Reflection Questions
- What are some ways that I have experienced God's love in my life, and how have those experiences shaped my love for Him and others?
- How can I demonstrate my love for God in practical ways, and what role does obedience to His commands play in that, as mentioned in John 14:15?
- What are some things that can hinder my ability to receive and respond to God's love, and how can I overcome those hindrances?
- In what ways can I show love to those around me, and how can I use those opportunities to share God's love with them?
Gill's Exposition on 1 John 4:19
We love him, because he first loved us. Lest love to God, and so to one another, should be thought to be of ourselves, and too much be ascribed unto it, the apostle observes, that God's love to us is
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on 1 John 4:19
We love him, because he first loved us. Him. Omitted in A B: 'Aleph (') has 'God.' 'We (emphatic, on our part) love (in general, Him, the brethren, and our fellowmen), because He (emphatic: answering
Matthew Poole's Commentary on 1 John 4:19
His is the fountain love, ours but the stream: his love the inducement, the pattern, and the effective cause of ours. He that is first in love, loves freely; the other therefore loves under obligation.
Trapp's Commentary on 1 John 4:19
19 We love him, because he first loved us. Ver. 19. Because he first loved us] Mary answers not Rabboni till Christ first said unto her, Mary. Our love is but the reflex of his. And as the reflected beams of the sun are weaker than the direct, so are our affections weaker than God’ s. That is a memorable saying of a modern writer, As a great brightness of the air at midnight argueth the shining of the moon, and that presumeth an illumination of the sun, because these depend one upon another; so the diffusing of our charity on our neighbours proveth our love to God; and our love to God presumeth his love to us first, for the inseparable dependence they have on each other.
Ellicott's Commentary on 1 John 4:19
(7) THE PERFECT LOVE THE SUREST TEST (1 John 4:7-21). (a) Fraternal love the necessary product of the true knowledge of God, because God is love (1 John 4:7-8). (b) The grand recent historical exhibition of God’s love (1 John 4:9-10). (c) Our consequent duty (1 John 4:11). (d) God’s abode in us, the perfecting of His love in us, and the proof of His presence through the Spirit, are the equivalent for seeing Him (1 John 4:12-13). (e) All this is grounded on the strong, undeniable truth of the Apostolic witness to Christ (1 John 4:14-16). (f) The fearlessness which is the result of perfect love (1 John 4:17-18). (g) The cause of our love to God, and the necessary connection of that love with love to our fellows (1 John 4:19-21). This may be considered the central portion of the second half of the Epistle. Nothing could be more significant of St.
John’s teaching. Here many trains of thought which have occurred before are gathered together in one grand treatise on love, divine and human—the complement of the thirteenth chapter of the First Epistle to the Corinthians. The thought of (a) was suggested, though not in so complete and concise a form, in 1 John 3:10-11; 1 John 3:23; 1 John 2:4; 1 John 3:6; that of (b) in 1 John 3:16; 1 John 2:2; that of (c) also in 1 John 3:16; that of (d) in 1 John 2:5; 1 John 3:24; that of (e) in 1 John 1:1-2; that of (f) in 1 John 2:28; that of (g) in 1 John 2:4; 1 John 3:17. The connection with the paragraph on the trial of the spirits is very obvious: “every one that loveth is born of God;” so that the quality and quantity of our affection will be the best gauge whether we have the spirit of truth or of error. The absence of love is ignorance of God, for real knowledge of Him imparts His nature. And if any ask how we know of His love, the answer is that it was seen in His Son. In sending Him, He loved us without any love on our part. Our relation to God reminds us that we must have the same love to each other. The fact that God cannot be seen is an additional reason for mutual affection among us; for brotherly love is the demonstrable proof of His presence, and of the growing completeness of the work wrought by His love in us. The Spirit Himself, through whom our love would come, confirms the reality of God’s indwelling.
And these spiritual emotions and developments are not illusory, for they are guaranteed by the ocular and oral evidence of the Apostles to the historical Person of Christ. So the result of all this will be perfect and fearless confidence.
Adam Clarke's Commentary on 1 John 4:19
Verse 19. We love him because he first loved us.] This is the foundation of our love to God. 1. We love him because we find he has loved us. 2. We love him from a sense of obligation and gratitude. 3. We love him from the influence of his own love; from his love shed abroad in our hearts, our love to him proceeds. It is the seed whence our love springs. The verse might be rendered, Let us therefore love him, because he first loved us: thus the Syriac and Vulgate.
Cambridge Bible on 1 John 4:19
19. We love him] Omit ‘Him’, which is a later addition to the true text: some authorities for ‘Him’ add ‘God’, and some have ‘God’ for ‘He’ in the next clause. No accusative is expressed, and none, whether ‘God’ or ‘one another’, is to be understood: Christian love of every kind is meant. Authorities are much divided between ‘we love’ and ‘let us love’; for the Greek (ἀγαπῶμεν) may be either indicative or hortative subjunctive. The former is better. The Peschito and Vulgate render ‘let us love’ and with Codex A insert ‘therefore’: nos ergo diligamus.because he first loved us] We shall narrow the Apostle’s meaning if we limit this to the idea of gratitude evoking love. The ‘first’, which is the important word, means much more than that. 1. Our love owes its very origin to God’s love, from which it is an effluence (1 John 4:7). 2. Love is checked by fear when it is doubtful whether it is returned. Our love has no such check; for it knows that God’s love has been beforehand with it.
Bede compares ‘Ye did not choose Me, but I chose you’ (John 15:16).
Barnes' Notes on 1 John 4:19
We love him, because he first loved us - This passage is susceptible of two explanations; either. (1)That the fact that he first loved us is the “ground” or “reason” why we love him, or.
Whedon's Commentary on 1 John 4:19
19. He first loved us—And thus our firm and fearless love has a firm and assuring base, his antecedent love. God as love is source of all divine love in man.
Sermons on 1 John 4:19
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(Pdf Book) My All for Him / 5 Chapters by Basilea Schlink | Basilea Schlink emphasizes the necessity of 'first love' for Jesus, which is crucial for enduring the trials of our time. This love, akin to 'bridal love,' is a powerful force that |
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My Jesus, I Love Thee (Brookyln Tabernacle Service) by Jim Cymbala | Jim Cymbala emphasizes the deep love and devotion we should have for Jesus, encouraging believers to express their affection through worship and song. He reflects on the grace of G |
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Walking in the Glory by David Wilkerson | In this sermon, the preacher emphasizes the importance of experiencing and reflecting the glory of God in our lives. He highlights that this revelation of God's glory cannot be obt |
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Love by C.H. Spurgeon | In this sermon, the preacher emphasizes the fallen state of the world and the need for redemption through Jesus Christ. He describes how the world was once in perfect harmony with |
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(Genesis) Genesis 3:14-19 by J. Vernon McGee | In this sermon, the preacher discusses the judgment of the fall as described in verse 14 of the Bible. He emphasizes that God must deal with the creature He made, who has turned aw |
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Useful for the Master - Part 3 by Jackie Pullinger | This sermon emphasizes God's love and faithfulness towards His people, highlighting the sacrificial nature of Jesus' love and the call for believers to reciprocate that love by sur |
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Nicky Cruz Powerful Conversion Testimony by Nicky Cruz | Nicky Cruz shares his powerful conversion testimony, recounting his initial hostility towards the message of God's love and power to change lives. He vividly describes a confrontat |