1 John 4:11 (KJV)

Passage

Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.

Nearby Context

1 John 4:9 In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him.

1 John 4:10 Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

1 John 4:11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.

1 John 4:12 No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us.

1 John 4:13 Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "beloved", "ought", and "another". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "beloved" and "ought", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 10's "Herein is love not that we loved..." into verse 12's "No man hath seen God at any...", so "beloved" and "ought" belong inside that flow. In 1 John context, the local focus is Christ, faith, and discipleship.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "beloved" and "ought" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.