1 John 4:8 (ASV)

Passage

He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.

Nearby Context

1 John 4:6 We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he who is not of God heareth us not. By this we know the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error.

1 John 4:7 Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is begotten of God, and knoweth God.

1 John 4:8 He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.

1 John 4:9 Herein was the love of God manifested in us, that God hath 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.

Study Lenses

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

The nearby context moves from verse 7's "Beloved let us love one another for..." into verse 9's "Herein was the love of God manifested...", so "loveth" and "knoweth" 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 "loveth" and "knoweth" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.