1 John 4:19 (DBY)

Passage

*We* love because *he* has first loved us.

Nearby Context

1 John 4:17 Herein has love been perfected with us that we may have boldness in the day of judgment, that even as *he* is, *we* also are in this world.

1 John 4:18 There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear; for fear has torment, and he that fears has not been made perfect in love.

1 John 4:19 *We* love because *he* has first loved us.

1 John 4:20 If any one say, I love God, and hate his brother, he is a liar: for he that loves not his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen?

1 John 4:21 And this commandment have we from him, That he that loves God love also his brother.

Study Lenses

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

The nearby context moves from verse 18's "There is no fear in love but..." into verse 20's "If any one say I love God...", so "love" and "first" 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 "love" and "first" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.