1 John 4:19 (DRB)

Passage

Let us therefore love God: because God first hath loved us.

Nearby Context

1 John 4:17 In this is the charity of God perfected with us, that we may have confidence in the day of judgment: because as he is, we also are in this world.

1 John 4:18 Fear is not in charity: but perfect charity casteth out fear, because fear hath sin. And he that feareth is not perfected in charity.

1 John 4:19 Let us therefore love God: because God first hath loved us.

1 John 4:20 If any man say: I love God, and hateth his brother; he is a liar. For he that loveth not his brother whom he seeth, how can he love God whom he seeth not?

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

Study Lenses

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

The nearby context moves from verse 18's "Fear is not in charity but perfect..." into verse 20's "If any man say I love God...", so "love God" and "therefore" 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 God" and "therefore" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.