1 John 4:7 (DRB)

Passage

Dearly beloved, let us love one another: for charity is of God. And every one that loveth is born of God and knoweth God.

Nearby Context

1 John 4:5 They are of the world. Therefore of the world they speak: and the world heareth them.

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

1 John 4:7 Dearly beloved, let us love one another: for charity is of God. And every one that loveth is born of God and knoweth God.

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

1 John 4:9 By this hath the charity of God appeared towards us, because God hath sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we may live by him.

Study Lenses

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

The nearby context moves from verse 6's "We are of God He that knoweth..." into verse 8's "He that loveth not knoweth not God...", so "dearly" and "beloved" 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 "dearly" and "beloved" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.