1 John 4:8 (DRB)

Passage

He that loveth not knoweth not God: for God is charity.

Nearby Context

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.

1 John 4:10 In this is charity: not as though we had loved God, but because he hath first loved us, and sent his Son to be a propitiation for our sins.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "loveth", "knoweth", and "charity". 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 "Dearly beloved let us love one another..." into verse 9's "By this hath the charity of God...", 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.