1 John 4:19 (LSB)

Passage

We love, because He first loved us.

Nearby Context

1 John 4:17 By this, love has been perfected with us, so that we may have confidence in the day of judgment, because as He is, so also are we in this world.

1 John 4:18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love.

1 John 4:19 We love, because He first loved us.

1 John 4:20 If someone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for the one who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen.

1 John 4:21 And this commandment we have from Him, that the one who loves God should love his brother also.

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 someone says I love God and...", 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.