1 John 4:20 (LSB)

Passage

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.

Nearby Context

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 God", "someone", "says", "hates", "brother", "liar", and "does". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "love God" and "someone", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 19's "We love because He first loved us..." into verse 21's "And this commandment we have from Him...", so "love God" and "someone" 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 "someone" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.