1 John 4:10 (WEB)

Passage

In this is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son as the atoning sacrifice for our sins.

Nearby Context

1 John 4:8 He who doesn’t love doesn’t know God, for God is love.

1 John 4:9 By this God’s love was revealed in us, that God has sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him.

1 John 4:10 In this is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son as the atoning sacrifice for our sins.

1 John 4:11 Beloved, if God loved us in this way, we also ought to love one another.

1 John 4:12 No one has seen God at any time. If we love one another, God remains in us, and his love has been perfected in us.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "love", "loved", "sent", "atoning", "sacrifice", and "sins". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "love" and "loved", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 9's "By this God s love was revealed..." into verse 11's "Beloved if God loved us in this...", so "love" and "loved" 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 "loved" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.