1 John 4:16 kjv
And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.
1 John 4:16 nkjv
And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him.
1 John 4:16 niv
And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them.
1 John 4:16 esv
So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.
1 John 4:16 nlt
We know how much God loves us, and we have put our trust in his love. God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them.
1 John 4 16 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Deu 6:5 | You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart... | Command to love God |
| Ex 34:6-7 | The LORD, the LORD, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love... | God's character revealed |
| Psa 86:15 | But You, O Lord, are a God full of compassion, and gracious, Longsuffering and abundant in mercy and truth. | God's merciful and loving nature |
| Jer 9:24 | Let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows Me... | Knowing God is the true boast |
| Hos 6:3 | Let us know, Let us pursue the knowledge of the LORD. | Pursuit of knowing God |
| Mt 22:37-38 | You shall love the LORD your God...This is the first and great commandment. | Foremost command is to love God |
| Jn 3:16 | For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son... | God's supreme demonstration of love |
| Jn 13:34-35 | A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another...By this all will know... | Love for others as a mark of discipleship |
| Jn 14:20 | At that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you. | Mutual indwelling with Christ |
| Jn 14:23 | If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him. | God makes His home with those who love Him |
| Jn 15:4-5 | Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you... | Necessity of abiding in Christ for fruit |
| Jn 15:9-10 | As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love. If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love... | Abiding in Christ's love by obedience |
| Jn 17:3 | And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent. | Eternal life is knowing God |
| Rom 5:5 | ...the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit... | God's love poured into us |
| Rom 5:8 | But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. | God's active demonstration of love |
| Rom 8:9-10 | ...But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His. And if Christ is in you... | Spirit's indwelling |
| Rom 8:39 | ...nor any created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. | Nothing can separate from God's love |
| 1 Cor 13:4-7 | Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself... | Attributes of love (agape) |
| Eph 2:4-5 | But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses... | God's love in salvation |
| Eph 3:17-19 | ...that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith...to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge... | Rooted in love and knowing Christ's love |
| Php 3:10 | that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings... | Experiential knowledge of Christ |
| Heb 11:6 | But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is... | Belief necessary to approach God |
| 1 Jn 2:5 | But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him. | Obedience perfects love and confirms dwelling |
| 1 Jn 4:7-8 | Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God, for God is love. | Immediate context; Love from God and its sign |
| 1 Jn 4:12 | No one has seen God at any time. If we love one another, God abides in us, and His love has been perfected in us. | God abiding through love |
| 1 Jn 4:18 | There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear... | Consequence of perfect love |
| 1 Jn 5:3 | For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. | Love for God is obedience |
1 John 4 verses
1 John 4 16 Meaning
This verse declares the fundamental truth that God's very nature is love and affirms that believers have experientially come to know and trust this divine love He has demonstrated towards humanity. It then explains the profound mutual indwelling: whoever consistently lives immersed in and expresses this love from God, dwells in union with God, and God, in turn, dwells within them.
1 John 4 16 Context
1 John chapter 4 is fundamentally about distinguishing true spiritual teaching and authentic faith from deceptive error. Immediately prior to verse 16, John emphasizes the importance of testing the spirits (1 Jn 4:1-6) and reiterates that love is from God (1 Jn 4:7). The powerful declaration "God is love" appears twice, first in 1 Jn 4:8 to condemn those who do not love as not knowing God, and then in 1 Jn 4:16 to establish the basis of true spiritual life. The surrounding verses elaborate on how God demonstrated His love by sending His Son (1 Jn 4:9-10) and the expectation for believers to love one another as a result (1 Jn 4:11-12). This section counters the Gnostic-like heresies prevalent at the time, which often downplayed the physical incarnation of Christ and detached spiritual knowledge from practical ethics. John contends that true knowledge of God is inextricably linked to living out His character, most notably love.
1 John 4 16 Word analysis
- And we: Links this statement directly to previous truths about God's nature and actions. "We" signifies the community of believers who share this experience.
- have known (Greek: γινώσκω - ginosko): Implies an intimate, personal, and experiential knowledge, not merely intellectual understanding. It suggests a process of coming to understand something through direct interaction and relationship, leading to profound conviction.
- and believed (Greek: πιστεύω - pisteuo): Signifies trust, faith, and reliance. It complements "known" by adding the element of personal commitment and active reliance on that knowledge. We have not just apprehended God's love intellectually, but we have placed our trust and confidence in it.
- the love: Refers to agape (ἀγάπη), the divine, unconditional, self-sacrificial love, characteristic of God Himself. It is God's active goodwill and benevolent regard.
- that God has for us: Highlights the source and direction of this love. It originates from God and is directed towards humanity, specifically believers. It is an active, ongoing attribute and disposition of God.
- God is love (Greek: ὁ θεὸς ἀγάπη ἐστίν - ho theos agape estin): This is a definitive, declarative statement about God's intrinsic essence. Love is not merely an attribute or action of God, but His very nature and character. While God is also light, spirit, and truth, His essence as agape defines how He relates to His creation and governs His actions, including justice and wrath. It's a statement of identity, not a reversible equation (love is not God).
- and he who abides (Greek: ὁ μένων - ho menon): Describes a continuous, persistent dwelling or remaining. It implies a settled and constant state of communion and participation. It is not a temporary visit but an ongoing pattern of life and relationship. This echoes John's constant theme of abiding in Christ (Jn 15).
- in love: Means living according to the nature and principles of God's agape. It involves not only receiving God's love but also manifesting it towards others, consistent with 1 John's repeated emphasis on loving fellow believers.
- abides in God: Denotes an intimate spiritual union. The person living in God's agape finds their continuous dwelling place, their spiritual home, in God's presence and nature. It signifies fellowship and being rooted in God.
- and God in him: Completes the mutual indwelling. Just as the believer is rooted in God, God's Spirit and presence reside within the believer. This reciprocal indwelling is a mark of genuine relationship and spiritual transformation, enabling the believer to live a life reflective of God's character.
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