For February 8
1 John 4 teaches that God is love (1 John 4:8), and that his love was shown most clearly when he sent Jesus to be the sacrifice for our sins. Because God loved us first, his children are called to love one another. This study walks through 1 John 4:7-21 and what it means for everyday faith.
Key Takeaways
- God’s love is part of his very character, not just something he does (1 John 4:8).
- God defined love at the cross: he sent his Son as the sacrifice that turns away wrath for our sins (1 John 4:10).
- Love for others is evidence that God has given us new birth and that we know him.
- God’s perfect love removes the fear of judgment for those who trust Christ.
- We love because God loved us first (1 John 4:19): our love is always a response.
The Setting: Testing the Spirits
The apostle John wrote this letter to churches shaken by false teachers who had left the fellowship (1 John 2:19). Chapter 4 opens with a warning not to believe every spirit, but to test them to see whether they come from God (1 John 4:1). The test is the truth about Jesus: every spirit that acknowledges Jesus Christ came as a real human being is from God (4:2). John reassures believers that the Spirit living in them is stronger than the spirit at work in the world (4:4).
Then John turns from right belief to right love. For him the two belong together. Knowing the true Jesus always produces real love.
Verse-by-Verse Study
Love comes from God (verses 7-8)
John urges believers to love one another, because love comes from God, and each person who loves is God’s child and knows him (1 John 4:7). John isn’t saying any kind affection proves someone is a Christian. He’s talking about the self-giving love that God himself plants in a new heart. The flip side is blunt: “Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love” (1 John 4:8, ESV).
Saying God is love doesn’t mean love is God, or that God is only love. Scripture also says God is light (1:5) and holy. It means everything God does is loving, and his love is perfectly holy and just.
Love made visible (verses 9-10)
How do we know what love is? John points to the gospel: God showed his love by sending his one and only Son so that we could have life through him (1 John 4:9). Then he defines love: it isn’t our love for God, but his love for us, shown when he sent his Son as the sacrifice for our sins (4:10).
Propitiation means a sacrifice that turns away God’s righteous anger against sin. God’s love didn’t ignore our sin; it dealt with it at enormous cost. Paul says the same: God proved his love in that Christ died for us when we were still sinners (Romans 5:8).
Love passed on (verses 11-12)
Since God loved us this much, John says, we owe each other that same love (1 John 4:11). The logic is simple. Love received becomes love given. John adds that nobody has seen God, yet when we love each other, God makes his home within us, and that love reaches its full goal within us (4:12). People can’t see God, but they can see his love in his people.
Abiding in love (verses 13-16)
God gives assurance through his Spirit (4:13), through the apostles’ testimony that the Father sent his Son as the world’s Savior (4:14), and through confessing that Jesus is God’s Son (4:15). John then repeats the chapter’s theme: God is love, and anyone who lives in love lives in God, with God living in that person too (4:16).
Love that casts out fear (verses 17-18)
Love has no room for fear; complete love drives fear out (1 John 4:18). John means the fear of punishment on judgment day. Those who rest in Christ’s sacrifice can face God with confidence (4:17). Their standing doesn’t depend on how well they love but on how well they are loved.
Love that shows (verses 19-21)
We love because God loved us first (1 John 4:19). And love for God can’t be separated from love for people: anyone who claims to love God while hating his brother is lying (4:20). The command is clear: whoever loves God must love his brother too (4:21).
What This Means for You
You are loved first. Before you did anything, God loved you and sent his Son. Your relationship with him starts with his initiative, not yours.
Love is defined by the cross. Culture often defines love as a feeling or approval of everything. John defines it as self-giving sacrifice for someone’s good.
Love is the family resemblance. God’s children come to look like their Father. Ask whom you find hard to love, and pray for grace toward them.
Fear doesn’t have to rule you. If you trust Christ, judgment day holds no terror. Let his love settle your heart.
For more Scripture on this theme, see our Bible verses about love and our devotional on God’s love. John’s Gospel tells the same story; start with John 3:16 meaning or explore more in our Gospel study series.
Discussion Questions
- How does 1 John 4:10 change the way you define love?
- Why do you think John ties right belief about Jesus to love for others?
- Where do you struggle to love another believer?
- How does the promise that God’s perfect love drives out fear encourage you?
More devotionals
Frequently Asked Questions
What does “God is love” mean in 1 John 4?
It means love is central to God’s very nature, so everything he does is loving. John shows what that love looks like: God sent his one and only Son so that we could have life through him (1 John 4:9). It doesn’t mean love itself is God.
What is the main message of 1 John 4?
Test teaching by the truth about Jesus, and show you know God by loving others. God loved us first by sending Jesus as the sacrifice for our sins, so his children are called to love one another (1 John 4:10-11).
What does propitiation mean in 1 John 4:10?
Propitiation is a sacrifice that turns away God’s just anger against sin. Jesus’ death satisfied God’s justice so sinners could be forgiven. John calls this the clearest definition of love.
What does it mean that perfect love drives out fear?
It refers to fear of judgment. Those who trust in Christ’s finished work don’t need to dread facing God. His complete love gives them confidence for judgment day (1 John 4:17-18).
Who wrote 1 John?
The letter has been attributed since the early church to the apostle John, the author of the Gospel of John. Its themes of light, love, truth, and abiding closely echo his Gospel.
A Prayer
Father, thank you for loving me first and sending your Son for my sins. Fill me with your love, and help me love others the way you’ve loved me. Cast out my fear, and let people see your love in my life. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Related: the full John study
Related: Valentine’s Day Devotional: This Is Love (1 John 4:10)
Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway. Used by permission. All rights reserved.