1 John 4:7–21

God Is Love

⁷Beloved, ^jlet us love one another, for love is from God, and ^kwhoever loves has been born of God and knows God. ^8lAnyone who does not love does not know God, because ^mGod is love. ⁹In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that ⁿGod sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. ¹⁰In this is love, ^onot that we have loved God ⁿbut that he loved us and sent his Son to be ^pthe propitiation for our sins. ¹¹Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. ^12qNo one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and ^rhis love is perfected in us.

^13sBy this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. ¹⁴And ^twe have seen and testify that ^uthe Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of ^vthe world. ^15wWhoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. ¹⁶So ^xwe have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. ^yGod is love, and ^zwhoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. ¹⁷By this ^ais love perfected with us, so that ^bwe may have confidence for the day of judgment, because ^cas he is so also are we in this world. ¹⁸There is no fear in love, but ^dperfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not ^abeen perfected in love. ^19eWe love because he first loved us. ^20fIf anyone says, “I love God,” and ^ghates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot¹ love God ^hwhom he has not seen. ²¹And ⁱthis commandment we have from him: ^jwhoever loves God must also love his brother.