God is Love

4:7 Dear friends, let us love one another, because17 love is from God, and everyone who loves18 has been fathered19 by God and knows God. 4:8 The person who does not love does not know God, because God is love.20 4:9 By this21 the love of God22 is revealed in us:23 that God has sent his one and only24 Son into the world so that we may live through him. 4:10 In this25 is love: not that26 we have loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice27 for our sins.

4:11 Dear friends, if God so loved us, then28 we also ought to love one another.29 4:12 No one has seen God at any time.30 If we love one another, God resides31 in us, and his love is perfected in us.32 4:13 By this33 we know that we reside in God34 and he in us: in that he has given us of his Spirit.35 4:14 And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son to be the Savior36 of the world.

4:15 If anyone37 confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God resides38 in him and he in God. 4:16 And we have come to know and to believe39 the love that God has in us.40 God is love, and the one who resides41 in love resides in God, and God resides in him. 4:17 By this42 love is perfected with43 us, so that we may have confidence in the day of judgment, because just as Jesus44 is, so also are we in this world. 4:18 There is no fear in love, but perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment.45 The46 one who fears punishment47 has not been perfected in love. 4:19 We love48 because he loved us first.

4:20 If anyone says49 “I love God” and yet50 hates his fellow Christian,51 he is a liar, because the one who does not love his fellow Christian52 whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen.53 4:21 And the commandment we have from him is this: that54 the one who loves God should love his fellow Christian55 too. 5:1 Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ1 has been fathered2 by God, and everyone who loves the father3 loves the child fathered by him.4 5:2 By this5 we know that we love the children of God: whenever we love God and obey his commandments. 5:3 For6 this is the love of God:7 that we keep his commandments.8 And his commandments do not weigh us down, 5:4 because9 everyone10 who has been fathered by God11 conquers12 the world.13