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1 John 4:7-21
New International Version
1 John 4:7-21
New International Version
God’s Love and Ours
7 Dear friends, let us love one another,(A) for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God(B) and knows God.(C) 8 Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.(D) 9 This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son(E) into the world that we might live through him.(F) 10 This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us(G) and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.(H) 11 Dear friends,(I) since God so loved us,(J) we also ought to love one another.(K) 12 No one has ever seen God;(L) but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.(M)
13 This is how we know(N) that we live in him and he in us: He has given us of his Spirit.(O) 14 And we have seen and testify(P) that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world.(Q) 15 If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God,(R) God lives in them and they in God.(S) 16 And so we know and rely on the love God has for us.
God is love.(T) Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them.(U) 17 This is how love is made complete(V) among us so that we will have confidence(W) on the day of judgment:(X) In this world we are like Jesus. 18 There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear,(Y) because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.
19 We love because he first loved us.(Z) 20 Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister(AA) is a liar.(AB) For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen,(AC) cannot love God, whom they have not seen.(AD) 21 And he has given us this command:(AE) Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister.(AF)
1 John 4:7-21
New American Standard Bible
1 John 4:7-21
New American Standard Bible
God Is Love
7 (A)Beloved, let’s (B)love one another; for love is from God, and (C)everyone who loves has been (D)born of God and (E)knows God. 8 The one who does not love does not know God, because (F)God is love. 9 By this the love of God was revealed [a](G)in us, that (H)God has sent His only Son into the world so that we may live through Him. 10 In this is love, (I)not that we loved God, but that (J)He loved us and sent His Son to be (K)the [b]propitiation for our sins. 11 (L)Beloved, if God so loved us, (M)we also ought to love one another. 12 (N)No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God remains in us, and His (O)love is perfected in us. 13 (P)By this we know that we remain in Him and He in us, because He has given to us of His Spirit. 14 We have seen and (Q)testify that the Father has (R)sent the Son to be the Savior of the world.
15 (S)Whoever confesses that (T)Jesus is the Son of God, God (U)remains in him, and he in God. 16 (V)We have come to know and have believed the love which God has [c](W)for us. (X)God is love, and the one who (Y)remains in love remains in God, and God remains in him. 17 By this, (Z)love is perfected with us, so that we may have (AA)confidence in (AB)the day of judgment; because (AC)as He is, we also are in this world. 18 There is no fear in love, but (AD)perfect love drives out fear, because fear [d]involves punishment, and the one who fears is not (AE)perfected in love. 19 (AF)We love, because He first loved us. 20 (AG)If someone says, “I love God,” and yet he (AH)hates his brother or sister, he is a (AI)liar; for (AJ)the one who does not love his brother and sister whom he has seen, (AK)cannot love God, whom he has not seen. 21 And (AL)this commandment we have from Him, that the one who loves God (AM)must also love his brother and sister.
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- 1 John 4:9 Or among us; or in our case
- 1 John 4:10 I.e., means of reconciliation with God by atoning for sins; or sin-offering
- 1 John 4:16 Lit in
- 1 John 4:18 Lit has
1 John 4:7-21
English Standard Version
1 John 4:7-21
English Standard Version
God Is Love
7 Beloved, (A)let us love one another, for love is from God, and (B)whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 (C)Anyone who does not love does not know God, because (D)God is love. 9 In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that (E)God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. 10 In this is love, (F)not that we have loved God (G)but that he loved us and sent his Son to be (H)the propitiation for our sins. 11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 12 (I)No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and (J)his love is perfected in us.
13 (K)By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. 14 And (L)we have seen and testify that (M)the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of (N)the world. 15 (O)Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. 16 So (P)we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. (Q)God is love, and (R)whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. 17 By this (S)is love perfected with us, so that (T)we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because (U)as he is so also are we in this world. 18 There is no fear in love, but (V)perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not (W)been perfected in love. 19 (X)We love because he first loved us. 20 (Y)If anyone says, “I love God,” and (Z)hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot[a] love God (AA)whom he has not seen. 21 And (AB)this commandment we have from him: (AC)whoever loves God must also love his brother.
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- 1 John 4:20 Some manuscripts how can he
1 John 4:7-21
The Message
1 John 4:7-21
The Message
God Is Love
7-10 My beloved friends, let us continue to love each other since love comes from God. Everyone who loves is born of God and experiences a relationship with God. The person who refuses to love doesn’t know the first thing about God, because God is love—so you can’t know him if you don’t love. This is how God showed his love for us: God sent his only Son into the world so we might live through him. This is the kind of love we are talking about—not that we once upon a time loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to clear away our sins and the damage they’ve done to our relationship with God.
11-12 My dear, dear friends, if God loved us like this, we certainly ought to love each other. No one has seen God, ever. But if we love one another, God dwells deeply within us, and his love becomes complete in us—perfect love!
13-16 This is how we know we’re living steadily and deeply in him, and he in us: He’s given us life from his life, from his very own Spirit. Also, we’ve seen for ourselves and continue to state openly that the Father sent his Son as Savior of the world. Everyone who confesses that Jesus is God’s Son participates continuously in an intimate relationship with God. We know it so well, we’ve embraced it heart and soul, this love that comes from God.
To Love, to Be Loved
17-18 God is love. When we take up permanent residence in a life of love, we live in God and God lives in us. This way, love has the run of the house, becomes at home and mature in us, so that we’re free of worry on Judgment Day—our standing in the world is identical with Christ’s. There is no room in love for fear. Well-formed love banishes fear. Since fear is crippling, a fearful life—fear of death, fear of judgment—is one not yet fully formed in love.
19 We, though, are going to love—love and be loved. First we were loved, now we love. He loved us first.
20-21 If anyone boasts, “I love God,” and goes right on hating his brother or sister, thinking nothing of it, he is a liar. If he won’t love the person he can see, how can he love the God he can’t see? The command we have from Christ is blunt: Loving God includes loving people. You’ve got to love both.
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1 John 4:7-21
New Living Translation
1 John 4:7-21
New Living Translation
Loving One Another
7 Dear friends, let us continue to love one another, for love comes from God. Anyone who loves is a child of God and knows God. 8 But anyone who does not love does not know God, for God is love.
9 God showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him. 10 This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.
11 Dear friends, since God loved us that much, we surely ought to love each other. 12 No one has ever seen God. But if we love each other, God lives in us, and his love is brought to full expression in us.
13 And God has given us his Spirit as proof that we live in him and he in us. 14 Furthermore, we have seen with our own eyes and now testify that the Father sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. 15 All who declare that Jesus is the Son of God have God living in them, and they live in God. 16 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. 17 And as we live in God, our love grows more perfect. So we will not be afraid on the day of judgment, but we can face him with confidence because we live like Jesus here in this world.
18 Such love has no fear, because perfect love expels all fear. If we are afraid, it is for fear of punishment, and this shows that we have not fully experienced his perfect love. 19 We love each other[a] because he loved us first.
20 If someone says, “I love God,” but hates a fellow believer,[b] that person is a liar; for if we don’t love people we can see, how can we love God, whom we cannot see? 21 And he has given us this command: Those who love God must also love their fellow believers.[c]
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New International Version (NIV) 
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.
New American Standard Bible (NASB) 
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.
English Standard Version (ESV) 
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
The Message (MSG)
Copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson
New Living Translation (NLT)
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.