Bible Strands
1 John 4:14
And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent His Son to be the Savior of the world.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — John writes to a community under pressure from teachers who deny the incarnation, in the middle of an argument linking the Spirit's indwelling (v.13) to the confession that Jesus is the Son of God (v.15). The "we" is the apostolic witness group; the audience is the believing community being tested.
The words — τεθεάμεθα (tetheametha), perfect passive of ὁράω "to see," carries a completed act whose result persists: the seeing is done, but its evidential force is still operative. It pairs with the present μαρτυροῦμεν (marturoumen) "we testify," marking the testimony as ongoing out of that finished encounter.
The thread — 1 John 1:1–3 uses the same "we have seen / we proclaim" structure; John 1:14 records the seeing of glory; John 4:42 and 12:47 use the identical "Savior of the world" phrase.
Why it lands — The verse makes the universal claim "Savior of the world" rest on a particular, witnessed event rather than on doctrinal consensus. It places the reader in a chain: those who saw, those who now testify, and the one who must decide whether to confess (v.15).
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Greek words
King James Version
And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world.
Cross-references
- 1 John 4:10 And love consists in this: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as the atoning sacrifice for our sins.
- John 3:16 For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that everyone who believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.
- John 1:14 The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the one and only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.
- John 4:42 They said to the woman, “We now believe not only because of your words; we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man truly is the Savior of the world.”
- John 1:29 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!
- John 15:26 When the Advocate comes, whom I will send to you from the Father—the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father—He will testify about Me.
- 1 John 2:1 My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you will not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate before the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One.
- 1 Peter 5:12 Through Silvanus, whom I regard as a faithful brother, I have written to you briefly, encouraging you and testifying that this is the true grace of God. Stand firm in it.
- 1 John 5:9 Even if we accept human testimony, the testimony of God is greater. For this is the testimony that God has given about His Son.
- John 3:34 For the One whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God gives the Spirit without limit.