1 John 4:7

Beloved, let us love one another, because love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.

Berean Standard Bible

Study note

Setting — The author writes to fellow believers ("Beloved") to exhort them to mutual love immediately after distinguishing the Spirit of truth from the spirit of deception. He establishes this instruction as a practical marker of spiritual origin.

The words — The Greek ἀγαπῶμεν (agapōmen) means "we may love," while ἡ ἀγάπη (hē agapē) literally translates to "the love," which the text identifies as originating from God. These terms function to define both the source and the active practice of Christian affection.

The thread — The connection between love, divine origin, and spiritual knowledge runs through 1 John 4:8 and 1 John 4:20, which treat failure to love as proof of not knowing God. It also aligns with 1 Peter 1:22, which ties purified souls to genuine love for brothers.

Why it lands — The text states that everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. It requires readers to evaluate their spiritual reality by their actual practice of loving others.

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

Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God.

Cross-references

1 John 4:20 If anyone says, “I love God,” but hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen.
1 John 4:8 Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.
1 Peter 1:22 Since you have purified your souls by obedience to the truth so that you have a genuine love for your brothers, love one another deeply, from a pure heart.
1 John 2:10 Whoever loves his brother remains in the light, and there is no cause of stumbling in him.
Galatians 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
1 Thessalonians 4:9 Now about brotherly love, you do not need anyone to write to you, because you yourselves have been taught by God to love one another.
2 Timothy 1:7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and self-control.
1 John 4:12 No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God remains in us, and His love is perfected in us.
1 John 3:10 By this the children of God are distinguished from the children of the devil: Anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is anyone who does not love his brother.
1 John 2:29 If you know that He is righteous, you also know that everyone who practices righteousness has been born of Him.