1 John 4:16

Context

First John has traditionally been attributed to the apostle John, although scholars hold differing views on its authorship. The letter is addressed to church members who had been unsettled by those who left the community (1 John 2:19) and by teaching that denied that Jesus Christ had come in the flesh (1 John 4:2-3). The author sets before them both right confession and a life of mutual love as the tests of genuine faith.

First John 4:7-21 is a passage devoted to the theme of love. The statement "God is love" first appears in verse 8 and recurs in verse 16. The author says that this love was revealed when God sent his Son to be the propitiation (a sacrifice that atones for sin and reconciles people to God) (4:9-10). Verse 16 sums up the preceding discussion with the confession "we have known and believed." The verb "dwell" (to abide or remain) occurs frequently in the Johannine writings and denotes ongoing fellowship with God.

Interpretation

• As a statement about the nature of God: Many commentators read the statement to mean that love is not merely one of God's many actions but a quality that pervades his whole being. At the same time, they emphasize that this love is not a vague sentiment but is defined by the concrete event of God's sending of Christ.
• Augustine's reading: In his homilies on First John, Augustine treated love as the central theme of the letter. In On the Trinity (De Trinitate), he took up this verse in his discussion of the Holy Spirit as love, using it to explain the Trinity.
• The Reformed reading: The Reformed tradition regards a life of dwelling in love not as the cause of salvation but as the fruit and evidence that appear in those united with God. For this reason the verse is often cited in discussions of assurance of salvation.
• The Wesleyan reading: Wesleyan theology, inherited by the Methodist and Holiness traditions, gives special weight to this verse together with the "perfect love" of verses 17-18, which immediately follow. It reads the verse as pointing to the goal of sanctification (the process of being made holy), in which love for God and neighbor fills the heart.

Questions of Application

• The verse is sometimes quoted in reverse as "Love is God." Many commentators point out that the structure of the original text does not allow the two terms to be interchanged.
• A further question is how to speak of God's love together with his holiness and justice. Some worry that emphasizing love alone obscures the problems of sin and judgment. Others contend, conversely, that preaching that puts judgment first obscures the center of this verse.
• Some read the verse broadly to mean that everyone who loves is in God and use it as grounds for religious pluralism. In response, others argue that the verse must be read in context, since the immediately preceding verse 15 says that God dwells in whoever "shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God."

In the Korean Church

Because it is short and easy to memorize, the verse is frequently used as a Sunday school memory verse, a church motto, and the like.

Related Passages

• 1 John 4:8
• 1 John 4:9-12
• 1 John 4:20-21
• John 15:1-8
• John 17:20-23