1 John 4
1 John 4 is the great chapter on love — testing the spirits, and the declaration that God is love, that he first loved us, and that perfect love casts out fear.
The Book of 1 John · New Testament · chapter 4 of 5.
Where this chapter sits
Writing to a community still unsettled after a group had broken away, the author gives a test for evaluating traveling teachers, whether they confess Christ as having come in real flesh. From that concern, the passage moves into an extended meditation on love, treating right belief and genuine love for other believers as two evidences of the same source. Its closing lines connect love to confidence rather than dread on a coming day of judgment.
Key verses (KJV)
“God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.” — 1 John 4:16 (KJV)
“There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear.” — 1 John 4:18 (KJV)
What to notice as you read
God is love appears twice as a declaration, framing the chapter's center, while the test offered earlier uses the hereby know formula found elsewhere in the letter. Near the close, fear and love are set against each other, torment tied to fear and confidence tied to love made complete.
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Read the full text of 1 John 4 in Quiethaven — choose your translation, read offline, and pick up where you left off. Pair it with a daily verse and a prayer timer.
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Frequently asked questions
Where does 1 John 4 come in 1 John?
It is chapter 4 of 5 in 1 John, a book of Epistle in the New Testament. The other widely-read chapters of 1 John are linked further down this page.
Where can I read 1 John 4?
Read the full text of 1 John 4 — and the whole Bible, offline, in your preferred translation — free in the Quiethaven app for iPhone.