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Expositor's Greek Testament (Nicoll)

1 John 4:10

The love which proves us children of God is not native to our hearts. It is inspired by the amazing love of God manifested in the Incarnation the infinite Sacrifice of His Son's life and death. Aug.: “Non illum dileximus prius: nam ad hoc nos dilexit, ut diligamus eum.” ἀπέστειλεν : the aor. is used here because the Incarnation is regarded as a distinct event, a historic landmark.

Having inculcated love, the Apostle indicates two incentives thereto: (1) God's love for us imposes on us a moral obligation to love one another (1 John 4:11-16 a); (2) If we have love in our hearts, fear is cast out (1 John 4:16-18).

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See also 1 John 4:10 in other biblical comments:

  • A Textual Commentary On The Greek New Testament by Bruce M. Metzger

    1 JOHN 4:10 hvgaph,kamen {B} As concerns the weight of external evidence, the two readings are more or less equally supported. From a transcriptional point of view, scribes would be likely to assimi...

  • Adam Clarke Bible Commentary

    Verse 10. _NOT THAT WE LOVED GOD_] And that he was thereby induced to give his Son _to be a propitiation for our sins_. No: we were enemies to God, and yet Christ died for our ungodly souls. (See Roma...

  • Albert Barnes' Bible Commentary

    HEREIN IS LOVE - In this great gift is the highest expression of love, as if it had done all that it can do. NOT THAT WE LOVED GOD - Not that we were in such a state that we might suppose he would mak...

  • Annotated Bible by A.C. Gaebelein

    V. HEREBY WE KNOW Chapter S 3:19-5:13 _ 1. Hereby we know that we are of the truth (1 John 3:19)_ 2. Hereby know ye the Spirit of God (1 John 4:1) 3. Hereby know we the Spirit of truth and of error...

  • Arthur Peake's Commentary on the Bible

    John returns to the theme of 1 John 3:14 ff., be cause if the Church is the home of truth, still more is it the home of love. The evidence for our Divine sonship is that the love manifested by God in...

  • Barclay Daily Study Bible (NT)

    THE PERILS OF THE SURGING LIFE OF THE SPIRIT (1 John 3:24 B- 1 John 4:1) _ 4:1 This is how we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit which he gave to us. Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but t...

  • Barclay Daily Study Bible (NT)

    Beloved, let us love one another, because love has its source in God, and everyone who loves has God as the source of his birth and knows God. He who does not love has not come to know God. In this Go...

  • Bullinger's Companion Bible Notes

    HEREIN. In (App-104.) this. PROPITIATION. Greek. _hilasmos._ Only here and 1 John 2:2. Compare Romans 3:25. FOR. concerning. App-104. SINS. App-128....

  • Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

    1 John 2:29 to 1 John 5:12. God is Love There seems to be no serious break in the Epistle from this point onwards until we reach the concluding verses which form a sort of summary (1 John 5:13-21). T...

  • Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

    _Herein is love_ -Herein" again refers to what follows: Love in Its full perfection is seen, not in man's love to God, but in His to man, which reached a climax in His sending His Son to save us from...

  • Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

    Love is the Mark of the Children of the God who is Love 7. _Beloved, let us love one another_ See on 1 John 3:2. The transition seems abrupt, as if the Apostle had summarily dismissed an unwelcome sub...

  • Cambridge Greek Testament for Schools and Colleges Commentary

    10. For ἠγαπήσαμεν ([728]3[729]) we should perhaps read ἠγαπήκαμεν ([730]): [731]1 has the impossible ἠγάπησεν. [728] 4th century. Discovered by Tischendorf in 1859 at the monastery of S. Catherine on...

  • Cambridge Greek Testament for Schools and Colleges Commentary

    1 John 2:29 to 1 John 5:12. GOD IS LOVE There seems to be no serious break in the Epistle from this point onwards until we reach the concluding verses which form a sort of summary (1 John 5:13-21). Th...

  • Cambridge Greek Testament for Schools and Colleges Commentary

    7–21. LOVE IS THE MARK OF THE CHILDREN OF THE GOD WHO IS LOVE...

  • Charles Rose Commentaries

    ΆΓΆΠΗ (G26) любовь; здесь: качество истинной любви. Подлинная любовь самоотверженна (Brooke). О значении любви _см._ DLNT, 694-700. ΉΓΑΠΉΚΑΜΕΝ _perf. ind. act. от_ ΆΓΑΠΆΩ (G25) любить. Использование p...

  • Charles Simeon's Horae Homileticae

    DISCOURSE: 2455 THE LOVE OF GOD IN GIVING HIS SON FOR US 1 John 4:9. _In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only-begotten Son into the world, that we might live...

  • Coke's Commentary on the Holy Bible

    BUT THAT HE LOVED US,— St. John's meaning is, that God loved us for it. See 1 John 4:19. Men are generally very ready to love those by whom they are first loved: now, such was the astonishing love of...

  • College Press Bible Study Textbook Series

    HEREBY WE KNOW PART IV 1 John 4:7-21; 1 John 5:1-21 GOD IS LOVE Divine Sonship Tested By The Inter-Relationship Of: 1. Love 2. Faith 3. Righteousness CHAPTER XII _THE SOURCE OF LOVE_...

  • Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible

    Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. HEREIN IS LOVE - love in the abstract, in its highest ideal, is herein. The love...

  • Commentary on the Minor Epistles by Caton

    VERSE 10. HEREIN IS LOVE. The highest and grandest exhibition of love ever known, or that can be known in the universe, God manifested to man. While man loved not while man was an enemy to God God sen...

  • Concordant Commentary on the New Testament by A. E. Knoch

    3 The spirit of antichrist is the spirit of the world. It does not want the Christ of the Scriptures, but prefers some substitute more suited to its taste. This spirit has come to pervade, not only th...

  • Dummelow's Commentary on the Bible

    FELLOWSHIP WITH GOD IN LOVE 1. Try the spirits] RV 'Prove the spirits.' The verb is used of testing metals. 2, 3. See on 2 John 1:7....

  • EasyEnglish Bible Commentaries

    HOW CAN I BE SURE? 1 JOHN _IAN MACKERVOY_ CHAPTER 4 TEST THE *SPIRITS TO SEE IF THEY ARE TRUE (1 JOHN 4:1-6) V1 My friends, do not believe every *spirit. First, make sure where they are from. Se...

  • EasyEnglish Bible Commentaries

    This love is not the same as any other kind of love. In the *Greek language, John used a different word for this love. It is not the normal human love. It is a love that comes from God. God is the onl...

  • Ellicott's Commentary On The Whole Bible

    THE PERFECT LOVE THE SUREST TEST (1 John 4:7). (_a_) _Fraternal love the necessary product of the true knowledge of God, because God is love_ (1 John 4:7). (_b_) _The grand recent historical exhibi...

  • Frederick Brotherton Meyer's Commentary

    THE TOKEN OF GOD'S LOVE 1 John 4:1 In those days the intense ferment of men's minds wrought many delusions and heresies which were fraught with temptation to young converts, and the Apostle wished to...

  • G. Campbell Morgan's Exposition on the Whole Bible

    Two closely related perils threaten our fellowship with God as love, false prophets and the spirit which actuates them. Teaching is to be tested by the indwelling Spirit. All who refuse to confess tha...

  • Gary Hampton Commentaries

    GOD'S CHILDREN ARE KNOWN BY THEIR LOVE God's children can be identified by their love for others, which was first demonstrated by the Father. God was willing to give up His Son for the good of those l...

  • Hawker's Poor man's commentary

    Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and everyone that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. (8) He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love. (9) In this was manifested the...

  • John Calvin's Bible Commentary

    10_Herein is love _He amplifies God’s love by another reason, that he gave us his own Son at the time when we were enemies, as Paul teaches us, in Romans 5:8; but he employs other words, that God, ind...

  • John Darby's Synopsis

    Now, to make use of this last proof, caution was required, for many false prophets would assume, and even in the time of the apostle had already assumed, the semblance of having received communication...

  • John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible

    HEREIN IS LOVE,.... The love of God, free love, love that cannot be matched: herein it is manifested, as before; this is a clear evidence of it, an undoubted proof, and puts it out of all question: N...

  • John Trapp Complete Commentary

    Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son _to be_ the propitiation for our sins. Ver. 10. _Not that we loved, &c._] _Deus prior nos amavit, tantus, tantum, et grat...

  • Joseph Benson’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

    _Herein is love_ Worthy of our highest admiration; _not that we loved God_ First; for we were, on the contrary, in a state of enmity to him, in which, if we had remained unsolicited and untouched by h...

  • Kretzmann's Popular Commentary of the Bible

    HEREIN IS LOVE, NOT THAT WE LOVED GOD, BUT THAT HE LOVED US AND SENT HIS SON TO BE THE PROPITIATION FOR OUR SINS. THIS PARAGRAPH IS ONE OF THE MOST BEAUTIFUL AND, AT THE SAME TIME, ONE OF THE MOST POW...

  • Kretzmann's Popular Commentary of the Bible

    The greatness of God's love:...

  • Leslie M. Grant's Commentary on the Bible

    But there must be guards as to the operation of the Spirit of God, that is, the child of God must be guarded against all that would imitate the operation of the Spirit. Satan is extremely cunning, and...

  • Matthew Henry Commentary on the Whole Bible

    7-13 The Spirit of God is the Spirit of love. He that does not love the image of God in his people, has no saving knowledge of God. For it is God's nature to be kind, and to give happiness. The law o...

  • Matthew Poole's Concise Commentary On The Bible

    In comparison of this wonderful love of his, in sending his Son to be a sacrifice for sins, our love to him is not worthy the name of love....

  • Patchworkid's Personal Study Bible Notes

    1 John 4:10 In G1722 this G5129 is G2076 (G5748) love G26 not G3754 that G3756 we G2249 loved...

  • Peter Pett's Commentary on the Bible

    ‘In this is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.' This is the final definition and revelation of love. It is not found in any love t...

  • Philip Schaff's Popular Commentary on the NT (4 vols)

    1 John 4:9-11. God is love; and IN THIS WAS THE LOVE OF GOD MANIFESTED IN US: it had its one supreme expression ‘in our case,' ‘in us' as its sphere. This explains what follows, in the perfect. THAT G...

  • Philip Schaff's Popular Commentary on the NT (4 vols)

    The ruling idea of the third part is Faith in the Spirit's testimony concerning the Son of God incarnate. The close of chap. 3 introduces the theme by the first explicit mention of faith and the Spiri...

  • Robertson's Word Pictures of the New Testament

    NOT THAT (ουχ οτ)--BUT THAT (αλλ' οτ). Sharp contrast as in John 7:22; 2 Corinthians 7:9; Philippians 4:17.WE LOVED (ηγαπησαμεν). First aorist active indicative, but B reads ηγαπηκαμεν (pe...

  • Scofield's Bible Commentary

    PROPITIATION (Greek, "hilasmos"). (_ See Scofield) - (1 John 2:2). _...

  • Sermon Bible Commentary

    1 John 4:7 Love is of God; God is Love. I. "Love is of God." This does not mean merely that love comes from God and has its source in God, that He is the Author or Creator of it. All created things a...

  • Spurgeon's Bible Commentary

    1 John 4:1. _Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world._ If John had need to say that in the early mornin...

  • Spurgeon's Bible Commentary

    1 John 4:1. _Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirit whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world._ This is an unction of which there is great need i...

  • Spurgeon's Bible Commentary

    1 John 4:1. _Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world._ It was so in John's day: it is so in these days....

  • Spurgeon's Bible Commentary

    1 John 4:1. _Beloved, believe not every spirit,_ A simpleton believes every word that he hears, but «the wise man's eyes are in his head,» so he examines what he sees and hears, and does not blindly...

  • Spurgeon's Bible Commentary

    1 John 4:9. _In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him._ There is love in our creation; there is lov...

  • Summarized Bible Commentary

    CONTENTS: Christians warned of false doctrines concerning Christ's person and work. Tests of the true. CHARACTERS: God, Christ, Holy Spirit, anti-christ, John. CONCLUSION: God's people must be ever c...

  • Sutcliffe's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

    1 John 4:1. _Believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God._ Whether those teachers believe that Christ is come in the flesh, which to the present hour the unbelieving jews den...

  • The Bible Study New Testament

    THIS IS WHAT LOVE IS. "This is the example for us to follow. God did not wait for us to love him first (1 John 4:19), but while we were still sinners (Romans 5:8) God sent his Son to be the means (1 J...

  • The ESV Global Study Bible's Study Notes

    1 JOHN 4:7 The Assurance of God through the Love of God. John’s teaching in these verses is like the apostle Paul’s “love chapter,” 1 Corinthians 13:1.1 JOHN—NOTE ON

  • The ESV Global Study Bible's Study Notes

    1 JOHN—NOTE ON 1 JOHN 4:10 NOT THAT WE HAVE LOVED GOD. God’s love sets the standard for the love Christians should show. PROPITIATION. See note on 2:2....

  • The Great Commentary of Cornelius à Lapide

    Would someone please check the Psalm number in sentence formatted in blue in the 3rd note of ver. 18. CHAPTER 4 1. _Most dearly beloved_, &c. By the word _spirit_ he means suggestion, inspiration, im...

  • The Preacher's Complete Homiletical Commentary

    _CRITICAL AND EXEGETICAL NOTES_ 1 John 4:7.—The previous verses are in some sense an “aside.” The apostle now resumes his proper theme. His main truth is this—Love is the mark of the children of God,...

  • The Pulpit Commentaries

    EXPOSITION 1 JOHN 4:1 - 1 JOHN 5:12 (2) _The source of son-ship. _Possession of the Spirit. 1 JOHN 4:1 Confession of the Incarnation is

  • Through The Bible C2000 Serie by Chuck Smith

    Shall we turn now in our Bibles to I John chapter 4. As we go back to verse 1 John 4:24 of chapter 3, the later portion, "Hereby we know that He abides in us by the Spirit which He has given us." I kn...

  • Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

    1 John 2:2; 1 John 3:1; 1 John 4:19; 1 John 4:8; 1 John 4:9;...

  • Vincent's Word Studies in the New Testament (4 Volume Set)

    Propitiation. See on 2 2....

  • Wells of Living Water Commentary

    TESTING THE TRUE AND THE FALSE 1 John 4:1 INTRODUCTORY WORDS We have in our opening verses some important admonitions, and also some important instructions. 1. IMPORTANT ADMONITIONS. (1) "Believe...

  • Wells of Living Water Commentary

    THE LOVE OF GOD CHAPTER 1 John 4:7 INTRODUCTORY WORDS We have always thought of the thirteenth chapter of I Corinthians as the Love Chapter. However, we have in the Word of God another chapter whic...

  • William Burkitt's Expository Notes

    HEREIN IS LOVE; that is, the clearest, the fullest, the highest expression of free and undeserved love that ever the world was acquainted with. Observe, That the wisdom and power of God did not act to...

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Old Testament