1 John 4 · Verse 10

1 John 4:10

Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.
1 John 4:10, King James Version

1 John 4:10 in other translations

BSBAnd 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.
WEBIn this is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son as the atoning sacrifice for our sins.
ASVHerein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.
YLTin this is the love, not that we loved God, but that He did love us, and did send His Son a propitiation for our sins.
DARBYHerein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son a propitiation for our sins.
BBEAnd this is love, not that we had love for God, but that he had love for us, and sent his Son to be an offering for our sins.
WebsterIn this is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

What does 1 John 4:10 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
10. Herein is love--love in the abstract: love, in its highest ideal, is herein. The love was all on God's side, none on ours. not that we loved God--though so altogether worthy of love. he loved us--though so altogether unworthy of love. The Greek aorist expresses, Not that we did any act of love at any time to God, but that He did the act of love to us in sending Christ.

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Barnes' Notes
Verse 10. 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 make such a sacrifice for us, but just the opposite. If we had loved and obeyed him, we might have had reason to believe that he would be willing to show his love to us in a corresponding manner. But we were alienated from him. We had even no desire for his friendship and favour. In this state he showed the greatness of his love for us by giving his Son to die for his enemies. Rom 5:7, Rom 5:8.

But that he loved us. Not that he approved our character, but that he desired our welfare. He loved us not with the love of complacency, but with the love of benevolence.

And sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. On the meaning of the word propitiation, see Rom 3:25. Comp. 1Jn 2:2.

(d) "propitiation" 1Jn 2:2

Albert Barnes, 1834 · public domain

Adam Clarke's 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 Rom 5:6-11, and the notes there.) So it was God's love, not our merit, that induced him to devise means that his banished might not be expelled from him.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on 1 John 4:7-13

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 of God is love; and all would have been perfectly happy, had all obeyed it. The provision of the gospel, for the forgiveness of sin, and the salvation of sinners, consistently with God's glory and justice, shows that God is…

Read the full comment on 1 John 4:7-13 →

1 John 4:10 in the original Greek

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

ἐνenInG1722
τούτῳtoutōthisG3778
ἐστὶνestinisG1510
ἡhē<the>G3588
ἀγάπη,agapēlove,G26
οὐχouchnotG3756
ὅτιhotithatG3754
ἡμεῖςhēmeiswe ourselvesG3165
ἠγαπήκαμενēgapēkamenhave lovedG25
τὸνton<the>G3588
θεόν,theonGod,G2316
ἀλλ᾽all᾽butG235
ὅτιhotithatG3754
αὐτὸςautosHe himselfG846
ἠγάπησενēgapēsenlovedG25
ἡμᾶςhēmasusG3165
καὶkaiandG2532
ἀπέστειλενapesteilenHe sentG649
τὸνtontheG3588
υἱὸνhuionSonG5207
αὐτοῦautouof HimG846
ἱλασμὸνhilasmon[as] a propitiationG2434
περὶperiforG4012
τῶνtōntheG3588
ἁμαρτιῶνhamartiōnsinsG266
ἡμῶν.¶hēmōnof us.G3165

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for 1 John 4:10

  • Ephesians 2:4-5

    But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)

  • Romans 5:8-10

    But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.

  • 1 John 4:19

    We love him, because he first loved us.

  • 1 John 2:2

    And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.

  • John 15:16

    Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.

  • 1 John 4:8-9

    He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love. 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.

  • John 3:16

    For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

  • Titus 3:3-5

    For we ourselves also were sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another. But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared, Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;

  • 1 John 3:1

    Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not.

  • Deuteronomy 7:7-8

    The Lord did not set his love upon you, nor choose you, because ye were more in number than any people; for ye were the fewest of all people: But because the Lord loved you, and because he would keep the oath which he had sworn unto your fathers, hath the Lord brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you out of the house of bondmen, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.

  • 1 Peter 3:18

    For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:

  • 2 Corinthians 5:19-21

    To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation. Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God. For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Herein.
8,9; 3:1
not.
19; De 7:7,8; Joh 15:16; Ro 5:8-10; 8:29,30; 2Co 5:19-21; Eph 2:4,5
Tit 3:3-5
and sent.
2:2; Da 9:24; Ro 3:25,26; 1Pe 2:24; 3:18

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • 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.

  • 1 John 4:10

    Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

  • 1 John 4:11

    Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.

Read all of 1 John 4

1 John 4:10 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909
En esto consiste el amor: no que nosotros hayamos amado á Dios, sino que él nos amó á nosotros, y ha enviado á su Hijo en propiciación por nuestros pecados.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885
en ceci est l’amour, non en ce que nous, nous ayons aimé Dieu, mais en ce que lui nous aima et qu’il envoya son Fils pour être la propitiation pour nos péchés.
German
Elberfelder 1871
Hierin ist die Liebe: nicht daß wir Gott geliebt haben, sondern daß er uns geliebt und seinen Sohn gesandt hat als eine Sühnung für unsere Sünden.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate
In hoc est caritas: non quasi nos dilexerimus Deum, sed quoniam ipse prior dilexit nos, et misit Filium suum propitiationem pro peccatis nostris.