"This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters."
— 1 John 3:16 (NIV)
1 John 3:16 is the verse people mean when they search the reference for "this is how we know what love is." This page is the passage and a plain reading. Related pages on this site are John 3:16, John 15:13, and Romans 5:8. God's love that starts first is 1 John 4:19.
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The verse
1 John 3:16 (NIV) reads: "This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters."
The King James says, "Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren." The measure of love is Christ's self-giving, then a call to the same kind of costly care for one another.
What the verse is saying
John has been contrasting love with hatred and with a faith that will not help a brother or sister in need. Verse 16 names the definition: love is known in Jesus laying down his life. The second sentence presses the implication — those who belong to him ought to lay down their lives for one another. That does not mean every reader dies on a cross; it means love spends itself for another person's good, the way Christ spent himself for us.
This page stays with the reference. Cross and life-for-life love elsewhere are John 15:13 and Romans 5:8. The famous "God so loved the world" line is John 3:16 — a different book and chapter with a similar number.
How people use 1 John 3:16
People look up the reference for sermons on sacrificial love, Good Friday teaching, and studies that contrast empty words with costly care. It pairs with 1 John 4:7 and 1 John 4:19 when the topic is love that comes from God, and with John 13:34 when the topic is loving one another as Jesus loved.
Questions people ask
What does 1 John 3:16 say?
It says this is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters.
What does this is how we know what love is mean?
It means love is defined by Jesus giving his life for us, not by a feeling alone. The verse then calls believers to the same self-giving pattern toward one another.
Is 1 John 3:16 the same as John 3:16?
No. John 3:16 is Jesus' words about God loving the world and giving his Son. 1 John 3:16 is the apostle John's letter defining love by Christ laying down his life, then calling the church to do likewise.
How does this relate to John 15:13?
John 15:13 says greater love has no one than this: to lay down one's life for one's friends. 1 John 3:16 makes the same cross-shaped claim and applies it to brothers and sisters in the church.
Where should I read next?
For God's love proved while we were sinners, read Romans 5:8. For the new command, read John 13:34. For we love because he first loved us, read 1 John 4:19.
