"Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for each other, love one another deeply, from the heart."
— 1 Peter 1:22 (NIV)
1 Peter 1:22 asks believers to love each other deeply and sincerely, not just politely. This page gives the verse, what the key words mean, where it sits in 1 Peter 1, and a plain reading. For more on the theme, see Bible verses about brotherly love, Bible verses about loving others, and Bible verses about love.
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The verse
The King James reads: "Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently."
"Purified" is hagnizō (G48), to make clean. "Obeying" is hypakoē (G5218), and "truth" is alētheia (G225). "Sincere" or "unfeigned" is anypokritos (G505), literally without hypocrisy, and "love of the brethren" is philadelphia (G5360), family love. "Love one another" uses agapaō (G25). "Deeply" or "fervently" is ektenōs (G1619), stretched out or earnest, and "heart" is kardia (G2588).
Where it sits in 1 Peter 1
Just before this verse Peter reminds his readers that they were redeemed "with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect" (1 Peter 1:19). Verse 22 draws the practical result: you have been made clean, so love each other for real.
Right after it he gives the reason that love can last: "For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God" (1 Peter 1:23). Later in the letter he repeats the call: "Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins" (1 Peter 4:8).
What the verse is saying
Peter uses two kinds of love in one verse. First he says they already have "sincere love for each other," the warm, family kind of love believers share. Then he tells them to go further and love one another deeply, from the heart, the self-giving kind of love.
"Sincere" means no mask. Paul says the same in Romans 12:9: "Love must be sincere." "Deeply" pictures something stretched to full length, love that keeps going instead of stopping at what is easy. Jesus gave the same command to His disciples: "As I have loved you, so you must love one another" (John 13:34-35).
Questions people ask
What does 1 Peter 1:22 say?
In the NIV it says, "Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for each other, love one another deeply, from the heart." The KJV ends, "see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently."
What does "love one another deeply" mean?
The Greek word behind "deeply" means stretched out or earnest. It describes love that keeps reaching, not love that gives up when someone is hard to love.
What kind of love is in 1 Peter 1:22?
Two Greek words appear. Philadelphia is the brotherly, family love believers share, and agapaō is the self-giving love Peter tells them to show each other from the heart.
What does "purified yourselves by obeying the truth" mean?
Peter is saying his readers were made clean when they believed and obeyed the good news about Jesus. That cleansing is the starting point for loving others sincerely.
What verses go with 1 Peter 1:22?
1 Peter 4:8 (love covers a multitude of sins), Romans 12:10 (be devoted to one another in love), and 1 John 4:7 (let us love one another, for love comes from God) are close companions.
