"Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love."
— 1 John 4:8 (NIV)
The Bible verse people look up as God is love is 1 John 4:8. John says the same words again in 1 John 4:16. This page is the verse, a plain reading of the sentence, and how it relates to Christian love. The reference page is 1 John 4:8. The line-by-line page for verse 8 is 1 John 4:8 meaning. The page for the second saying is God is love in 1 John 4:16.
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The verse
1 John 4:8 (NIV) says, "Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love."
1 John 4:16 (NIV) says, "And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them."
The words God is love are in both verses. Verse 8 says them first, as the reason a person who does not love does not know God. Verse 16 says them again, then adds that the person who lives in love lives in God.
What God is love means
The subject of the sentence is God. Love is what John says God is. He does not say that whatever people call love gets to define God. A few verses later he shows the love he means: God sent his Son so that we might live. The sentence is about God's nature, and the proof John gives is that sending.
Agape love is a common name for this kind of love: given, not earned as a wage. This page stays with the verse people ask for.
Where the Bible says God is love
The exact words "God is love" appear only twice in the Bible, both in the same chapter of 1 John. The verses around them, and many Old Testament passages, say the same thing in other words.
- 1 John 4:7 "Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God." This is the verse behind the searches for "love is of God" and "love comes from God."
- 1 John 4:8 "Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love."
- 1 John 4:9 "This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him."
- 1 John 4:16 "And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them."
- Exodus 34:6 God describes himself to Moses as "the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness."
- Jeremiah 31:3 "I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness."
- Psalm 136:1 "Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good. His love endures forever."
How it relates to Christian love
Christian love starts from this sentence. John writes that we love because he first loved us (1 John 4:19). The love God is comes first. Love for another person is the answer to love already given. Later in the same chapter, the verse people look up as perfect love casts out fear is Perfect love casts out fear. A daily place to sit with one love verse is Bible verse of the day.
Questions people ask
What Bible verse says God is love?
1 John 4:8 says, "Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love." 1 John 4:16 says God is love again: "And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them."
Does the Old Testament say God is love?
Not in those exact words. "God is love" is only in 1 John 4:8 and 4:16. But the Old Testament says it in other ways. God calls himself "abounding in love and faithfulness" in Exodus 34:6, says "I have loved you with an everlasting love" in Jeremiah 31:3, and Psalm 136 repeats "His love endures forever" in every verse.
What does "love comes from God" mean in 1 John 4:7?
It means love starts with God, not with us. John tells his readers to love one another "for love comes from God," and says everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Verse 8 gives the reason: God is love.
What does God is love mean?
It means love is what God is, not only something he does on occasion. The subject of the sentence is God. John does not mean that any feeling named love can stand in for God. He points to the love God showed by sending his Son.
Is 1 John 4:8 the same verse as 1 John 4:16?
No. Both verses say God is love. Verse 8 says it first, as the reason a person who does not love does not know God. Verse 16 says it again after John tells his readers to know and rely on the love God has for them, and adds that whoever lives in love lives in God. 1 John 4:8 meaning stays with verse 8. 1 John 4:16 stays with verse 16.
How does God is love relate to loving other people?
John says we love because God loved us first. The love in these verses is the reason Christian love exists. It is not a mood a person has to produce before God will love them. Living in that love, verse 16 says, is living in God.
Where should I read next?
For the verse itself, stay on this page. For what verse 8 means line by line, read 1 John 4:8 meaning. For verse 16, read God is love in 1 John 4:16. For the word often used for this love, read agape love.
