We love him, because he first loved us.

1 JOHN 4:19KJV
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1 John 4:19 (KJV)

What does 1 John 4:19 mean?

1 John 4:19 says that the reason people love God is because God loved them first. The verse points to God’s love as the starting point and cause of any love people have for Him.

The apostle John is writing to a group of early Christians, reminding them that their love for God is not something they started on their own. Instead, God’s love came first—He reached out to them before they ever responded. This highlights the idea that God’s love is the foundation for all genuine love in the relationship between God and people.

The Greek behind 1 John 4:19

  • ἀγαπῶμεν (agapōmen, "love"): This word is often understood as a deep, self-giving love, not just affection or friendship. The Greek here carries the sense of active, committed love, which is central to John’s message about how believers relate to God.
  • πρῶτος (prōtos, "first"): This word means "first in time or rank." It emphasizes that God’s love came before any human response, making it clear that God’s initiative is what makes human love for Him possible.

Why 1 John 4:19 matters

  • 1 John 4:19 clears up the idea that people can earn or initiate a relationship with God by loving Him first; instead, it is always God who makes the first move.
  • The verse emphasizes that all genuine love for God is a response to His love, not something people generate on their own.
  • In the wider context, this verse ties into John’s larger theme that God’s love is the source and model for all Christian love, shaping how believers treat both God and one another.

Where else these words appear

“first” Greek G4413 · used in 98 verses

  • Matthew 10:2 Now the names of the twelve apostles are these; The first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother;
  • Luke 20:29 There were therefore seven brethren: and the first took a wife, and died without children.
  • 1 Timothy 5:12 Having damnation, because they have cast off their first faith.

“love” Greek G25 · used in 109 verses

  • Matthew 5:43 Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy.
  • John 15:9 As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love.
  • 2 Thessalonians 2:16 Now our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God, even our Father, which hath loved us, and hath given us everlasting consolation and good hope through grace,

“We” Greek G2249 · used in 121 verses

  • Matthew 6:12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
  • Acts 10:47 Can any man forbid water, that these should not be baptized, which have received the Holy Ghost as well as we?
  • 2 Corinthians 13:6 But I trust that ye shall know that we are not reprobates.