1Jo 4:9-11, 19 | JFB | STEP | 9. toward us — Greek, "in our case." sent — Greek, " hath sent." into the world —a proof against Socinians, that the Son existed before He was "sent into the world." Otherwise, too, He could not have been our life ( ), our " propitiation " ( ), or our "Saviour" ( ). It is the grand proof of God's love, His having sent " His only-begotten Son, that we might live through Him, " who is the Life, and who has redeemed our forfeited life; and it is also the grand motive to our mutual love.

1 John 4:9-11

9. toward us—Greek, "in our case."

sent—Greek, "hath sent."

into the world—a proof against Socinians, that the Son existed before He was "sent into the world." Otherwise, too, He could not have been our life (1Jo 4:9), our "propitiation" (1Jo 4:10), or our "Saviour" (1Jo 4:14). It is the grand proof of God's love, His having sent "His only-begotten Son, that we might live through Him," who is the Life, and who has redeemed our forfeited life; and it is also the grand motive to our mutual love.

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.

11. God's love to us is the grand motive for our love to one another (1Jo 3:16).

if—as we all admit as a fact.

we . . . also—as being born of God, and therefore resembling our Father who is love. In proportion as we appreciate God's love to us, we love Him and also the brethren, the children (by regeneration) of the same God, the representatives of the unseen God.

1 John 4:19

19. him—omitted in the oldest manuscripts. Translate, We (emphatical: WE on our part) love (in general: love alike Him, and the brethren, and our fellow men), because He (emphatical: answering to "we"; because it was He who) first loved us in sending His Son (Greek aorist of a definite act at a point of time). He was the first to love us: this thought ought to create in us love casting out fear (1Jo 4:18).