I John 4:20
A plain-spoken deep dive on this verse. Read the chapter →
If anyone says, “I love God,” but hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen.
Commentaries
Excerpts gathered from published commentaries to ground the reading.
loveth not . . . brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen--It is easier for us, influenced as we are here by sense, to direct love towards one within the range of our senses than towards One unseen, appreciable only by faith. "Nature is prior to grace; and we by nature love things seen, before we love things unseen" [ESTIUS]. The eyes are our leaders in love. "Seeing is an incentive to love" [œCUMENIUS]. If we do not love the brethren, the visible representatives of God, how can we love God, the invisible One, whose children they are? The true ideal of man, lost in Adam, is realized in Christ, in whom God is revealed as He is, and man as he ought to be. Thus, by faith in Christ, we learn to love both the true God, and the true man, and so to love the brethren as bearing His image. hath seen--and continually sees.
Open source ↗In this chapter the apostle exhorts to try spirits (Jo1 4:1), gives a note to try by (Jo1 4:2, Jo1 4:3), shows who are of the world and who of God (Jo1 4:4-6), urges Christian love by divers considerations (Jo1 4:7-16), describes our love to God, and the effect of it (Jo1 4:17-21).
Open source ↗Cross-references
Other passages the community most often connects to this one. Tap to read.
If anyone with earthly possessions sees his brother in need, but withholds his compassion from him, how can the love of God abide in him?
If anyone claims to be in the light but hates his brother, he is still in the darkness.
No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God remains in us, and His love is perfected in us.
If anyone says, “I know Him,” but does not keep His commandments, he is a liar, and the truth is not in him.
But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness. He does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes.
Though you have not seen Him, you love Him; and though you do not see Him now, you believe in Him and rejoice with an inexpressible and glorious joy,
If we say we have fellowship with Him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.