I John 4:9
A plain-spoken deep dive on this verse. Read the chapter →
This is how God’s love was revealed among us: God sent His one and only Son into the world, so that we might live through Him.
Commentaries
Excerpts gathered from published commentaries to ground the reading.
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 (Jo1 4:9), our "propitiation" (Jo1 4:10), or our "Saviour" (Jo1 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.
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 ↗4:9-10 Jesus Christ, sent from God the Father, embodied and demonstrated God’s love in his life on earth and in his sacrificial death on the cross as an atoning sacrifice.
Open source ↗Cross-references
Other passages the community most often connects to this one. Tap to read.
For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that everyone who believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.
And this is that testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son.
He who did not spare His own Son but gave Him up for us all, how will He not also, along with Him, freely give us all things?
Just as the living Father sent Me and I live because of the Father, so also the one who feeds on Me will live because of Me.
And love consists in this: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as the atoning sacrifice for our sins.
The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I have come that they may have life, and have it in all its fullness.
I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And this bread, which I will give for the life of the world, is My flesh.”
By this we know what love is: Jesus laid down His life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers.
Whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe has already been condemned, because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.
Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I have come here from God. I have not come on My own, but He sent Me.