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No oneοὐδεὶςhas everπώποτεseenτεθέαταιGod;θεὸνifἐὰνwe loveἀγαπῶμενone another,ἀλλήλουςGodὁ θεὸςremainsμένειinἐνus,ἡμῖνandκαὶhis loveἡ ἀγάπη αὐτοῦhas beenἐστινbrought to completionτετελειωμένηinἐνus.ἡμῖν
1 John 4:12
Study it in the app“No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God remains in us, and his love has been brought to completion in us.”
John says God is love, and his love showed when he sent his SonLove
With the Greek beneath
1 John 4:12, word by word
- has everπώποτεpōpote
ever, never yet
Ever yet; with a negative, never.
Where else “pōpote” appears- seenτεθέαταιtetheatai
see, behold
See, look at closely, behold.
Where else “tetheatai” appears- Godθεὸνtheon
God
The Creator and Lord of all, the one God of Israel.
Where else “theon” appears- we loveἀγαπῶμενagapōmen
love
Love: to seek the good of the other, even of someone who does not deserve it.
Where else “agapōmen” appears- one anotherἀλλήλουςallēlous
one another
One another, each other.
Where else “allēlous” appears- remainsμένειmenei
remain
To stay joined to someone: "abide in me".
Where else “menei” appears- his loveἀγάπηagapē
love
Love that gives itself, seeking the other's good, like God's.
Where else “agapē” appears- has beenἐστινestin
be
To be: says who or what something is.
Where else “estin” appears- brought to completionτετελειωμένηteteleiōmenē
make perfect
To bring something to its fullness, lacking nothing.
Where else “teteleiōmenē” appears
Translation note
It recalls John 1:18.
The context
11Beloved, if God loved us in this way, we also ought to love one another.
12 · This verse (above)
13By this we know that we remain in him and he in us: because he has given us of his Spirit.
To study 1 John 4 in a group
1. What it says
What does John ask us to do with every spirit, and why (v. 1-3)?
2. What it means
John says, "God is love" (v. 8, 16). How does the text show that love, and what does it expect of us (v. 9-11)?
3. How I live it
John writes that perfect love casts out fear (v. 18). What fear would you like to hand to God today?