1 John 4:18 KJV

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - 1 John 4:17-21

The apostle, having thus excited and enforced sacred love from the great pattern and motive of it, the love that is and dwells in God himself, proceeds to recommend it further by other considerations; and he recommends it in both the branches of it, both as love to God, and love to our brother or Christian neighbour. I. As love to God, to the primum amabile?the first and chief of all amiable beings and objects, who has the confluence of all beauty, excellence, and loveliness, in himself, and... read more

William Barclay

William Barclay's Daily Study Bible - 1 John 4:7-21

4:7-21 Beloved, let us love one another, because love has its source in God, and everyone who loves has God as the source of his birth and knows God. He who does not love has not come to know God. In this God's love is displayed within us, that God sent his only Son into the world that through him we might live. In this is love, not that we love God, but that he loved us and sent his Son to be an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Brothers, if God so loved us, we too ought to love each other. No... read more

William Barclay

William Barclay's Daily Study Bible - 1 John 4:7-21

In this passage there occurs what is probably the greatest single statement about God in the whole Bible, that God is love. It is amazing how many doors that single statement unlocks and how many questions it answers. (i) It is the explanation of creation. Sometimes we are bound to wonder why God created this world. The disobedience, and the lack of response in men is a continual grief to him. Why should he create a world which was to bring him nothing but trouble? The answer is that... read more

William Barclay

William Barclay's Daily Study Bible - 1 John 4:7-21

Before we leave this passage we must note that it has also great things to say about Jesus Christ. (i) It tells us that Jesus is the bringer of life. God sent him that through him we might have life ( 1 John 4:9 ). There is a world of difference between existence and life. All men have existence but all do not have life. The very eagerness with which men seek pleasure shows that there is something missing in their lives. A famous doctor once said that men would find a cure for cancer more... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - 1 John 4:18

There is no fear in love ,.... In the love of the brethren; where that is, there is no fear: so far as that prevails and gains ground, fear removes; not the filial fear of God, the new covenant grace of fear, which is the beginning of wisdom, and is consistent with faith, hope, love, and spiritual joy; but either the fear of men, which brings a snare: those that truly love Christ, his Gospel, and his people, they are not afraid of men; the spirit of power, love, and of a sound mind, is... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - 1 John 4:18

There is no fear in love - The man who feels that he loves God with all his heart can never dread him as his Judge. As he is now made a partaker of his Spirit, and carries a sense of the Divine approbation in his conscience, he has nothing of that fear that produces terror or brings torment. The perfect love - that fullness of love, which he has received, casteth out fear - removes all terror relative to this day of judgment, for it is of this that the apostle particularly speaks. And as it... read more

John Calvin

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - 1 John 4:18

Verse 18 18There is no fear He now commends the excellency of this blessing by stating the contrary effect, for he says that we are continually tormented until God delivers us from misery and anguish by the remedy of his own love towards us. The meaning is, that as there is nothing more miserable than to be harassed by continual inquietude, we obtain by knowing God’s love towards us the benefit of a peaceful calmness beyond the reach of fear. It hence appears what a singular gift of God it is... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - 1 John 4:7-21

God is Love, and love is the surest test of birth from God. From 1 John 3:11 , 1 John 3:12 St. John renews his exhortations to love, this time at greater length and in closer connexion with the other great subject of this second half of the Epistle, the birth from God. read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - 1 John 4:7-21

Threefold recommendation of the duty of loving one another. I. THE DUTY RECOMMENDED , FROM LOVE HAVING ITS ORIGIN IN GOD . The duty enjoined. "Beloved, let us love one another." John has a winning way of urging duty, addressing his readers as objects of his affection, and desiring himself to be stirred up to duty. He has in view the "absolute type of love" (Westcott) in the Christian circle. There are considerations adduced which go beyond brotherly love, which... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - 1 John 4:17-18

Love's boldness in the day of judgment. Connecting link: The apostle had been speaking of God's love being perfected in us. He now glances forward to the outlook of believers, as bounded by the παρουσία and the κρίσις , and in so doing he shows that, as love attains its perfection, all dread which might otherwise attend on the prospect is removed; so that the believer may have παῤῥησία even on the judgment-day. As, however, in these verses there is some room for differences... read more

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - 1 John 4:17-21

William Barclay's Daily Study Bible - 1 John 4:7-21

William Barclay's Daily Study Bible - 1 John 4:7-21

William Barclay's Daily Study Bible - 1 John 4:7-21

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - 1 John 4:18

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - 1 John 4:18

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - 1 John 4:18

The Pulpit Commentary - 1 John 4:7-21

The Pulpit Commentary - 1 John 4:7-21

The Pulpit Commentary - 1 John 4:17-18

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