Book of 1 John Chapter 4 Vs. 19

 God Is Love

1 John 4:19 "We love him, because he first loved us."

We...

ἡμεῖς

hēmeís; personal pron., nom. pl. of egṓ, I. We. To be distinguished from humeís, you.

Deriv.: hēméteros, our.

love...

ἀγαπάω

agapáō; contracted agapṓ, fut. agapḗsō. To esteem, love, indicating a direction of the will and finding one's joy in something or someone. It differs from philéō, to love, indicating feelings, warm affection, the kind of love expressed by a kiss phílēma.

(I) To love, to regard with strong affection (Luke 7:42; John 3:35; 8:42; 21:15; 2Cor. 9:7; Rev. 3:9; Sept.: Gen. 24:67; Ruth 4:15). With the acc. of the corresponding noun, "his great love wherewith he loved us" (Eph. 2:4 [cf. 2Sam. 13:15]). Perf. pass. part. ēgapēménos, beloved (Eph. 1:6; Col. 3:12).

(II) As referring to superiors and including the idea of duty, respect, veneration, meaning to love and serve with fidelity (Mat. 6:24; 22:37; Mark 12:30, 12:33; Luke 16:13; Rom. 8:28; Sept.: 1Sam. 18:16). The pres. act. part. used substantively of those loving the Lord, meaning faithful disciples or followers of the Lord (Eph. 6:24; Jas. 1:12; 2:5; Sept.: Exo. 20:6; Deu. 5:10).

(III) To love, i.e., to regard with favor, goodwill, benevolence (Mark 10:21; Luke 7:5; John 10:17). In other passages the effects of benevolence are expressed as to wish well to or do good to. To love one's neighbor, one's enemies (Mat. 5:43; 19:19; 22:39; Luke 6:32). The fut. imper., agapḗseis, especially in regard to one's enemies, should not necessarily be taken to mean doing that which will please them, but choosing to show them favor and goodwill (Mat. 5:43-44). One should realize the need of people to be changed through Christ's grace, and do everything possible to bring them to a knowledge of the Lord. This may involve expressions of benevolence or even discipline and punishment, all as the outworking of this love. In 2Cor. 12:15 it means, "even if, having conferred greater benefits on you, I receive less from you" (a.t.).

(IV) Spoken of things, to love, i.e., to delight in (Luke 11:43; John 3:19; Heb. 1:9; 1Jn. 2:15). The expression "not to love" means to neglect, disregard, condemn (Rev. 12:11, meaning they condemned their lives even unto death, i.e., they willingly exposed themselves to death).

(V) Contrast with philéō, to be content with, denoting common interests, hence to befriend. Most scholars agree that agapáō is used of God's love toward man and vice versa, but philéō is rarely used by God of the love of men toward Him. In John 21:15-16, it is a statement by Peter to Jesus and in verse seventeen it is only a question by Jesus to Peter. In verses fifteen and sixteen while Jesus was asking Peter, Agapás me? "Do you love me?" (a.t.) Peter was answering, philṓ se, "I am your friend" (a.t.). In verse seventeen for the third time Jesus asked Peter, but this time He said, phileís me?, "Are you my friend?" (a.t.). Jesus indeed makes us His friends in His great condescension, but for us to call ourselves His friends is somewhat of a presumption.

In the first question of Jesus to Peter in John 21:15, there is the comparison of love agápē toward Himself versus love toward material things, possibly the fish and bread which all were eating. The expression "more than these" may very well refer to the love of the other disciples present (John 21:2). Jesus was asking whether Peter's love was greater than that of the other disciples. In this question of Jesus to Peter in John 21:15 there is also the comparison of love agápē toward Himself versus the love of the other disciples present (John 21:2). Again Jesus was asking whether Peter's love was greater than that of the other disciples. Peter in his answer used the expression sú oídas hóti Philṓ se, "thou knowest [oída, to know intuitively] that I am your friend [philéo]" (a.t.). That was an upgrading by Peter of his devotion to Christ. The Lord, however, intuitively knew that Peter had not accepted His determination to die while He could avoid death (Mat. 16:22-23). Not only did Peter not acknowledge Jesus as his friend, but denied that he even knew Him (Mat. 26:69-75), even as Jesus had predicted Peter would (Mat. 26:31-35). The Lord did not accept Peter's self-upgraded love from agápē to philía, friendship. We love agapáō God because He first loved us (1Jn. 4:10). But none of us, especially Peter, earn the right to declare ourselves friends (phílos) of God. He alone can declare us as such, even as He did Abraham (Jas. 2:23).

The second question Jesus asked Peter was not the same as the first. It was not a question of comparison. He did not ask Peter, "Do you love agapáō me more than these?" but simply "Do you love me agapáō?" (author's translations). The Lord would be pleased with a personal statement of reciprocation of His love without a comparison of oneself to others. Jesus, being God incarnate, has intuitive knowledge of each one of His children. Thus the Lord would not accept Peter's confession of personal attachment to Himself as that of friendship. Jesus intuitively knew that Peter was not always His devoted friend, for He knew that Peter would deny Him. Some have suggested that in this passage Christ was providing an opportunity for Peter to "redeem" himself from the earlier denial of the Lord.

The third question of Jesus to Peter was different, "Do you love me philéō, Are you my friend ?" (a.t.). Are your interests, now that you have seen Me risen from the dead, different than before the resurrection? Peter became sorrowful because he understood the deeper meaning of Jesus' question (John 21:17). His answer utilized two similar, but distinct verbs, oída, to know intuitively, and ginṓskō, to know experientially: "Lord, thou knowest, [oídas, intuitively] all things. Thou knowest [gínṓskeis, know experientially] that I love thee [philṓ, that I am now your friend]." When it comes to the expression of the love of the Father God to the Son God, both verbs, agapáō and philéō, are used. John 3:35 states, "The Father loveth agapá the Son and hath given all things into his hand." In John 5:20 we read, "For the Father loveth phileí the Son, and showeth him all things that himself doeth."

Agapáō and never philéō is used of love toward our enemies. The range of philéō is wider than that of agapáō which stands higher than philéō because of its moral import, i.e., love that expresses compassion. We are thus commanded to love agapáō our enemies, to do what is necessary to turn them to Christ, but never to befriend them philéō by adopting their interests and becoming friends on their level.

Deriv.: agápē, love; agapētós, beloved, dear.

Syn.: philéō, to befriend, love.

Ant.: miséō, to hate.

him,...

αὐτός

autós; fem. autḗ, neut. autó., pron. Self; him, her, it; the same (with the art. preceding it).

(I) Self, in all the persons, i.e., myself, thyself, himself.

(A) Self, used as an intens. for emphasis. It sets the individual apart from everything else. (1) With proper names: Mark 6:17, "Herod himself"; Mark 12:36-37; Luke 20:42 "David himself"; Luke 24:15 "Jesus himself" in distinction from His disciples; John 4:2; 2Cor 10:1, "Now I Paul myself." With other nouns: Rom. 8:26, "the Spirit itself"; 1Cor. 15:28, "the Son also himself"; Gal. 6:13, "For neither they themselves . . . the circumcised ones" (a.t.); 1Th. 4:16; Heb. 9:23; 3Jn. 1:12; Rev. 21:3, "God himself." With a personal pron. as autós egṓ (egṓ, I), Luke 24:39; Acts 10:26, "I myself"; Rom. 15:14, I myself; Mark 6:31, "you yourselves" (a.t.); John 3:28, "yourselves," you or you yourselves; 1Cor. 11:13. The same with other pron. as autoí hoútoi (hoútoi, these), Acts 24:15, 24:20, themselves, meaning they themselves; Mat. 27:57; Mark 15:43, "who also himself" (a.t.). See also Sept.: 1Sam. 10:19. (2) With the meaning of even, implying comparison and distinction: 1Cor. 11:14, "Does not even nature herself teach?" (a.t.); 2Cor. 11:14, "for even Satan himself" (a.t.). See also Rom. 8:21; Heb. 11:11. (3) As marking the strongest emphasis and prominence, the very: John 5:36, "The very works which I do" (a.t.); Heb. 9:24, "unto the very heaven" (a.t.). (4) As marking the exclusion of all else, self alone: 2Cor. 12:13, "I alone" (a.t.), meaning exclusive of the other Apostles; Rev. 19:12, "except himself alone" (a.t.). With mónos, alone, subjoined as in John 6:15, "himself alone." (5) Of oneself, of one's own accord, voluntarily: John 16:27, "the Father himself [of His own accord, without compulsion] loveth you." See 1Pet. 2:24.

because...

ὅτι

hóti; conj. That (demonstrative), because (causal). Originally it was the neut. of hóstis. As a demonstrative it stands particularly for toúto hó, ti (toúto, this; hó ti, that which), this which, introducing the object, contents, or argument to which the preceding words refer. As a causal, it is particularly equivalent to diá, for) toúto, for this reason, assigning the cause, motive, ground of something, "that, because." Construed in the NT with the indic. before the inf. (Acts 27:10).

(I) As a demonstrative conj.:

(A) Particularly after a demonstrative pron. as toúto or a similar or implied expression (John 3:19; Rom. 2:3; 2Cor. 5:14; Rev. 2:4, 2:6, implied). En toútō . . . hóti (1Jn. 3:16; 4:9-10, 4:13), in this . . . that; perí toútou . . . hóti (perí, concerning), concerning this . . . that (Mat. 16:7, 16:17, implied; John 16:19).

(B) After an interrogative pron. tís, tí, who, what (John 14:22); tí hóti for tí estí hóti (estí, the 3d person sing. of eimí), what cause is there that (Mark 2:16; Luke 2:49; Acts 5:4, 5:9); with a pron. or subst. (Mark 4:41; Luke 8:25; Heb. 2:6, "what cause is there in man that" [a.t.] quoted from Sept.: Psm. 8:4; 144:3 [cf. Exo. 16:7; Num. 16:11; Job 15:14]); after potapós, what manner of (Mat. 8:27; Luke 7:39).

he... see him above.

first...

πρῶτος

prṓtos; fem. prṓtē, neut. prṓton, adj., the superlative of pró, forward. Foremost, hence first, the first. The comparative is próteros (n.f.).

(I) Generally as an adj. spoken of place, order, time. Particularly and without the art. (Mark 16:9 implying hēméra, day; Luke 2:2; 1Cor. 15:3, first of all; Eph. 6:2; Php. 1:5). Followed by deúteros, second (Acts 12:10; Sept.: Gen. 33:2, with en in, among, and the pl., en prṓtois, among the first ones, foremost; Exo. 12:15); with the art. (Mat. 26:17, referring to hēméra, day; Mark 14:12 [cf. Sept.: Lev. 23:35, 23:40]; Acts 1:1; 1Cor. 15:45; Heb. 9:2, 9:6, 9:8; Rev. 1:17; 4:1, 4:7; 8:7). With the art. and the pl., hoi prṓtoi, the first (Mat. 20:8, 20:10; 21:36); in the pl. neut. tá prṓta, the first things, meaning the former state or condition (Mat. 12:45; 2Pet. 2:20; Rev. 21:4). In 1Tim. 5:12 the first faith means the faith originally professed. In Rev. 2:4 referring to love meaning the love first demonstrated (see Rev. 2:5). In this respect prṓtos stands in direct opposition to kainós, qualitatively new (Heb. 8:13; Rev. 21:1; Sept.: 2Chr. 3:3; Dan. 8:21; 2Sam. 18:27). In division or distribution, ho prṓtos . . . ho deúteros, second), the first . . . the second (Mat. 22:25); ho prṓtos . . . ho héteros, the other, qualitatively different), the first . . . the other (Luke 14:18; 19:16). Where only two are spoken of (Mat. 21:28; John 19:32; Heb. 8:7).

Deriv.: deuteróprōtos, the second-first; prōteúō, to be first; prōtokathedría, the first seat or the best seat; prōtoklisía, the first place; prṓton, first, at first; prōtostátēs, a leader or captain; prōtótokos, firstborn, chief in rank, heir.

Syn.: archḗ, beginning.

Ant.: éschatos, last.

loved... see love above.

us...

ἡμάς

hēmás; personal pron., acc. pl. of emé, me. Our, us, we. To be distinguished from humás, your, you.

He taught us how to love when He showed us by example. He loved us, and showed us how to love Him.