What is the meaning of 1 John 4:21?

And we have this commandment from Him

• John frames love as a direct order from God, not a suggestion.

• The phrase echoes Jesus’ words in John 13:34, “A new commandment I give you: love one another.”

• Because the command comes “from Him,” obedience is a matter of loyalty to the Lord’s authority (see 1 John 3:23).

• God’s commands are never detached from His character; since “God is love” (1 John 4:8), His people must reflect that love.

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Whoever loves God

• “Whoever” opens the door to every believer—no exemptions, no special classes.

• Genuine love for God is more than emotion; it involves active allegiance (Matthew 22:37).

• 1 John 4:20 warns that claiming to love God while hating a fellow believer is self-deception; the two loves rise and fall together.

• Loving God is the fountainhead; what follows is the inevitable overflow.

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must love his brother as well

• “Must” shows this is non-negotiable—obedience, not option.

• “Brother” points first to fellow Christians, yet the principle extends outward (Galatians 6:10).

• Love expresses itself in tangible ways:

– Meeting needs (James 2:15-16).

– Showing patience and forgiveness (Ephesians 4:32).

– Sacrificing self, just as Christ did (John 15:12-13).

• The clause “as well” ties vertical and horizontal love so tightly that separating them fractures both.

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summary

John’s sentence nails down a single, inseparable command: if we truly love God, we will necessarily love the people around us, beginning with fellow believers. Anything less exposes our claim to love God as empty. Real faith produces real love—always together, never apart.