1 John 4:12
New International Version
No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.

New Living Translation
No one has ever seen God. But if we love each other, God lives in us, and his love is brought to full expression in us.

English Standard Version
No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us.

Berean Standard Bible
No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God remains in us, and His love is perfected in us.

Berean Literal Bible
No one has seen God at any time; if we should love one another, God abides in us, and His love is having been perfected in us.

King James Bible
No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us.

New King James Version
No one has seen God at any time. If we love one another, God abides in us, and His love has been perfected in us.

New American Standard Bible
No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God remains in us, and His love is perfected in us.

NASB 1995
No one has seen God at any time; if we love one another, God abides in us, and His love is perfected in us.

NASB 1977
No one has beheld God at any time; if we love one another, God abides in us, and His love is perfected in us.

Legacy Standard Bible
No one has beheld God at any time; if we love one another, God abides in us, and His love is perfected in us.

Amplified Bible
No one has seen God at any time. But if we love one another [with unselfish concern], God abides in us, and His love [the love that is His essence abides in us and] is completed and perfected in us.

Christian Standard Bible
No one has ever seen God. If we love one another, God remains in us and his love is made complete in us.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
No one has ever seen God. If we love one another, God remains in us and His love is perfected in us.

American Standard Version
No man hath beheld God at any time: if we love one another, God abideth in us, and his love is perfected in us:

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
No person has ever seen God, but if we love one another, God abides in us, and his love is fulfilled in us.

Contemporary English Version
No one has ever seen God. But if we love each other, God lives in us, and his love is truly in our hearts.

Douay-Rheims Bible
No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God abideth in us, and his charity is perfected in us.

English Revised Version
No man hath beheld God at any time: if we love one another, God abideth in us, and his love is perfected in us:

GOD'S WORD® Translation
No one has ever seen God. If we love each other, God lives in us, and his love is perfected in us.

Good News Translation
No one has ever seen God, but if we love one another, God lives in union with us, and his love is made perfect in us.

International Standard Version
No one has ever seen God. If we love one another, God lives in us, and his love is perfected in us.

Literal Standard Version
no one has ever seen God; if we may love one another, God remains in us, and His love is having been perfected in us;

Majority Standard Bible
No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God remains in us, and His love is perfected in us.

New American Bible
No one has ever seen God. Yet, if we love one another, God remains in us, and his love is brought to perfection in us.

NET Bible
No one has seen God at any time. If we love one another, God resides in us, and his love is perfected in us.

New Revised Standard Version
No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God lives in us, and his love is perfected in us.

New Heart English Bible
No one has seen God at any time. If we love one another, God remains in us, and his love has been perfected in us.

Webster's Bible Translation
No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us.

Weymouth New Testament
No one has ever yet seen God. If we love one another, God continues in union with us, and His love in all its perfection is in our hearts.

World English Bible
No one has seen God at any time. If we love one another, God remains in us, and his love has been perfected in us.

Young's Literal Translation
God no one hath ever seen; if we may love one another, God in us doth remain, and His love is having been perfected in us;

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Love Comes from God
11Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 12No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God remains in us, and His love is perfected in us. 13By this we know that we remain in Him, and He in us: He has given us of His Spirit.…

Cross References
John 1:18
No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is Himself God and is at the Father's side, has made Him known.

1 Timothy 6:16
He alone is immortal and dwells in unapproachable light. No one has ever seen Him, nor can anyone see Him. To Him be honor and eternal dominion! Amen.

1 John 2:5
But if anyone keeps His word, the love of God has been truly perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him:

1 John 4:16
And we have come to know and believe the love that God has for us. God is love; whoever abides in love abides in God, and God in him.

1 John 4:17
In this way, love has been perfected among us, so that we may have confidence on the day of judgment; for in this world we are just like Him.

1 John 4:18
There is no fear in love, but perfect love drives out fear, because fear involves punishment. The one who fears has not been perfected in love.

1 John 4:20
If anyone says, "I love God," but hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen.


Treasury of Scripture

No man has seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwells in us, and his love is perfected in us.

seen.

1 John 4:20
If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?

Genesis 32:30
And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: for I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved.

Exodus 33:20
And he said, Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live.

love one.

1 John 4:6
We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error.

See on ch.

1 John 3:24
And he that keepeth his commandments dwelleth in him, and he in him. And hereby we know that he abideth in us, by the Spirit which he hath given us.

and his.

1 John 4:17,18
Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world…

See on ch.

1 John 2:5
But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him.

1 Corinthians 13:13
And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.

Jump to Previous
Abides Complete Continues Dwelleth Hearts Love Perfected Perfection Time Union
Jump to Next
Abides Complete Continues Dwelleth Hearts Love Perfected Perfection Time Union
1 John 4
1. He warns them not to believe all who boast of the Spirit;
7. and exhorts to brotherly love.














Verse 12. - No one hath ever yet beheld God. Θεόν stands first for emphasis. and without the article, as meaning the Divine Being rather than the Father in particular: "With regard to God - no one hath ever yet beheld him" τεθεάται, stronger than ἑώρακεν. Why does St. John introduce this statement here? Not, of course, as implying that to love an invisible Being is impossible; but that the only security for genuine and lasting love in such a case is to love that which visibly represents him. Seeing that God is invisible, his abiding in us can be shown only by his essential characteristic being exhibited in us, i.e., by our showing similar self-sacrificing love Ἡ ἀγάπη αὐτοῦ can scarcely mean God's love for us; for how can our loving one another make his love perfect? Nor yet vaguely, "the relation of love between us and God;" but, as in 1 John 2:5, our love for him. Our love towards God is perfected and brought to maturity by the exercise of love towards our brethren in him.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Greek
No one
οὐδεὶς (oudeis)
Adjective - Nominative Masculine Singular
Strong's 3762: No one, none, nothing.

has ever seen
τεθέαται (tetheatai)
Verb - Perfect Indicative Middle or Passive - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 2300: A prolonged form of a primary verb; to look closely at, i.e. perceive; by extension to visit.

God;
Θεὸν (Theon)
Noun - Accusative Masculine Singular
Strong's 2316: A deity, especially the supreme Divinity; figuratively, a magistrate; by Hebraism, very.

[but] if
ἐὰν (ean)
Conjunction
Strong's 1437: If. From ei and an; a conditional particle; in case that, provided, etc.

we love
ἀγαπῶμεν (agapōmen)
Verb - Present Subjunctive Active - 1st Person Plural
Strong's 25: To love, wish well to, take pleasure in, long for; denotes the love of reason, esteem. Perhaps from agan; to love.

one another,
ἀλλήλους (allēlous)
Personal / Reciprocal Pronoun - Accusative Masculine Plural
Strong's 240: One another, each other. Genitive plural from allos reduplicated; one another.

God
Θεὸς (Theos)
Noun - Nominative Masculine Singular
Strong's 2316: A deity, especially the supreme Divinity; figuratively, a magistrate; by Hebraism, very.

remains
μένει (menei)
Verb - Present Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 3306: To remain, abide, stay, wait; with acc: I wait for, await. A primary verb; to stay.

in
ἐν (en)
Preposition
Strong's 1722: In, on, among. A primary preposition denoting position, and instrumentality, i.e. A relation of rest; 'in, ' at, on, by, etc.

us,
ἡμῖν (hēmin)
Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Dative 1st Person Plural
Strong's 1473: I, the first-person pronoun. A primary pronoun of the first person I.

and
καὶ (kai)
Conjunction
Strong's 2532: And, even, also, namely.

His
αὐτοῦ (autou)
Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Genitive Masculine 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 846: He, she, it, they, them, same. From the particle au; the reflexive pronoun self, used of the third person, and of the other persons.

love
ἀγάπη (agapē)
Noun - Nominative Feminine Singular
Strong's 26: From agapao; love, i.e. Affection or benevolence; specially a love-feast.

is
ἐστιν (estin)
Verb - Present Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 1510: I am, exist. The first person singular present indicative; a prolonged form of a primary and defective verb; I exist.

perfected
τετελειωμένη (teteleiōmenē)
Verb - Perfect Participle Middle or Passive - Nominative Feminine Singular
Strong's 5048: From teleios; to complete, i.e. accomplish, or consummate.

in
ἐν (en)
Preposition
Strong's 1722: In, on, among. A primary preposition denoting position, and instrumentality, i.e. A relation of rest; 'in, ' at, on, by, etc.

us.
ἡμῖν (hēmin)
Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Dative 1st Person Plural
Strong's 1473: I, the first-person pronoun. A primary pronoun of the first person I.


Links
1 John 4:12 NIV
1 John 4:12 NLT
1 John 4:12 ESV
1 John 4:12 NASB
1 John 4:12 KJV

1 John 4:12 BibleApps.com
1 John 4:12 Biblia Paralela
1 John 4:12 Chinese Bible
1 John 4:12 French Bible
1 John 4:12 Catholic Bible

NT Letters: 1 John 4:12 No one has seen God at any (1J iJ 1Jn i jn 1 jo)
1 John 4:11
Top of Page
Top of Page