1 John 4:16

And we have known and believed,.... Or have a full assurance and knowledge of, and faith in,

the love that God hath to us; shown as in many instances, so more especially in sending his Son to be the…

And we have known and believed ... - We all have assurance that God has loved us, and the fullest belief in the great fact of redemption by which he has manifested his love to us. God is love - Notes,…

God is love - See on Jo1 4:8 (note). He that dwelleth in love - he who is full of love to God and man is full of God, for God is love; and where such love is, there is God, for he is the fountain and…

Since faith in Christ works love to God, and love to God must kindle love to the brethren, the apostle here confirms the prime article of the Christian faith as the foundation of such love. Here,

I.…

And we have known and believed Literally, And we have come to know and have believed. This is the natural order; progressive knowledge leads up to faith. But sometimes faith precedes knowledge (Joh…