1 John 4:9

“In this was manifested the love of God towards us, &c.] The love of God here spoken of, and instanced in, is not his general love to all his creatures, which is shown in the make of them, and in the support of them in their beings, and in his providential care of them, and kindness to them; but his special love towards his elect, and which was before it was manifested; it was secretly in his heart from everlasting, and did not begin to be at the mission of Christ into the world, but was then in a most glaring manner manifested: there were several acts of it before, as the choice of them in Christ, the appointment of him to be their Saviour, and the covenant of grace made with him on their…”

“toward us--Greek, "in our case." sent--Greek, "hath sent." into the world--a proof against Socinians, that the Son existed before He was "sent into the world." Otherwise, too, He could not have been our life (Jo1 4:9), our "propitiation" (Jo1 4:10), or our "Saviour" (Jo1 4:14). It is the grand proof of God's love, His having sent "His only-begotten Son, that we might live through Him," who is the Life, and who has redeemed our forfeited life; and it is also the grand motive to our mutual love.”

“In this was manifested the love of God - That is, in an eminent manner, or this was a most signal proof of it. The apostle does not mean to say that it has been manifested in no other way, but that this was so prominent an instance of his love, that all the other manifestations of it seemed absorbed and lost in this. Because that God sent his only begotten Son ... - See the notes at John 3:16. That we might live through him - He died that we might have eternal life through the merits of his sacrifice. The “measure” of that love, then, which was manifested in the gift of a Saviour, is to be found, (1)In the worth of the soul; (2)In its exposure to eternal death; (3)In the greatness of the…”

“4:9-10 Jesus Christ, sent from God the Father, embodied and demonstrated God’s love in his life on earth and in his sacrificial death on the cross as an atoning sacrifice.”

“was: Jo1 3:16; Joh 3:16; Rom 5:8-10, Rom 8:32 God sent: Jo1 4:10; Luk 4:18; Joh 5:23, Joh 6:29, Joh 8:29, Joh 8:42 only: Psa 2:7; Mar 12:6; Joh 1:14-18, Joh 3:18; Heb 1:5 we: Jo1 5:11; Joh 6:51, Joh 6:57, Joh 10:10, Joh 10:28-30, Joh 11:25, Joh 11:26, Joh 14:6; Col 3:3, Col 3:4 1 John 4:10”