Wedding reading
1 John 4:7–12
King James Bible
“1 John 4:7–12” (King James Bible) is a scripture reading read at weddings and funerals alike. It takes about a minute and a half read aloud, usually by a guest reader. It is in the public domain, so the full text is printed on this page and goes straight into a ceremony script.
The full text
Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love. In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another. No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us.
Public domain, so these words can be printed in a ceremony script or an order of service.
Where it comes from
The phrase “God is love” appears twice in this chapter of 1 John, in verses 8 and 16.
What it says
The passage starts with an instruction, beloved, let us love one another, and gives the reason: love comes from God, and anyone who loves knows God. It defines love by what God did first, sending his son, rather than by anything people feel. It closes with the idea that nobody has seen God, but when people love one another God lives in them. At a wedding that makes the couple’s love a sign of something larger; at a funeral it reassures that love outlasts the person.
The passage that says plainly where the tradition thinks love comes from. Read at weddings and funerals alike. Themes: God is love · loving one another · the source of love.
Who it suits
Christian weddings and funerals alike, which makes it useful for a family who wants the same reading at both. It suits couples who want a theological reading that still sounds warm. It is explicitly about God, so it does not travel into a secular ceremony.
Where it goes in the ceremony
At a wedding, a second reading before the address. At a funeral, it follows the eulogy or comes just before prayers. A relative or close friend reads it.
Reading it aloud
The text on this page is 122 words. At a ceremony pace of about 130 words a minute, which is slower than conversation, that comes to about 55 seconds of reading.
- The argument circles: love, God, love again. Read it slowly enough that the logic is audible; this is not a passage to perform.
- “Beloved” opens two sentences. Treat it as direct address to the room and look up when you say it.
- The final verse is the strongest: if we love one another, God dwells in us. Slow down and finish on it.
Questions about reading it aloud
How long does “1 John 4:7–12” take to read aloud?
“1 John 4:7–12” takes about a minute and a half read aloud at a ceremony pace, which is slower than conversation — roughly 130 words a minute. That is the figure the run-sheet uses when it works out the timing for the whole service.
Who usually reads “1 John 4:7–12”?
Usually a guest reader rather than the officiant. “1 John 4:7–12” runs about a minute and a half, which is a manageable amount to hand to a friend or family member. Give them a printed copy of their own, in a size they can read without their glasses, and tell them where to stand and how you will introduce them.
Can “1 John 4:7–12” be printed in a ceremony script?
Yes. It is in the public domain, so the full text is on this page and can be printed in a script or an order of service.
Where this text was checked
Checked word for word against a full-text edition that is itself the authority — a Project Gutenberg or Wikisource transcription, a publisher’s own edition, or the issuing body’s page.
Checked
A reading is two minutes of the hour.
The rest is the welcome, the vows, the ring exchange, the pronouncement — and the timing that holds them together. Answer some questions about the couple and get the whole ceremony, written out, with this reading in its place.
Other readings that suit the same service
- John 15:9–1235 secondsLove one another, in Jesus’ own words
- 1 Corinthians 13:4–8a45 secondsWhat love does, in Paul’s list
- Romans 8:31–35, 37–39a minute and a halfAt a funeral: nothing can separate us from the love of God
- 1 Corinthians 13:1–13two minutesKing James Bible
- Genesis 2:18–24a minute and a halfKing James Bible
- Ruth 1:16–17a30 secondsKing James Bible