This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. —1 John 4:10
Love is demonstrated, not just communicated verbally. When the Scriptures tell us that God loves us, they always show God’s actions that demonstrate that love. Here, John wants us to realize that God’s love goes first. God demonstrates and shares his love with us before we demonstrate our love for him. He doesn’t wait till it is safe to love us. He doesn’t wait until he will get something in return. Instead, he goes first and defines his love in this way so that we can know that genuine love redeems when all hope seems lost when we are not worthy, and when we are not ready. God is love, and we know this because of what his love does, had done, and will give to us even before we choose to love him.