1 John 4:8

Absence of love shows that a person does not have intimate fellowship with God. It does not necessarily show that he was never born of God. Because God is light those who abide in Him walk in His light (1 John 1:5; 1 John 1:7). Because God is righteous those who abide in Him practice righteousness (1 John 2:29). Just so, God is love and those who abide in Him manifest His loving character. God is also light (1 John 1:5), spirit (John 4:24), and fire (Hebrews 12:29). These are all metaphors that emphasize certain characteristics of God.

"All His activity is loving activity. If He creates, He creates in love; if He rules, He rules in love; if He judges, He judges in love. All that He does is the expression of His nature, is-to love." [Note: Dodd, p. 110.]

"’God is love’ is rightly recognized as one of the high peaks of divine revelation in this Epistle. Logically the statement stands parallel with ’God is light’ (1 John 1:5) and ’God is spirit’ (John 4:24) as one of the three great Johannine expression of the nature of God. . . . ’God is spirit’ describes his metaphysical nature, while ’God is light’ and ’God is love’ deal with his character, especially as he has revealed himself to men." [Note: Marshall, p. 212.]

"The absence of the article (God is the love) indicates that love is not simply a quality which God possesses, but love is that which he is by his very nature. Further, because God is love, love which he shows is occasioned by himself only and not by any outside cause. The word God is preceded by an article, which means that the statement is not reversible; it cannot read, ’Love is God.’" [Note: Ryrie, "The First . . .," p. 1475.]

"John does not say that love is God, but only that God is love." [Note: Robertson, 6:232.]