Some Key Words

Love (agapao [25]):

directing the will toward, finding one's joy in a thing; to love in a social or moral sense; to be contented with a thing, to love dearly. This is the form we are to have toward each other.

Love (agape [26]):

benevolent love, a love that does what is needful for another rather than what is desired by another; good will. This is the love we have from God.

Born (gennao[1080]):

beget, mostly of men begetting children vs. women; to bring over to his way of life, convert; regenerate.

Know (ginosko[1097]):

to know experientially; intimate knowledge; to be sure, understand. From Vine's: Ginosko tends to indicate a coming to knowledge, a beginning to understand, whereas eido tends to indicate a fullness of knowledge and understanding.

Manifested (phaneroo [5319]):

act of divine revelation, to make visible.

Begotten (monogenes[3439]):

only made, only one of the family, the unique One, indicates becoming vs. begetting

Live (zao[2198]):

to live, be warm, to have life physically, spiritually, &/or eternally; to enjoy real life, to have true life that is worthy of the name, to be active, blessed, and endless in the kingdom of God

 

Paraphrase

7 To know God is to know love. 8-9 God's love went so far as to give His Son for us, 10 His love coming to us so that we could love Him 11 and each other.

Key Verse

4:11 - here's the crux of the argument: if God loved us that much, how can we not love in response?
OK, that's in the next section, but I'm holding to it anyway.

Some Parallel Verses

4:7

1Co 8:3 - if we love God, it is because He knows us.

4:8

4:9

Jn 9:3 - God displays His works in and through us. Jn 3:16 - He sent His Son to give us eternal life, and save us from our sinfulness.

4:10

Ro 5:8 - He took these actions before we would [or could] acknowledge Him. Ro 5:10 - still His enemies, He moved to reconcile us to Himself; saving us by giving the life of His Son. Jn 3:16 - that we might have eternal life.

New Thoughts

I'd like to substitute our definitions back in here...

7 Beloved, let us find our joy in one another, for love that does what is needful rather than what is desired by another is from God; and everyone who loves dearly is brought over to God's way of life, and has intimate, sure understanding of God. 8 The one who does not direct his will toward others does not have intimate knowledge of God, for God is love that does what is needful for us, and not just what is desired by us. 9 By this that benevolent love of God is made visible by divine revelation in us, that God has sent His only family member, His unique One into the world so that we might live eternally, enjoying real life that is worthy of the name - active, blessed, and endless in His kingdom - through Him. 10 In this is benevolent love, not that we found our joy in God, but that He found His joy in us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 11 Beloved, if God so directed His will toward us, we also ought to mutually direct our wills and find our joy in each other.

Awesome!! God found His joy in us - while we were still His enemies! This is the life we are called to...to have that same degree of love for others. Again, this seems to be unlimited in its definition of others. Certainly, we are to have this love for our fellow believers - but how are they enemies? This love is to be made visible by divine revelation IN US!!!! WOW! God will enable us to love this way by the power of His love in us, by the presence of the Holy Spirit in us, we will be made able! Lord, make us willing. Help us to direct our will toward Your will, to find our joy in You, in Your kingdom, in the work You call us to. Help us to make Your love visible to the world around us, that they, too, might have life that is worthy of being called life. Help us, oh Lord!