1Jn 4:7-4:10 - God is Love

Calvin

4:7-4:8: As elsewhere throughout the book, John moves between faith and love as his topics. The love here promoted is not simply that of friend for friend, but a greater mutual love amongst all the faithful; the which is proof of our sonship to God. It is taken for granted that God's nature is to love mankind. Calvin does not see this as a statement of God's essence or a proof of the Spirit's divinity. Where the true knowledge of God is, the knower is renewed, and cannot but find himself being conformed to God's image, which must include love.
4:9: Creation, our dominion over it, our very life and the blessings showered upon it, our ability to know God - all these show us His great love. Yet the greatest view we have is in His willingness to give His own Son over to death that we might live. In looking upon Christ, then, we see the fullest possible confirmation that God is love. That this was His only Son magnifies the impact of His willingness to give Him up for our sakes. Without this gift, we were and would remain dead men, having no possibility of restoration to God's good graces.
4:10: God's love for us preceded both our coming to love Him, and even our birth. This goes to show that His love for us has no basis in our works. (Ro 5:8 - Christ's death [God's gift] was for active sinners, that they might be able to repent in truth.) Our nature from birth is enmity to God, so His first overtures of love were necessary that we might come around. Christ came to us by God's love alone, and, as such, we need only look to Christ to know beyond all doubt God's love for us. To seek assurance of God's view of us anywhere else is madness. That Christ was needed as a propitiation shows that we were all sinners, and further that we were all dead until He died for our redemption. No other could do it, and no other can. Christ is the only way to reconciliation and life. Why reconciliation if God already loved us? Because we - knowing God to be righteous and true - will rightly fear and expect His wrath so long as we are aware of having broken His law. Thus, we need the atoning work of Christ to show God properly appeased on our behalf. God sent His Son because He loved us whereas we couldn't comprehend His love because we knew ourselves to be provoking His wrath by our actions, and were plagued by conscience over our vile lifestyle. It required Christ's reconciling sacrifice to awaken and comfort our conscience, and His work continues to make us presentable before God. If Christ alone is a proper propitiation for sin (He is the propitiation), there is no room left for works.

Matthew Henry

4:7-4:10: Love is another way by which the Spirit of Truth is known to us, and therefor we are urged to love. God is the author of love, which is the sum of His law and Gospel. Love, in us, flows from the Spirit of God. (Gal 5:22 - love is the fruit of the Spirit.) Love comes of a true understanding of God's nature, for His nature and essence is love. This is not the totality of His essence, but it is essential. Since it is essential, it must needs show in the lives of those He indwells; and the lack of that essential love is a clear sign that God is not there. (Ro 5:8 - His love shows in the fact that He gave Christ to die for us while we were still sinners) It shows in the fact that He was willing to give up the life of His only Son. It truly is amazing that he should love the world that much. His love shows in the order of precedence, He having loved us first - while we had no love for Him, and remained unclean and undeserving. From love, He gave His Son to die under His own curse as propitiation for our sins; His death being for the purpose of bringing a good end for us, allowing us to live in eternal glory with Him in heaven.

Adam Clarke

4:7: We are to be ever prepared to promote each other's spiritual and physical welfare. We are to always act as God - who is love - would, blessing those we are in contact with. This love to God and man will act to prove our being begotten of Him in new birth.
4:8: Where there is no love, there is no true knowledge of God. Love is the primary essence of God's divine nature, from which all others depend. His love can know no hatred for any of His creation - bringing rain and sun upon both the just and the unjust, the good and the evil. Christ's death is for every man, without limit. None is incapable of calling upon His mercy.
4:9: Jesus' mission is the highest proof of God's infinite love. Sin sentenced the world, and every inhabitant thereof to death. Jesus came and died in the world's stead, making it possible that every inhabitant thereof might have life, and that everlasting. (Jn 3:16 - His love gave His only Son that all who would believe might have eternal life.)
4:10: Our love did not move to convince God to love us. He loved us while we were His sworn enemies, bringing us around. (Ro 5:6-11 - Christ died for the ungodly who were still helpless to end their sinfulness. His death reconciled us, His life saves us.)

Barnes

4:7: John was most inclined to the grace of love. (Jn 13:23 - This might reflect his reaction to Jesus' great love toward him. Jn 13:34-35 - or the commandment which Jesus gave.) All true love comes from God, thereby showing we belong to Him, and are becoming more like Him when we love. This proof by love doesn't apply to affections or a sense of charity, but only to that true, Christian, God-centered love under discussion.
4:8: Where such a love is not in evidence, there can be no true knowledge of God. That God is love - is benevolence itself - must sometimes be taken on faith when we look around us, but such a faith will bring a great assurance. (2Co 13:11 - the God of love is with us, allowing us to live in peace.) Mixed with the sorrows of this life, are great evidences that God truly is love. In the original creation, in our preservation while guilty, in His provisions for all of humanity's needs, in the gift of our Savior; in all these the love of God is evident. We must hold to that understanding in the face of sorrow, knowing that what seems hurtful - having come from the hand of a loving God - must turn out to have been for our good.
4:9: The foremost example - though by no means the only one - is in God's sending Jesus, His beloved only Son, to die in order to reconcile us to life. (Jn 3:16 - belief in Jesus leads us to eternal life [not belief that He existed, but belief in all He is.]) The greatness of the love therein expressed can be felt in contemplating the worth of the soul that was exposed to eternal death, the greatness of the gift He gave, the degree to which he sorrowed over our fallen state, and the degree of eternal life and joy He has prepared for us instead. As eternity draws near [?!?], our realization of the magnitude of God's love will grow more and more.
4:10: This is the highest possible expression of that love; that it was shown to a people who had no reason to expect it, rather had great reason to expect the opposite (Ro 5:7-8 - whereas we would think twice about dying even for a good man, Christ died for us while we were still sinners and vile in the sight of God.) The love He showed us at that point indicated no approval of our character, but looked beyond where we were to what was possible with His hand to help. Christ's sacrifice was made necessary to balance God's justness with His love, His righteousness with compassion. (Ro 3:25 - For Him to pass over our sins, some redeeming propitiation had to be made, His law had to be fulfilled - which required death for such breaking with His commandments.)

Wycliffe

4:7-4:8: Love finds its origin in God. Those who have this love have been begotten of God, and remain His children. Those who have not a habitual love don't know God, who is love. (Jn 4:24 - God is Spirit, 1Jn 1:5 - God is light) This is a statement of God's nature; His essence. Being as He is love, when He shows love it is for no further reason than because He is.
4:9-4:10: God's love was made manifest in the giving of His Son. Christ is the only Son, having no brothers (Heb 11:17 - Isaac the only begotten of Abraham - no brothers.) The love thus expressed is a love beyond the capabilities of man.

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown

4:7: Love, being the sum of righteousness, is the test for our rebirth. It flows from knowing God's love for us. All love is from God. (Ro 5:5 - God's love pours into us through the Holy Spirit.) To love is to know God in spirit and truth.
4:8: Those who don't love, have never known God. God is love. Love is not God. God's essence is love, therefor to not know love is to not know God. There can be no knowledge of Him apart from His essence.
4:9: The Son was sent, showing He existed prior to that occasion. His coming as propitiation is the great proof of God's love. This ought also to stir us toward mutual love.
4:10: The ideal of love was shown in God's giving over of Christ on our behalf. It was a purely one-sided love, with no return of sentiment from us, in spite of His great worth.

New Thoughts

Perhaps the answer to our question about the loving atheist lies in the definition of love, itself. The love which God pours into us is His own, self-sacrificing love; that love which is capable and willing to do for another what is really in the other's best interest, even when that other person is unwilling to see it done. God's love moved to redeem us when we had no interest in redemption, to save us when we were perfectly happy to stay in harm's way. Why? Because it was our true need, even though we had not the sense to realize it. The love which the atheist shows cannot possibly do what is most needful, for the atheist doesn't believe in that which is the greatest need. He is still where we were - in harm's way, and happy to be there. The best he can offer another is to draw them into harm's way alongside himself. This clearly is not the best for that other. Any other love that might be shown remains emotion alone, a feeling of charity or affection. While these are nice, they are not the love that assures us of our redemption. From Vine's: "Christian love has God for its primary object, and expresses itself first of all in implicit obedience to His commandments. ... Christian love, whether exercised toward the brethren, or toward men generally, is not an impulse from the feelings, it does not always run with the natural inclinations, nor does it spend itself only upon those for whom some affinity is discovered. Love seeks the welfare of all, and works no ill to any; love seeks opportunity to do good to 'all men, and especially toward them that are of the household of faith,'." Thank you, Father. I need to be reminded that it's not really the emotions that are under consideration here. But God, how do I measure up here? Is it well with my soul? Sometimes I think so. But then there's those work situations that really make me question where I am with You. Lord, I need You with me even now, even today, to catch me before I do something foolish, something not pleasing in Your eyes. God, I know. I know I do those things daily, hourly, and I don't want it that way anymore. Bring change, oh Lord, to me. Your Son died for just such reasons, God. For such as I am still, He died. And through His death, Lord, You make it possible for me to come to You with confidence that You will both hear my cry, and answer oh God. Work this change in me Father, through the Holy Spirit that You have imparted to my spirit, work this change. I cannot continue as I am, Lord. I need Your touch. I need Your presence. I need You. Come and stay with me. Abide according to Your promise, that I may remain free of what I've been. Thank you, Lord, for all You are to me; for all You are; for showing love.