This verse states positively what the preceding clause expresses in a negative way.
Whoever keeps, or ‘whenever a person keeps.’ The Greek construction (a relative pronoun with the Greek particle an or ean and the following verb in the subjunctive) occurs also in 3.17, 22; 4.15; 5.15; 3 John 5. It serves to express generally occurring circumstances. When the verb in the main clause is in the present tense, or has the force of a present tense, this indicates that the reference is to repeated action, regardless of the time factor.
For his word, that is, ‘God’s word,’ see comments on 1.10.
In him truly love for God is perfected: the phrase in him … is perfected means ‘manifest in him,’ or ‘shown/exemplified by him.’ Truly, or ‘really,’ ‘in truth/reality,’ here means ‘not in words only but in deeds also.’ The word qualifies the verb; hence ‘is truly/really perfected,’ ‘reaches true/real perfection.’
In the Greek the phrase love for God is a genitive construction, “love of God.” This construction may mean (a) that God is the agent, “God loves,” (b) that God is the goal, “to love God,” or (c) a qualification, “to have love of a divine kind,” “to love like one whom God has taught to love.” Interpretation (a) is most likely in 4.9, (b) in 2.15 (“love for the Father”) and 5.3, and (a), or perhaps (c), in 4.12.
In the present verse, and in 3.17, all three relationships seem to be possible. Consequently a rendering that covers three, or at least two, of the possible meanings is preferable; here, for example, ‘in him it becomes manifest that God truly fills his whole heart with love’; or ‘this one has in his innermost his love coming from God,’ in which the last words may either mean “the love God has inspired in him” or “God’s love for him” (one American Indian language). If the translator is compelled to choose, however, possibility (a) seems to be slightly more likely here because of the parallel with “the truth (of God) is not in him” (verse 4).
The versions investigated vary in their renderings; compare love for God in Revised Standard Version and Good News Translation, following (b), “divine love” in New English Bible, following (c), whereas (a) is represented by ‘God’s love has come to perfection’ in Bijbel in Gewone Taal, and ‘God loves him completely’ in a Philippine language. If the noun love has to be rendered by a verb, the clause may become, for example, ‘such a person shows that God loves him truly and perfectly,’ following (a); or ‘he really loves perfectly, like one whom God has taught to love (man),’ following (c).
† Love (Greek agapē): In classical Greek the related verb has the meaning “to like,” then, “to like one person more than another,” “to prefer.” The Septuagint uses it to render a Hebrew verb referring to an act of the will rather than to an emotion. The word is distinct from, but in the same semantic field as, Greek eros “passionate love,” “desire,” and Greek philia “friendship,” “affection.” For other occurrences, see 3.1, 16; 4.7-10, 12, 16f; 2 John 3, 6; 3 John 6.
As for the problems involved in the translation of love, it has been pointed out that forms of love are frequently divided into two major categories: (1) those based upon established inter-personal relationships, such as, (a) family ties, (b) mutual friendship, and (c) sexual attraction; and (2) the profound appreciation which persons may have for one another on different social levels.
As to terms of category (1a), the love of parents for children and children for parents may constitute the basis for identifying the love of God for men and of men for God. Yet, there are sometimes connotations of such expressions which make it difficult to use them freely.
Expressions of category (1b) can of course be widely used in the Scriptures for “brotherly love,” but they may not be applicable to God’s love for man nor to man’s love for God.
If a term primarily identifies sexual attraction (1c), it can as a rule not be made applicable to the types of nonsexual love spoken of in the Bible.
In category (2) the concern the person of the upper level may have for an individual of lower rank may be roughly equivalent to “compassion.” It may be employed as a basic term to express the love of God for men in some languages. In others one may likewise use a phrase, ‘God wants good for us.’ Terms showing the affection and loyalty of the follower for his leader, on the other hand, may properly express the love of men for God.
Of course, in some languages various types of love may be indicated with perfect clarity by special terms, but in many instances more natural forms of expression may consist of idiomatic phrases, some of which employ a term for an organ of the body, but all of which describe the emotion as a special kind of activity; for example, ‘to put someone in one’s heart,’ ‘to hurt in one’s heart,’ ‘to die for a person,’ ‘to have one’s heart burn,’ ‘to think much about,’ ‘that which holds two together,’ ‘to have one’s heart go away with.’ In some instances love is described as a particular quality; for example, ‘his inside is sweet with someone,’ ‘to be heavy on the inside,’ ‘to appear good to the eye.’
† Is perfected: the Greek uses a form of the perfect tense which, however, has the force of a present and brings out that the state of perfection reached is in focus. The verb occurs also in 4.12 and 17-18, the related adjective in 4.18.
In the active form the verb means “to bring to completion,” “to cause to reach its goal (or its accomplishment),” in the sense of the overcoming of an imperfect state of things by one that is perfect. Here it is used in the passive form and means “to reach perfection,” “to come to its full measure (or growth),” “to be all-sufficient,” which in one language is expressed vividly by ‘to be round/globular,’ in another negatively, ‘to lack nothing.’
By this we may be sure that we are in him, that is, in God. This clause draws the conclusion from the two preceding clauses of verse 5. In wording it resembles verse 3.
Here by this may point forward, as in verse 3. It is taken thus by Greek New Testament, Revised Standard Version, Good News Translation, New English Bible and others, which read a colon at the end of verse 5. Or it may point back to “whoever keeps his word.” This interpretation (followed by Nestle, Zürcher Bibel, Bible de Jérusalem, Nieuwe Vertaling, Bijbel in Gewone Taal, and others) seems more probable when verse 5b is viewed as forming the conclusion of verses 3-5, as done in this Handbook. The reference may have to be specified, or the force of the preposition may have to be expressed by a causative construction; for example, ‘our keeping his word (or our obedience) is what causes us to be sure….’
For “to be in” see 1.8. Since the expression is in the same semantic domain as “to abide in,” its use here points towards the thought that will be discussed in the next paragraph.
Quoted with permission from Haas, C., de Jonge, M. and Swellengrebel, J.L. A Handbook on The First Letter of John. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1972. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .