No man has ever seen God: the false teachers probably boasted that in moments of ecstasy they were given the vision of God. In this verse (compare also John 1.18a; 5.37; 6.46) John rejects this idea. He is convinced that man in this present age cannot see God face to face, although, through Jesus Christ, he can know how God is (compare John 14.9 and 1.18b).

For “to see” in connection with God (here and in verse 14), see comments on 1.1. In 4.20 the more common Greek verb for seeing is used with the same meaning.

For God abides in us, see comments on the second occurrence of “to abide” in 3.24.

For his love is perfected in us, compare comments on 2.5. The possessive pronoun most likely refers to God as the one who loves. The verb form used here in the Greek is a compound perfect, which is probably slightly more emphatic than the simple perfect form used in 2.5 and 4.17.

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 .