4:12 (Focus)

The focus of this verse is on two things that will happen if we love one another: (a) God will live in us, and (b) his love will become perfect in us. The statement that no one has ever seen God is not in focus, it is just emphasizing how amazing it is that God lives in us. The verse could therefore be restructured as:

If we love one another, then even though nobody has ever seen God, he will actually be living in us, and….

4:12a

No one has ever seen God: (Meaning) John means that no one has seen God as he really is, in spirit. People have only ever seen God at times when he has appeared in human form, such as when Moses saw him (Exodus 33:22–23) and when people saw Jesus.

4:12b

if we love: (Multiple Senses) This means “whenever we love…”

God remains in us: (Collocation) See the notes on 2:5c “in Him,” and 3:24a “and God in him.”

4:12c

His love is perfected: (Meaning) John means that when God lives in us and we love others, then God’s love is reaching people just as he wants it to. In other words, God’s love is having the effect he intends it to have.

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All Scripture quotations in this publication, unless otherwise indicated, are from The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible. BSB is produced in cooperation with Bible Hub, Discovery Bible, OpenBible.com, and the Berean Bible Translation Committee.